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All Prime Ministers make miscalculations and are hit by mishaps. There's never been one who hasn't been buffeted by events and beset by rebellions. Every government suffers from spats and splits. The leaders who survive and prosper are those who rise above the daily frenzy of politics because they display purpose and momentum.

That's Andrew Rawnsley, writing in the Observer. And he's right. Any manager knows that you have to sort the signal from the noise, and make sure that you focus on your priorities to ensure you achieve what you think is right. Unfortunately, Gordon Brown doesn't look like he can do this at the moment. Is this because he can't, or because of circumstances? Rawnsley thinks the latter:

As it happens, this government does have an agenda. A lot is happening in a broad range of areas from education to welfare reform to health. The government successfully faced down the opposition of GPs and got the doctors' union to agree that surgeries should be open for longer and at times more convenient for their patients... Gordon Brown does have a serviceable theme for his premiership. He has a rich narrative about unlocking the talents of all people. He has a potentially compelling argument that this approach is both morally right and economically smart in a highly competitive world.

Now, Brown has to figure out how to communicate that theme; if he doesn't, he might not make it to a general election in 2010.

Note: even when Brown isn't doing well, where are the Conservatives? As Rawnsley notes: "Those who still have fight left in them observe that the Tories reveal vulnerabilities whenever their positions are scrutinised. David Cameron declares he will vote against the abolition of the 10p rate without explaining how he would find £7bn to restore it. Those Labour people who haven't given up reckon - rightly, in my view - that the Tory leader has yet to seal the deal with the voters."

Tags — Politics