March 24, 2010. Copyright 2010, Graphic News. All rights reserved

Gordon Brown: never underestimate the unpopular PM
By Joanna Griffin

LONDON, March 24, Graphic News:  Few British prime ministers have been as reliably unpopular as Gordon Brown. To many, recent allegations of bullying in Number 10 merely confirm that the Labour leader is long on dark moods and short on people skills. Even so, it’s still surprising that the story doesn’t seem to have hurt his party’s position in the opinion polls. With just weeks to go before elections, Labour has been narrowing the gap with the Tories.
 
Brown’s character has come under fire not just from the media but from within his party and the opposition. But if the Conservatives imagined that his lack of charisma, refusal to accept blame and awkward manner would bring a crashing end to his reign, they didn’t reckon with the public’s reluctance to see off a political heavyweight.
 
Brown fits that bill in every sense of the word: born in 1951 to a minister and his wife in Kirkcaldy, Scotland, the prime minister is steeped in the ponderous, sober air of the “manse” even if his supporters claim he has a lively sense of humour. After gaining a PhD in history from Edinburgh, where he was partially blinded during a rugby match, he worked briefly as a television journalist before being elected as an MP in 1983.   
  
Then followed long years at the coalface of Labour politics, including a decade as a well-regarded Chancellor of the Exchequer. It is believed Brown struck a deal with Tony Blair in which he could run economic policy as long as he did not challenge him for the party leadership. Blair finally made way for Brown to take over in June 2007, and the serious Scot basked in the admiration of voters tired of the slickness of Blair.
 
Those days are long gone. Brown has faced plots to oust him and calls to step down from traditional Labour supporters. Labour has taken a beating in local and European elections. That he is still there owes much to his effective stewardship of the economy during the financial crisis in 2008, and perhaps even to a preference for politicians of conviction after the oleaginous charm of his predecessor.
 
Marriage (to Sarah) and family life have brought out a softer side to Brown, who broke down during a recent TV interview when discussing his baby daughter’s death. No one doubts his deeply held principles and strong social conscience: he is a forceful supporter of the world’s poorest nations. He might not be everyone’s first choice as dinner guest, but quite a few people still trust him with their money.
/ENDS