Fraser Nelson

So what is to become of Patrick Mercer? On the Today programme this morning he was introduced as someone who "has served nine tours in Northern Ireland" - i.e. that rare thing: a politician who knows what he's talking about. As opposed to Shaun Woodward, whose sole credentials are being a Tory turncoat and being plonked in the Cabinet at a time when Brown was recruiting goats. As a solider, Mercer survived two IRA assassination attempts; he reeks of authority on the subject. This morning the Tory demonstrably outclassed the minister. It was one of those "ready for government" moments, which the Tories need more of. But Mercer, alas, is not expected to join the government. His political career path is something of a tragedy.

Whether the Conservatives like it or not, their agenda in government will be the "more for less" agenda. That is, having to cut public spending and find ways to improve services at the same time. This is far from impossible: after all, Labour has proven in the last 12 years that you can virtually double the money and have worse services. To achieve the reverse, all you need is public service reform—to do what Blair talked about in his final years in the job. George Osbrone has put the reform agenda at the centre of his speech on the economy today. He says:- "We need a new model of growth. We need to change from an economy built on debt to an economy powered by savings and real returns on effort.

For those who love email trails, the Public Administration Select Committee has served up a feast - the emails flying around when Brown released premature knife crime figures last December. You can read the full trail here, Email Trail PDF . From my reading, it seems that the decision to use unready statistics came straight from Gordon Brown himself.  The only No10 official named in the email trail is Dr Matt Cavanagh, who is the very opposite of a Campbell-style No10 praetorian spinner.

Given that Harriet Harman is the bookies favourite to be Labour leader, it was actually worth tuning in to PMQs today. The Labour leadership contest is well underway, and these few moments at the dispatch box will be crucial for the Flower of the Aristocracy* to set out her stall, with David Miliband sat next to her and looking resentfully on. Hague went on the working capital scheme not working – but with Hague you know there’s a gag waiting. Out it came on the fourth question. She should step up to the plate, he said. When Chamberlain stumbled, Churchill came forward. The Commons mentally held the comparison for a moment, and Miliband made no attempt to conceal his relish. When Eden crossed the Atlantic, Hague continued, Supermac made his move.

Well, after all that, it's over. Brown looked like a groupie that had just been invited on stage as he sat in the Oval Office beaming from ear to ear beside the Messiah. It was a very different outcome to that he imagined: there was no podium to speak at, no formal press conference, no toothpaste sharing, none of the formalities that have been extended to Tony Blair. Brown was on the same losers chair that the soon-to-be-ex-Japanese PM was on last month. Photographers were invited in, then a handful of journalists took questions from behind the sofa. Brown then grew perhaps a little to excited, referring to the President as "Barack". Strange move, given what sticklers for titles they are in Washington. The informality that was not reciprocated, Obama referred to "Prime Minister Brown".

Brace yourselves. For the next few weeks, we will be witnessing Gordon Brown's attempt to have us believe he is saving the world again, brokering a new global deal for the recession. As Chancellor, he loved to promote global plans. Two are worth mentioning.  One was to persuade the IMF to sell its gold as he had done, when the price was about $275 an ounce (it's now around $950). The other was for governments to adopt one of the the debt concealment tactics invented by investment banks, securitisation, and use it for African aid. His plan: participating nations would jointly take out a multi-billion dollar debt pile, and saddle their successors with repayments for the next 30 years. But they'd spend the cash instantly, taking credit for it.

Mervyn King was doling out blame at the Treasury Select Committee today - while insisting there was nothing, at all, anywhere that the Bank of England could have done differently. He dumped on Brown, saying that Britain entered the recession "with a pubic deficit that was too high" so leaving less room for a meaningful splurge. I add in parenthesis that of the idea of borrowing in a boom would have appalled Keynes: this is why Brown's claims to be following Keynes now ring hollow. King also blamed the regulators, the banks - everyone, except the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street..

Thanks for your suggestions on what to ask Lord Lawson, who will be the first ‘expert witness’ on our wiki-inquiry into the recession. The premise behind this whole exercise is that we can, with the internet, harness your collective wisdom – and take this inquiry in directions it couldn’t go on its own (or if powered solely by journalists). Here is a long list of questions for him, which we’ll hone down later. All other thoughts gratefully received. 1. If you were Chancellor the day before Northern Rock went bust, how would you have handled the situation? Granted, you wouldn’t have started from here. But did the banks have to be nationalised, as they were? 2.