Neighbours but a fallout will end in disaster for Labour

I have taken to Jackie Ashley in recent weeks and her column in Monday's Guatdian is always worth a read.
Today as with many commentators it is the weekend's spate between the neighbours in Downing Street culminating in Darling having to back track on his relaxed Scottish island interview.

For Ashley,the Chancellor was talking the truth,the problem being that No 10 has reacted in totally the wrong way.

for No 10 to order the chancellor to eat his words on TV (though, in fact, he declined to do that - he just pushed them around his plate) is to turn a private disagreement about tactics into a public political crisis. When that's followed up with briefings by Brownite MPs about the need to put someone else into the Treasury in Darling's place, it starts to look as if the government is cracking up.

Yes to an extent you can understand the reaction on a week when the Prime Minister was going to carry out yet another relaunch.After being told that we were best placed to deal with the recession,our Chancloor tells us that might not be the case after all.

Brown she says

needs to be very careful. To humiliate and then sack his chancellor - someone who regards him as a close friend and who has been very loyal to him - would be to invite ministerial meltdown. Darling is very stubborn and at least as proud as Brown. I would be surprised if he agreed to help launch the recovery package without some agreement that he would not then be axed soon after. If he can be treated badly, anyone can be. This is not the way to rally a cabinet.

If this morning's Times is anything to go buy then the decision may have already been taken

The Chancellor’s assertions at the weekend that government changes were unlikely were described in categorical terms as “wrong”. Whitehall insiders told The Times that a controversial interview, in which he claimed that Britain could be heading into the worst economic conditions for 60 years, may have harmed his position.

Meanwhile the fallout is hitting sterling.The pound is at currently a two year low against the dollar reflecting the weekend's comments.
Brown needs to act quickly if once again we are not going to see another blundered message