Browned Off - Commentary no. 375

Meaning, have you had enough of our Gordon? If so you’re probably amongst those who tend to agree with the newspapers that he’s a bit of a bully. Of course, those with a stake in the Brown Project, meaning labour sympathisers see the matter in an entirely different light. Our Gordon, they think, is dedicated to the Project, and if he gets a little worked up at times, it’s entirely understandable.

So what are we to make of the situation, and in particular of his prospects as we come up to the Election in a couple of months’ time?

The fact is we’ve been here before. It was Winston Churchill in the early weeks of his premiership in 1940, that comes most readily to mind. It is a fitting parallel. Then it was Clemmie, his wonderful wife that let us all into the secret. She wrote that great letter in which she put the problem plainly. She told her husband that he was behaving in such a way to his colleagues, that they were in danger of getting thoroughly fed up with him. She knew he wasn’t really like that. So she was writing this letter in case he didn’t realise that he was becoming so objectionable. She was sure that if he understood the point which he was now making, he would come round to his normal self.

What was amazing about this letter was that it showed a remarkable confidence which she had in their relationship. She was able to tell him this plain truth without his flying off the handle in response. Moreover, it is in retrospect that the letter assumes its extraordinary significance. For if any Prime Minister in history was under real strain it must have been Churchill in the summer of 1940. He could surely have been forgiven for losing his temper occasionally but Clemmie knew how important it was that her husband should carry his colleagues with him, particularly at such a time of stress and strain. Hence the letter.

So is there a lesson here for Gordon, and not only for him but also for her, Sarah. She has to be Clemmie to Gordon’s Winston. It’s up to her now.

Happily, she scores pretty high in the ratings of Prime Ministerial partners. She’s obviously a loyal consort and at the same time the kind of person that everybody likes and, even, admires. He’s jolly lucky. She’s also clearly committed to helping her Gordon achieve his goal where Winston had a goal which was both clear and beyond any doubt. It was also one that looked at the time extremely unlikely to be achieved. In a way the challenge to Gordon is not all that dissimilar to that facing Churchill 70 years ago. It seems that what Sarah’s line should be to follow Clemmie more or less exactly. It’s time she wrote her letter. But will it work in the case of Gordon? How similar is he to Winston? The sad fact is that he’s not at all like Winston. The main difference is that Gordon just hasn’t got that sense of fun which could always be relied upon to bring Winston out of his dark moods. The fact was that so long as the champagne was plentiful, of the right kind and of the right temperature, there was every possibility that the Prime Ministerial mood could be improved with a little help from the bubbly.

The problem with Gordon is that he is just too darned straight-laced to be Churchill. He just doesn’t seem to have the safety valves which were available to his famous predecessor. He’s no real orator. He’s no potential author and he doesn’t paint! But the most important lack is his evident difficulty in being comfortable in his own skin. That’s something nobody could accuse Churchill of having any difficulty in that regard. He was indeed the only person who could have fitted into that skin. Furthermore Churchill’s skin was evidently comfortable with what was fitted inside it.

Moreover, Gordon is a real socialist. He believes in Socialism. The only socialist who evidently enjoys every minute of being one that I know, is Wedgwood Benn and nobody could accuse Gordon of having Wedgie’s commitment to that brand of populist left wingery. Meanwhile we have to ask does the accusation of this lack, amount to a real minus factor in the coming Election? Well it certainly doesn’t amount to anything really positive in his favour. We all know he is hard working, highly intelligent and he’s truly driven. But fun? Attractive? Capable of buoying up the Nation’s spirit? He’s like another Cromwell or if that’s going back too far, he’s similar to Sir Stafford Cripps, whereas David Cameron may be a Toff but he has at least a proven record of liking the bubbly stuff.

Tony Rudd

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