Further to my previous post, in which I observed that at PMQs Brown seemed particularly energetic, Nick Robinson notes that Brown was, during John Hutton's report to the Commons on the newly-announced pensions proposals, "sometimes grinning, sometimes heckling the opposition, sometimes even whispering asides to John Hutton".

While, as Nick Robinson notes, "Brown often fights and scowls in private only to emerge smiling in public", it seems that the chancellor was particularly gleeful today. Out of Nick Robinson's three mooted reasons as to the cause of this (rare?) happiness - aside, of course, from the BBC's new "happiness formula" - is that the proposed (re-)link of pensions with earnings is "subject to affordability and the fiscal position". Since the connection has been seriously proposed, however, PM Brown would experience significant political difficulty with a U-turn in pensions policy, come Labour's fourth term (should it ever happen).

Perhaps, rather than economic or political, Brown's reason for this recent bout of smiling is merely a public relations exercise. Skipper today called the chancellor "moody", and this is certainly telling of his relationship with the media. There are rather too many pictures of a disgruntled and sleep-deprived chancellor, as opposed to an energetic would-be prime minister; Brown is clearly attempting to reverse this impression.

Amidst this talk of personal ambition - juxtaposed by a ubiquitous grumpiness - Legal Eagle's comment on Nick Robinson's blog is most telling:

"What a shame that the details of such an important policy, with huge long-term
implications, are determined by a Blair / Brown ego match."