Gordon Brown's "Panting Desperation"

By: Richard Roth
Topics: World Watch

(AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)

I asked a British journalist to characterize the atmosphere of Prime Minister Gordon Brown's visit to Washington, to set the tone of what's being billed here as the first business meeting between a European leader and the new U.S. President.

"Panting desperation," he said.

Officially, Brown is laying the groundwork for next month's summit here of the G-20 nations; he wants to return with an action plan for what he's calling a, "global new deal, whose impact can stretch from the villages of Africa to reforming the financial institutions of London and New York... Giving security to the hardworking families in every country."

In other words, his official business in Washington involves meeting with President Obama to come up with a British-American plan to save the world from economic collapse.

Unofficially, though, it's generally believed that what Brown's out to rescue in America — as much as the world economy — is his own political future.

Polls here show the beleaguered Brown would lead his Labor party to defeat were elections held today. He's going to Washington, as The Guardian newspaper put it, "hoping for (an) Obama bounce."

Winston Churchill coined the phrase "special relationship" to describe the unbroken – and perhaps unbreakable – ties that bind the U.S. and the U.K.

In practice, The Guardian points out, "American presidents embrace it whenever they need international cover for foreign escapades, while U.K. prime ministers invoke it in the hope that some of the sparkle of the presidency will stick to them."

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by bh0568 March 4, 2009 2:09 PM EST: Gordon Brown is a good man - not a populist but a solid hard headed politician who does have an understanding of how the economy ticks. In his years in charge of the UK economy he was always talking of prudence and talking of cooling an overheating economy - He is the right man in the right place to help guide us out of this mess so don't get rid of him yet.; Reply to this comment


by highlander2005 March 3, 2009 8:48 PM EST: Gordon Brown has been in charge of the UK economy for the last 10 years,in which time he failed to control the banks, sold off the UK's Gold on the cheap and raided pensions. He isnt actually qualified in any economics ashe only graduated in history, so its not surprising that he really hasnt any mastery of the subject he is supposed to know about. The same goes for his successor as head of the UK treasury, who is a failed lawyer by trade.
Now the prospect is that the largely unpopular Labor party is heading for defeat at the next UK general election which has to be held by May 2010. Even in Brown's home base, he is becoming more unpopular, by the same measures that the party for Scottish Independence builds on its own popularity and are currently leading in the polls in Scotland. Brown may just not only loose the UK General Election, but may also start split of the UK with the UK Conservatve in control of Westminser, but the SNP Independence party returning a majority of Scottish MP's.If this were to happen, the current credit crunch will pale.; Reply to this comment


by Paulsaysso March 3, 2009 2:39 PM EST: Gordon Brown leads a government that has completely destroyed the free enterprise economy that was once invigorated by Margaret Thatcher. With wide ranging measures from punitive taxes against freelance contract workers, stealth taxes on private pension programs, high capital gains taxes and high property taxes on businesses; he has created a society where over half the workers are on the government payroll and where entitlements of government workers are crushing the economy. The recent collapse of the money market has exposed a system that doesn't work, and there is no business or industrial economic base to lead the country out of depression. Gordon Brown is now proposing that the governments take over the banking and finance institutions and somehow generate money out of thin air. There is no business and money has to come from somewhere to prop up his welfare state. The British electorate are poised to throw him out of office at their earliest opportunity, and he is rushing to Washington to hide behind the glow of Obamas popularity. He will be making a vain attempt at appearing to be giving Obama the advise of a seasoned head of state. Expect to see Obama keeping a lot of distance between himself and the disaster that is Gordon Brown.; Reply to this comment