The Enigmatic Gordon Brown

The Enigmatic Gordon Brown

By Halima Columbo Freelance Writer — UK

The main concern for Brown is dealing with an unprecedented security situation. As Chancellor of the Exchequer, the serious but somewhat enigmatic Gordon Brown has been at the heart of economic decision-making throughout the Blair years. When he assumes his new role as prime minister on June 27, he will have another focus. Constitutional reform, further anti-terrorism measures, Britain's role in Iraq, and the promotion of social cohesion have all been forced to the top of the agenda by the fallout from the Iraq War, in addition to changes in British society and environmental concerns. They will have direct impact on Muslims in Britain and abroad. However, these are also issues on which Brown has been mostly silent in the past. As Chancellor of the Exchequer in charge of economic affairs, Brown influenced health, transport, and education policies. It was he who decided to keep Britain out of the European Monetary System and who introduced the surprising, but tactically smart, move of giving the Bank of England the responsibility to set interest rates. He introduced tax credits to supplement the income of families with low earnings, and he massively increased spending on social policies. He encouraged major investment in large capital projects, such as hospitals, through the Private Finance Initiative. Critics question whether the increased spending has been used effectively, and they worry about increasing levels of public and personal indebtedness, the consensus being that during Brown's chancellorship, the economy has been relatively prosperous and stable. British Values Will Brown act differently by moving away from the unpopular policies of the past? Join the ongoing discussion now Brown's style exhibits the pragmatic balance that was so successful in sweeping New Labour to power in 1997. The son of a Presbyterian minister, he once stated in an interview that he had been brought up to believe in God and to have a "moral compass," including the virtue of hard work, respecting others, and "not passing by on the other side" (a reference to the parable of the Good Samaritan in the Gospels whose lesson is that true piety lies in helping those in need). However, he learned from the long years of Conservative rule that there is no purpose in uncompromising idealism if it prevents the gaining of power. He is interested in ideas across the political spectrum, having a doctorate degree in the early history of the Labour Party but also quoting enthusiastically from Himmelfarb, a thinker of the American right. It has sometimes been difficult for people to determine exactly where Brown's interests lie. Is he a businessman well-versed in the language of the left or a trade union man in a business suit? Brown is said to particularly admire the values of 18th century British Enlightenment thinkers such as Locke, Smith, and Burke, who all emphasized that reason should be tempered with compassion for the well-being of society. Thus, his politics are informed by a moral vision of what society should be. Unprecedented Challenges As Brown has been very closely associated with Blair, the political challenge is to carve out an identity distinct from the past, distancing himself from the mistakes of the Blair years and restoring public trust in politics without being too critical of a government in which he played a central role. In an interview with the journalist Andrew Marr earlier this year, he told him that "I think the next ten years will have challenges that are quite different from the last ten years," adding that we need "a new settlement for our times" (BBC, 8 Jan. 2007). The way Brown sees it, the three main challenges facing Britain are security, the environment, and the economy. Many of the biggest challenges are the legacy of the Iraq War that Brown acknowledged is "the most divisive issue for Labour and the country," at a recent meeting of Labour leaders in Sheffield (BBC, 27 May 2007). So, will Brown withdraw troops from Iraq? Brown has admitted that the government "made mistakes" over the handling of Iraq and does appear to be hoping for a reduced role, emphasizing that the number of British troops in Iraq are being reduced. He also has called for making intelligence gathering independent of political control in the future. However, he has defended Britain's role in Iraq and it is unlikely that he will call for an immediate withdrawal of troops. The main concern for Brown is dealing with an unprecedented security situation. Recent proposals supported by him extend anti-terror measures. They include new powers for police across the country to stop and search people, even without reasonable suspicion. Such powers are already in force in London. Tens of thousands of individuals, mainly Muslims, have been stopped although few arrests have been made as a result. Another proposal is to extend detention without charge from 28 days to 90 days. Brown believes it is necessary to increase the length of detention in order to give time for the gathering of evidence that may come from abroad, despite the fact that the last time the government attempted to introduce this, it was defeated in the House of Commons. Another proposal he believes to be necessary is the admission of intercept evidence from telephone tapping, providing there are safeguards to protect the anonymity of the security service sources from whom this evidence was obtained.He also supports continued interrogation of suspects after they have been charged. Brown hopes to gain cross-party support for these new measures and counter fears that they are further eroding civil liberties by saying that these should be balanced by increased parliamentary and judicial scrutiny. He has also repeatedly talked about the need to win hearts and minds the battle against terrorism, likening this to "the cultural war" fought against Communist propaganda during the Cold War. This work will be in the field of community cohesion, where ministers have set out plans to have a national day celebrating British values. High levels of immigration and declining levels of political participation have also contributed to a sense that Britain urgently needs to define and celebrate what it means to be British. Proposals include enabling citizenship to be "earned" by accruing points for things like voluntary work, points that can be lost for criminal behaviour. It is hoped that a heightened sense of nationhood will not further increase suspicion of Muslims as not being loyal to Britain because of their criticism of Government policy. The problem for Brown is that whilst reasonable people everywhere believe that values such as compassion, honesty and fairness are a good thing, not all agree that Britain is living up to such values and thus many will find it hard to summon up the enthusiasm to feel much like celebrating. New Settlement As Chancellor of the Exchequer, Brown influenced health, transport, and education policies. Brown started his election campaign with a pledge to restore powers to Parliament and to have a more open and accountable Government in order to restore trust in the democratic process. Brown has argued that the challenges of the age need a change in the way politics are conducted, telling Andrew Marr, "We do need a new settlement over these next few years between, if you like, the executive, the legislature, and that is the power of Parliament and the House of Commons, and people themselves." (BBC, 8 Jan. 2007). He also emphasized in the same interview that he was interested in "new ways of engaging people in the decisions that really do affect their lives." He said in a recent speech in Glasgow that he was going to lead a "listening government" (BBC, 2 June 2007). However, in order to restore trust in the government is important that Brown does more than just listen. He must also act by moving away from the unpopular policies of the past, or it will just be a case of ‘everything changes and everything remains the same’, which will just reinforce voter cynicism. Sources: Brown Stresses "listening Labour". BBC News. 2 June 2007. Accessed 21 June 2007. Brown Warned on "Shadow" of Iraq. BBC News. 27 May 2007. Accessed 21 June 2007. In Full: Gordon Brown Interview. BBC News. 8 Jan. 2007. Accessed 21 June 2007.