Gordon Brown really doesn't get it. He must have thought using YouTube to announce changes to the way MPs claim their expenses was a great way of showing he was in touch and in charge. The man to call time on the parliamentary expenses scandal.

The reality is very different. This was a cynical attempt to gain brownie points at the expense of his political opponents. Yet a moment's thought should have warned him of the perils. Anyone with a feel for the public's mood would have known that most voters would dismiss the plan as paying politicians extra just for turning up for work. (In other words, Gordo was acting as shop steward for greedy MPs, rather than the guardian of the public purse.) 

Just as seriously, Labour's failure to announce the proposals in the House of Commons underlines the long term decline in parliament's role as the check on executive power. YouTube may be hugely popular, but it hasn't yet established a role as part of our parliamentary system. Brown's partisan move in bypassing parliament will make it harder for him to win support for the proposals. 

That's not to say that the Government shouldn't use YouTube and other social media channels to get its message across. But using social media must be part of a thought out strategy, not a mere tactic in a political battle. For such a serious politician, the prime minister is amazingly weak at strategy. This may be a reflection of his political weakness. But it suggests he is unlikely to find a way of reviving his party's fortunes as we approach the most important general election for a generation.

PS: This month marks the 100th anniversary of Lloyd George's landmark People's Budget, which founded the welfare state and established the House of Commons' primacy over the Lords. That great reforming chancellor also introduced pay for MPs for the first time, at £400 a year. Lloyd George's view was that even the poorest in society should be able to serve as an MP, rather than just those with a private income. The issue of MPs' pay remains as contentious as it was a century ago, especially as their constituents suffer job losses and pay cuts. That's why all the party leaders should show some leadership and work together to agree a more transparent and equitable remuneration system.