The short duration of Gordon Brown's Prime Ministership makes it easy to dismiss his part in British politics; whilst there is significant criticism of his denying the British public of a referendum on the EU Treaty, Brown has done much to set the scene for the future with regard to regulation of the financial markets and his push for action on climate change. His 10 years as Chancellor of the Exchequer are proof of his prudent financial management skills.
Brown as Chancellor of the Exchequer
According to T. Pettinger’s article “Gordon Brown Biography”, published on 01 August 2007 in Biography Online, under the Brown administration, the British economy never experienced a recession (three consecutive quarters of negative growth); a remarkable feat for any post-war developed country. Ironically, the previous Conservative government led by Margaret Thatcher, which boasted its economic management skills, saw much of its time in government mired by constant inflation. Whilst Gordon Brown’s expertise as Chancellor of the Exchequer ensured that the spectre of recession never visited the shores of Britain, he also oversaw “the longest period of economic expansion on record”, notes Pettinger. Sadly, though, this incredible management of fiscal affairs was affected by the global financial crisis in 2009 and the economy faltered.
Brown was also Britain’s longest serving Chancellor of the Exchequer with ten years and two months at the helm. On taking up his post as Chancellor he gave the Bank of England complete independence in monetary matters, this meant that the Bank was free to set interest rates, in line with most developed economies. It has been said that tax rose when Brown was at no 11, this though needs to be balanced against his accomplishments, “corporation tax fell under brown from a main rate of 33% to 28%, and from 24% to 19% for small businesses”, according to Wikipedia article “James Gordon Brown, Taxation and Spending”, bringing increased revenue into the country’s coffers.
Gordon Brown, the Global Leader
The Labour government under Brown redeemed itself after several years of rash adventurism with Britain’s immediate previous leader, Tony Blair. Peter Henessy in his article “Informality and Circumscription: The Blair Style of Government in War and Peace” in The Political Quarterly provides an expose on Tony Blair, a Prime Minister who was seen as a limp poodle in the lap of the US, a position brought home by the Iraq War fiasco. It was Gordon Brown who set up an inquiry into the Iraq war; Brown reclaimed public respect by creating a more mutually respectful relationship with the US, one in which they would be allies but where Britain would no more be a mere rubber stamp for US military follies.
Brown was passionate about instigating world action on climate change and was at the forefront of the Copenhagen Summit. According to Helm’s article “Miliband’s late-night dash helped avert a conference crisis” published 20 December 2009 in The Guardian, it was Brown’s efforts that ensured all world leaders (prime ministers and presidents) were included and that funds were dedicated to assist poorer nations. He also directed global efforts at both the G8 and G22 towards reducing poverty.
Gordon Brown and the European Union
Gordon’s relationship with the EU is perhaps a little chequered; He backtracked on an earlier promise from the government, led by Tony Blair, that there would be a referendum in Britain on the EU constitution, after the constitution was met with overwhelming ‘No’ votes in Europe. Brown then said the ‘Treaty’ was substantially different from the constitution and did not require a referendum, as noted by Nile Gardiner and Sally McNamara in their article “The EU Lisbon Treaty: Gordon Brown Surrenders Britain’s Sovereignty”, published on 07 March, 2008 in The Heritage Foundation. They argue that this has compromised Britain’s relationship with America and betrayed the British public.
How Gordon Brown will be Remembered
Gordon Brown was titled ‘World Statesman of the Year ‘by the Appeal of Conscience Foundation. His pre-Prime Ministerial years show his prudent, intelligent leadership. More importantly, Brown has opted to sit on the backbenches in order to fight for Labour in opposition to a weak coalition, rather than walking off into the open arms of big business as many retiring politicians do.
References:
Gardiner, N. and McNamara, S. (2008, March 07). The EU Lisbon Treaty: Gordon Brown surrenders Britain’s sovereignty. The Heritage Foundation..
Helm, T. (2009, December 20). Miliband’s late-night dash helped avert a conference crisis. The Guardian.
Henessy, P. (2005, February 11). Informality and circumscription: the Blair style of government in war and peace. The Political Quarterly, Wiley Interscience. Accessed 6 June 2010.
T. Pettinger , (2007, August 01). Gordon Brown Biography. (http://www.biographyonline.net/politicians/gordon-brown.html. Accessed 15 May 2010.
( http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gordon_Brown&printable=yes. James Gordon Brown. Accessed 15 May 2010.
Christine Hand - My foremost interest is current affairs with a focus on European and environmental issues although my initial interest in terms of a ...
Join the Conversation