New Leader: Gordon Brown
If Conservative Party chief, David Cameron is in trouble with his party, Gordon Brown has scored a huge victory with his party. That might be a prelude to early elections and an attempt to score a victory with the British people.Britain’s Leader, Warming to Spotlight, Rouses His Party
"No one knew what he would be like when he finally took charge. As chancellor of the Exchequer for 10 years, Gordon Brown lived in the long shadow of the prime minister, Tony Blair — coming across as a dark, brooding, largely silent figure who could not have seemed more different from the sprightly, smiley, eager-to-please Mr. Blair.
"But Mr. Brown has surprised the country in the three months since he became prime minister, both by demonstrating that he is capable of telling the occasional joke and by deftly handling a series of crises...
"Mr. Brown, who addressed a constantly applauding crowd of adoring party members at the conference on Monday, has tried to ally himself with the successes of the past 10 years of Labor rule, while also distancing himself from Mr. Blair and positioning his government as something completely different. “Strength to Change Britain” was the slogan on the podium as he spoke...
"Mr. Brown managed in his speech to radiate seriousness of purpose and strength of character without seeming dry or hectoring, which he tended to do as chancellor. He smiled on several occasions. He talked about going to a state school, as Britons call public school, as a boy in Scotland, and about the values instilled in him by his father, a Presbyterian minister...
"Mr. Brown has been considerably helped by having had crises to deal with and proving that he can handle them without hysteria...
"He pointedly took his summer vacation at the British seaside, in contrast to Mr. Blair, who tended to stay with rich friends at exotic foreign spots...
"Although one of his first acts as prime minister was to pay a visit to Camp David to meet with President Bush, a widely disliked figure here in Britain, Mr. Brown maintained his dignity by wearing a suit, maintaining a formal distance and stressing his respect for Britain’s ties with America rather than his personal chemistry with the president. Mr. Blair, in similar situations, tended to dress down and fall into a style of folksy camaraderie favored by Mr. Bush but mistrusted by many Britons...
"'I think Gordon Brown is what many people perceive a politician should be — slightly dull, highly principled,' said Robert Gray, the campaigns director for the Countryside Alliance, which lobbies on behalf of rural issues. 'He’s more solid, more British.'..."
posted by Ken Wedding @ 8:21 AM
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