Skipper

The media has gone over the top once again, this time regarding Shriti Vadera's remarks, I note. Check out the context and you'll see she was specifically asked if she could see any 'green shoots of recovery'-so the phrase was introduced by the ITN questioner, not her, as might have appeared to be the case when the 'remark' was reported. And her reply was hedged around with qualifications:

"It is a very uncertain world at the moment, globally. I would not want to be the one predicting it. I am seeing a few green shoots, but it is a little bit early to say how they are going to grow."

Result? Item one in all last night's news bulletins, excoriations from the Tories and resultant humble apologies from said former merchant banker. Probably my last two words explain the minor lapse: she is essentially a finance expert, longtime adviser to Broon, not a natural politician- though if you read the biographies she is mentioned as one of the most ferocious Whitehall infighters, known for giving no quarter. So she shouldn't complain at the storm at her gaffe-reverse the situation and she'd be howling for blood too probably- though she might reflect at how sensitive words are when issuing from a a junior minister is such febrile times when all the major indicators are shrieking 'disaster! disaster!'.

Her boss, Mandelson, when interviewed, acknowledged her gaffe with a rueful smile: if the verbally nimble Prince of Darkness had even dreamt of making such a mistake, he'd have woken up and apologised. He got it in its proper perspective when he commented:

What she said today, in response to a point put to her, is a very far cry from a strategic setpiece speech made to the Tory party conference by Norman Lamont all those years ago."