Problems using v:errmsg

I'm trying to detect whether or not a g// command worked by checking
v:errmsg. AFAICT this is almost identical to the example to the
example in :help errmsg, although there it is using 'silent! next':

let v:errmsg = ""
silent! g/^>/

if v:errmsg == ""
silent g/^-- $/
silent g/^>/
normal 2o
else
normal o
startinsert
endif

However it doesn't seem to work. Whatever I try, v:errmsg is always
empty so the first part of the if statement will run. I've tried with
and without the '!' and also by using normal instead of silent. Doing
:echomsg v:errmsg or :messages after vim has been invoked will always
be empty too.

Any ideas?

-Dave

--

"Linux was made by foreign terrorists to take money from true US companies
like Microsoft." - Some AOL'er.
"To this end we dedicate ourselves..." -Don
-- From the sig of "Don", don@cs.byu.edu

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