Gordon Brown and morality

Gordon Brown told Andrew Marr on Sunday that the MPs expenses scandal had offended his 'Presbyterian conscience'. It is an odd turn of phrase and suggests that Gordon Brown is quite impressed with his upbringing. Apparently he was taught that lying and stealing are bad, whereas the implication is that the rest of us were not really given that steer. So, he thinks that he exists on a higher moral plane than the rest of us, which may go some way to explaining his unshakable faith in himself. It doesn't explain why his 'Presbyterian conscience' has allowed lies an smears to emenate from no.10 against anyone that the Brown cabal regard as a threat. Or does Brown's superior morality put him above such petty considerations? I have seen that before in politics, people who are so convinced of the rightness of their cause that they can justify all sorts of despicable behaviour. It is interesting that Tom Watson, one of Brown's chief operators, annouonced his resignation yesterday. Watson was one of the architects of Tony Blair's removal and has a very bad reputation as a political thug. He is also a very good example of the disconnect between Gordon Brown's words and deeds. A man with a conscience would not have employed a someone like Tom Watson in a million years.