Brown's road to ruin

“Protectionism is the road to ruin,” warbled Reverend Brown, delivering his sermon at the Downing Street press conference this morning.

I day-dreamed that he might start shouting, “shame on thee, on every one – for ye all have suckled on Satan’s teat.”

But by the time I came around a plucky German reporter was asking the PM if he was on the ‘road to ruin’ when he made the protectionist promise of British jobs for British workers.

Brown rebutted the suggestion but later went on to say, “non-UK contractors applying for contracts in the UK”, should, “give local people a chance to get jobs on these construction projects.”

This was typical of the PM trying to have it both ways in terms of his message.

The Government’s actions suggest to me that Brown wants a non-protectionist, open market.

But he’s unwilling to face up to the flak he’ll get – and the lost votes – if he admits that what he wants means being a British worker in Britain conveys no special advantage.

So he laces his words with caveats about British jobs and British workers – the result being a mixed message.

Voters will see one thing and hear another – that may be Brown’s road to ruin.