In the modern 24 hour news media everything is a “crisis” or “meltdown”.  One report even described last Wednesday as another “Black Wednesday”!

In fact the reality is that whilst the controversy around anonymous donations has undoubtedly been damaging to the Labour Party, we should all take a deep breathe, a step back and look at the bigger picture.

Gordon Brown didn’t hesitate in acknowledging the wrongdoing, the man responsible has resigned, and the Prime Minister has launched two internal investigations within the Labour Party and is co-operating fully with the police investigation.  Our politics is overwhelmingly clean by international standards and Gordon Brown will be very angry at those who have broken the rules.

I don’t downplay the enormity of the situation regarding Northern Rock, or underplay the real concerns people have over the missing CDs.  But the reward for being in government is having to deal with circumstances, some that arise from decisions taken by the government, and some that are beyond any government’s control.

What is truly important are not the events that happen in our country and the world around us, but the way in which government reacts to them.

In the case of Northern Rock what matters to the public is that their savings are safe.  That no banks are forced to close.  That no person is victim of identity fraud or goes without benefits they are entitled to.

When criticised for a decision in politics you should ask yourself the question, “what if I had taken the alternative course of action”?  In the case of Northern Rock had Alistair Darling not stepped in and millions of people had lost all their savings, with consequences for other banks it would have been a true crisis.

It is impossible to predict the future.  We know that situations will arrive that will need difficult decision from the government.  But it is clear that Gordon Brown has the expertise and the commitment to overcome events and lead Britain effectively on the real issues that directly affect people’s lives.