Just how many are involved?

Another day and another development in the donations scandal that is dogging this government. Yesterday it was Peter Hain's turn to admit that he accepted a proxied donation from Mr Abrahams. The list of people that knew about this is getting bigger, and they are all key members of Gordon Brown's inner circle.

However, old clunking fist is still claiming that he did not know anything about it. Now, considering that Gordon is even more of control freak that Tony Blair was, I find that very hard to believe. But what I find even more inconceivable is the lengths that he is going to to keep his cabinet together.

Gordon has issued a "don't you dare resign" order to Scottish Labour Leader Wendy Alexander, who has admitted to receiving an unrelated illegal donation, and if other blogs are to be believed he has done the same to key members involved in the investigation into proxy donors. Personally I believe that Gordon is trying to keep on to the right to fire them from their posts, in order to spin the line, "look at me i'm taking action". Admittedly that last bit is pure speculation on my part.

But it does beg the question how come Gordon Brown is able to to deny all knowledge, unless of course his team are too afraid to tell him any bad news. It sounds like the old line the John Reid used to use when he was at the Home Office, and we all remember how many disasters he faced.