Brown's world!

Our prime minister attacks the banks as "them" who let down the rest of us, in today's Times.

It is the familiar plea, "Nothing to do with me, not guilty!" It's the Americans, it's the bankers, it's the foreigners generally, but I am not guilty, by omission or commission.

It's such a regularly repeated refrain, as if he started with the policy of "deny all" and he cannot now change without looking really stupid.

But what if he really believes what he says, that he really believes that he has made no bad judgements or decisions? You would have thought that someone as clever as he is reputed to be would have had a more sophisticated approach, with a way out if it began to tire. Perhaps he really does genuinely believe that our problems are really bad luck and could not have been foreseen, and that he has nothing for which to apologise.

If this is the case then he needs treatment, because there cannot be many who fail to see that he made many errors, and especially an inadequate regulatory system and a failure to see the amount of private and public debt that was being racked up.

The treatment must include surrounding himself with balanced people rather than yes-men and actually listening to their warnings.