CRUEL WORLD.....

Life can be hard at times. Just think of poor old Gordon Brown. He seemed to be having `a good war` with his plan to revive the faltering banking industry finding general approval both at home and abroad. As a result, his poll rating has been on the up.

But, just as he begins to bask in the glory - reflected or otherwise - a couple of wounds from the past seem to be festering once more.

The first is the revelation that, despite what former PM Tony Blair had to say at the time, there now seems to be evidence to suggest that he ordered Ministers to find a way of excluding Formula One motor racing from the ban on tobacco advertising, whilst at the same time denying he had any involvement. Today, even Speaker Martin has raised his eyebrows at the allegations and it seems that an inquiry of sorts may be likely.

And then also today we have the spectacle - there really is no other word for it - of Peter Mandelson, the Dennis Wise of the Labour Party, being sworn in as a member of the House of Lords as Baron Mandelson of Foy in the County of Herefordshire and Hartlepool in the County of Durham. Catchy, eh? Oh, yes, and he will continue to be paid by the EU (actually by taxpayers) for another three years despite having given up his job as Trade Commissioner to make up the difference between his salary for that job and the one Gordon gave him last week. He will also receive a relocation allowance to help with the move from one job to another.

So whilst the outlook for the innocent thousands directly affected by the financial shenanigans of recent times is decidedly grim, the future for Mandelson and the faithful Reinaldo seems brighter than ever. You really couldn`t make it up.

Whichever way Gordon`s financial recovery package works out, it seems that in this cruel world, there will always be sceptres of Labour`s murky past from which there can be no escape, either for him or the rest of us.