Going going gone

Four reflections following our insight into the corridors (well, rooms) of power, courtesy of Guardian photographer Martin Argles:

1. It seems Gordon Brown is capable of a natural smile after all - but it can only be coaxed out of him by Peter Mandelson and when he's leaning on the back of a chair.

2. Re: the gathering around his desk and the farewell speech - I wonder if there'd been a card and collection passed round beforehand? I'd have liked to have seen the picture of him being presented with the B&Q tokens and the bottle of whisky Yvette Cooper had hastily procured from the Downing Street Tesco Express.

3. Man of the people? Pah. A man of the people would put his kids' daubings on the fridge rather than hang them on the wall. Or maybe they were John Prescott's handiwork?

4. Is the end of a political term anything like the end of a school term? Did Gordon get to take a game in to play with Alistair Darling? Go For Broke, perhaps? Presumably the Miliband brothers will have gone head-to-head at Guess Who.

Incidentally, here's Jen's comment on last night's developments: "Well, they've got two kids and she is preggers, so I guess they needed a new house." Move over Nick Robinson.