As I write this, it looks as though George Osborne is getting ready to scrap the planned increase to fuel duty. The proposed 3p a litre rise, was to be announced in the Chancellor’s autumn statement on 5th December, but in order to avoid another Tory rebellion and potential government defeat in the Commons as well as the predictable dissent from opposition MPs and Lib Dem coalition ‘partners’ (sic), it seems that Osborne lacks the conviction to see the proposal through (again). It’s worth noting that a cash freeze in fuel duty is a real terms cut, and in fact fuel duty has already fallen by about 14 per cent in real terms since 2000. Why mention it? Well, it sums up why the Con-Dem coalition is doomed to fail, just like the last Labour administration, and as will the next government (whichever party, parties or combination thereof). They fail because despite their supposed differences, they all share the same fundamental traits - an obsession with short term gain and simple opportunism.  What so many politicians of all shades don't seem to grasp is that the seismic events of 2007 and 2008, have, in my opinion, rendered the old left/right division meaningless as the world faced a crisis which turned all previously accepted economic theory on its head, as we moved into what was and still is, uncharted territory. What the crisis did do was to give the incumbent coalition government the opportunity to tell the British people straight up, just how skint we were and that the incessant growth in public spending over the previous 13 years had to stop. The scale of the task was reflected in the leaving note by the former Chief Secretary to the Treasury following the change of government, to his successor saying "Dear Chief Secretary, I’m afraid to tell you there's no money left” - not funny. I am reminded of the scene in “A Few Good Men” when Tom Cruise yells that he wants to know the truth, to be met by an even louder retort from Jack Nicholson “You can’t handle the truth!” Well, we should be able to live with the truth, no matter how unpleasant or difficult. Typically, although the new reality meant immediate and necessary spending cuts, this was loudly and predictably opposed by the usual narrow vested interest groups – mainly Trades Unions and local authorities. But crucially, at that time very many people would have understood that a fundamental shift was needed to get the country on the path to prosperity. Two-and-a-half years on, despite the cuts that have been made, we are borrowing even more than we did under the last government and the moment for real reform, sadly, has gone. Although I am disappointed, I shouldn't be surprised, it was ever thus. Just over 100 years ago, the writer GK Chesterton wrote, "The opportunist politician is like a man who should abandon billiards because he was beaten at billiards, and abandon golf because he was beaten at golf. There is nothing which is so weak for working purposes as this enormous importance attached to immediate victory. There is nothing that fails like success". Those words resonate today as we have the same opportunistic approach from so much of the political class, so maybe it's just too much to expect anything different. Still, it could be worse; your football team could be winless, bottom of the league and breaking new ground in the ‘just how bad can a season actually be’ awards. It may surprise you to know that QPR was originally called St Jude's when they first formed in 1882, and before they merged with Christchurch Rangers to become Queens Park Rangers in 1885. It may be less of a surprise to know that St Jude is actually, the patron saint of lost causes or hopeless cases, both particularly fitting right now given our league position and to be honest it's been appropriate for most of our existence... oh well, see you at EXPO.