Is there a danger of the headless chicken syndrome?

Almost every working day, it seems, there’s a new government announcement, usually by Brown himself, on measures apparently designed to deal with the recession.

Today it was the offer of £2,500 to employers for every person they train who has been unemployed for more than six months. Fair enough – the idea sounds promising but have they got the announcement strategy right?

Among the things we had last week were the regional tours, the measures to create new apprenticeships, a scheme to help graduates gain experience through interships and the suggestions of help to the motor industry. This was on top of the plan to spend £10bn on public works to create 100,000 new jobs.

This goes on and on – but I wonder whether the Number 10 spin machine has got the PR strategy right. It’s all too bitty and there’s a danger that it doesn’t come over as an over-arching strategy.

What’s needed, surely, is a big piece of rhetoric like Roosevelt’s “New Deal” into which each of the items is a component part. It’s surprising, given Peter Mandelson’s role, that this is allowed to go on as it is. Surely he can see it is not working as effectively as it might?

Fewer announcements with a big bang as part of one major theme would have a much bigger impact.

The PB cartoon, ever up to the minute, is by Marf of LondonSketchbook.com.