101 uses for Iain Gray: #8 Benny Hill impersonator

Where to begin? Iain Gray's election campaign continues to come out firing blanks. From incoherent, finger-jabbing performances in the leaders' debates, to the alarming and rain-soaked manifesto launch and now his Forrest Gump-style response to a group of protesters complaining about "Tory cuts" - surely if any topic had the potential to be manna from heaven for Iain Gray this was it. At last the chance to show he can think on his feet and effortlessly relate to the concerns of the common man, that he can take on an angry group and defuse the situation with tact and diplomacy (Iain Gray? Diplomacy? Oops, what am I saying? Iceland, Ireland, Montenegro...).

Off the top of my head, a response along the lines of "Yes, the Tory cuts are terrible, too deep too fast (I thought this phrase in particular had been tatooed on the inside of every Labour member's eyelids) , we have to try to make the best of a bad situation, we can't run away from our responsibilities running Glasgow council, we will fight these cuts until our last breath, etc." would surely have curried favour with the protesters, and certainly with the attendant media and watching viewers. But instead Scotland's FM-in-waiting (and let's hope he's waiting a long time) reacted like this:


Thanks to the mysterious bcnsco for uploading the video to You Tube, an eminently suitable webpage for any Iain Gray videos.

Is this the behaviour we expect from an FM? Turning tail when things get a bit tricky, being unable to think quickly and improvise responses when the Labour script writers aren't there to deliver a prompt? Oh dear, oh dear. The best part was the bizarre decision by Gray and/or his handlers to take refuge in a sandwich shop. Aye, Iain, they'll never get to you in there! Erm, unless they follow you in through the door that is, and then you're cornered. Brilliant thinking there Iain, now here's my vote and please run the country for me. Sweet Lord have mercy on us all, the man's an absolute imbecile nincompoop.