It is time to bring the question out into the open: is the Prime Minister of sane mind?

Going right back to the Blair charge that he was “psychologically flawed” this question has periodically arisen. Whereas in the past people made a joke of it, now the issue is becoming a genuine concern. Labour MPs discuss it semi-openly and political journalists report evidence of hysterical rants, the rages, the odd behaviour. The question comes up in private conversations all the time. Guido has heard it seriously suggested that Gordon suffers from “high functioning Aspergers”.

It is becoming harder to cover it up whatever it is – some interviews border on totally loony – the repetitive mantras, the uncorrelated bizarre smiles, the complete inability to empathise. When Kay Burley asked him this week would he still have the PM’s job at Christmas his reply was “Of course, because we have got to get on with the job… We have got to get on with the job. People want us to get on with the job. Getting on with the job is the most important thing at the moment.” He snapped at the Mail on Sunday “I’m happy to talk to you because you are here… I have given you special time. That is very good of me. You are very fortunate.”

He told smirking political correspondents on the flight to Beijing that he was going to win the next election, he tells confidantes that he believes the economy will turn around in a few months. We are told to expect an economic plan to turn things around – a plan which the Treasury is openly briefing it knows nothing about. He is clearly becoming increasingly disconnected from reality.

It is low politics to hurl cheap abuse at opponents, but this is not borne of malice towards Brown, Guido feels like the boy who pointed at the naked emperor and said what everyone was too embarrassed to say. The head of government is clearly at the very least deluded and unable to function under the pressure. The worst is frightening to contemplate, for his party and the country…

This is late news, but still worth recounting because it is relevant to his upcoming book on “Britishness” as well as funny:

At the launch of the Courage book Gordon Brown spoke to one of the survivors of the 7/7 attacks who had lost her legs in the bombings. ‘You epitomise perfectly the British heroic spirit’ said the Prime Mentalist. ‘But Prime Minister I’m an Aussie’ said the woman. Exits a befuddled Brown not able to think of anything to say or hide his embarrassment.

If he is writing a book on Britishness he needs to be able to identify Brits as well as the qualities he wishes to inculcate in them. Doh!

Hat-tip : Havering On

Number 10 started using Twitter, the popular text messaging social media application, a few months ago.

Yesterday Twitter discontinued the free service in the UK. Thanks Jonah Brown…

The monthly USA Today / Gallup poll is the first post Obama-Brown meeting poll. Guido can report that the Jonah effect has even diminished “the one”. This time last month Gallup reported that amongst likely voters McCain trailed Obama by 3% (44% against 47%). Since meeting Jonah Brown that position has reversed, McCain now leads by 4% (49% to 45%), a hefty 7% swing. In polling terms this is a McCain surge.

McCain be warned – don’t meet Gordon Brown – the safety of the free world depends on it…

UPDATE : Met Office issues second day of severe weather warnings for the East of England. A co-conspirator, Lola, reports

Jonah Brown, ruining everyone’s holiday in Southwold…

Gordon is feeling our pain, feeling the pinch*, so he is holidaying at a £4,500-a-week hide-away. Bizarrely he has just given Sky News an interview with soft focus shots of him and the missus walking in the park in holiday mode (stiff light coloured jacket, paedo in a playground smile). He told Sky “I’m getting on with the job”- Eh? Wrong script, he is supposed to be on holiday…

Despite having promised Palestinians mortgages (Eastern Rock?) he is not getting much coverage in Israel. The coverage he is getting is not exactly warm:

Brown’s arrival is also in the shadow of the recent visit by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Sarah Brown may be a founding partner in a public relations firm and a supporter of charities, but she’s no Carla Bruni.

But that isn’t the only reason for the lack of coverage of Brown’s visit. Former U.K. prime ministers Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair were considered great statesmen but while Brown may hold the same title, he lacks their political clout.

A member of Brown’s entourage says his weakness on the international stage stems from troubles at home. Last month Brown celebrated his first year in office after taking over from Blair.

For a decade, he was Chancellor of the Exchequer, presiding over a period of prosperity for Britain. But when his time finally came to take charge, the New Labour magic disappeared and widely became known as an irascible but tired figure.

Guido hates to repeat here anything he reads in newspaper diaries, (if only they felt the same) however this chuckle is just too good to keep from the co-conspirators. According to Black Dog, at a Downing Street reception to mark the 100th anniversary of the Territorial Army, a rushing TV sound engineer bashed Gordon in the balls with with a boom microphone.

There are even reports from the PM’s plane to Japan that a young civil servant touted by Brown as his next speech-writer desperately doesn’t want the job and kept pretending to be asleep when the great man marched down the aisle towards him.

A group of London MPs who were called to the Cabinet room to meet Brown last week were mystified when – having told them that he wanted to tell them about his plans for dealing with knife crime – he came up with the idea of ‘midnight football’. He told them that youths in his own Scottish constituency enjoyed late night football, and it could be expanded in London.

“We asked him whether kids in his constituency really played football at midnight. He said they actually played between 8-10pm. It was really pretty odd,” said one MP who was there.

Won’t this interfere with the plan to curfew children? Perhaps the troubled families that get evicted can go live on the football pitches after they get back from visiting their stab victims at the local hospital. Pick a potty policy time…