More than a book
Methodist Central Hall: I am attending a book launch with a difference. Different because the author just happens to be the prime minister. Gordon Brown has written "Everyday Heroes" to tell the stories of ordinary people who have inspired him. It follows the book he recently published on the historical figures whose courage he most admires.
"Everyday Heroes" celebrates people such as Erinma Bell who after witnessing a shooting set up a community group to reclaim the streets of Moss Side in Manchester.
Today, though, is about much more than a book. It is about politics. Days after the closing of the cash-for-honours investigation Brown is announcing his intention to "reform the honours system" to reward community heroes so that a "significant majority" of honours go to people like those celebrated in his book (you may recall John Major promising much the same)
In addition. Brown has pledged more money to support community groups, to back the creation over time of a national youth voulnteering programme and the creation of a Council on Social Action.
Much of this could have been said by David Cameron whose biggest idea to date has been "". That is the untold story of the Brown weeks in office. Much of his success has come from occupying the ground that the Tory leader hoped to make his own. Whether today or with his announcements on , and Brown is heading off the Tories before they can re-connect with those who believe that Labour have created a "".
The political battlegorund in the future will not be about who talks of the value of individual and community action but who can deliver it. The Tories will claim that Brown's belief in the state will crowd out, regulate or nationalise community initiatives. He will reply that the Tories are merely putting a new gloss on laissez faire.
I'm 
Comments
I think our Gord s very much influenced by JFK.
Gordon Brown has another book out called "10 Inspiring People" or something like that. On seeing it, I remembered that Kennedy once wrote a similar book called something like "10 Inspiring Senators". Either way, he definatly got the idea of JFK.
Also, Brown often goes on about "talent". Kennedy once said "We do not all have the same talent but we should all have an equal opportunity to develop our talents".
He's also repeated many of Kennedy's other famous statements many times with his own angle.
There's more similarities between the Brown and Kennedy speeches than there is the Kennedy and Lincoln assassinations.
Nick,
Isn't the government's handling of the floods more important than promoting Brown's book?
Budgets cut then raised just after the flooding happens, warnings unheeded, and 'South West Midlands' being too vague and yet you blog on a book.
Well I can't see any proposals from either party that I think are going to make any noticeable difference.
Does anyone who smokes cannabis, or takes anything else come to that, give a damn about how its classified? Why care about penalties when so few are caught and the chance of a jail sentence, unless its about your 50th offence, are trivial. Does anyone who wants it have real problem finding supplies? Stop window dressing, preaching etc and get real. Civil disobedience re drugs has reached such colossal proportions that Legalisation and Licensing is about the only thing that has a chance of working. Or do politicians seriously plan to catch and prosecute several million people? This also has a chance of substantially reducing the "knock on" crime and thus protect the real victims, those who get mugged, robbed and their environments ruined by illegal drug usage. Oh and I am one of the few of my age who hasn't ever tried any of them.
The same goes for town centre yobs. Have extended drinking hours made that much difference? I'm not at all convinced they have , nor come to that have many ASBOS for this kind of situation. The US approach of drunks turn up for many weekends social work gets the yobs under supervision when they are most likely to offend certainly seems to be more effective. Also it doesn't destroy their ability to continue earning a living as a custodial sentence would.
The solutions may often be other than one might ideally like but at least something that works is better than the high minded pious failures we regularly have to endure (and pay for)
One has to admire to some extent the guile and political nous of Gordon Brown in pulling the rug from under the Tories' feet. He has gathered esteem at the expense of Cameron who saw fit to stick to an earlier agreement to go to Rwanda and abandon his flooded constituency (after a brief visit) in a display of poor prioritising.
The part-time Shadow Cabinet - as Ben Brogan describes them today_ have hardly been seen up to their knees in water filling sandbags either.
If Cameron is serious about winning the next election then he ought to come back after the recess with all guns blazing and shooting at the man who had his hands on the tiller for the past ten years, before Brown is allowed to sail off towards the winning line.
so let me get this straight, everyone is blasting cameron for visiting rwanda during these floods, and brown is busy releasing his book?
I'm sure I'm not going to be the first to point this out but how has a man with a young family who has held two of the highest offices in the land for the last ten years had time to write books?
So Brown's launching his book whilst Cameron is launching a policy on global poverty. Can't help wondering who's really gone awol. Also,it appears that Brown's new policy on flooding is simply the 2004'5 policy re-announced but not yet delivered. Whos says the era of spin is over.
On the subjects of casinos, cannabis and 24 hour drinking, the Tories would have been accused of flip flopping and opportunism if they'd changed direction so quickly. As it's Brown the media seems to think all these changes of direction are a sign of sure footed government. Really? One wonders what the cost of the policies, the legislation, the reviews and then the changes in policy and legislation will be. One thing's for sure, it will be the jolly old tax payer who forks out. At least Brown's consistent on that!
I can't help but agree with Steve Garner on this one. The spin isn't over, and nor is David Cameron the only person going AWOL during a flooding crisis.
Secondly, who is more important to have on the job when there is a national crisis? The PM of course.
Thirdly, David Cameron has taken time away for policy reasons, whereas Brown is promoting his own book (albeit attaching policy onto the back of it; honours reform).
I can't help thinking that there is even more careful planning than under Blair. Remember that autocue that obscured Brown's face on stage? I'd place bets saying that was done on purpose. Remember the announcement concerning the terrorist attacks, where Brown appeared to make a rushed statement, and his suit jacket looks thown on and the camera looks like it was just thrown up? I'd bet that was all carefully planned.
The PM is a control freak, we know this from members of his own party and government. Eventually, like any other massive clunking planned Socialist nonsense, this one will fail.
Nick
Gordon Brown's behaviour in painting himself as the agent of change is cynical, contrived and, sadly, will almost certainly succeed, given the apathy of the electorate and the paucity of the opposition.
Great chunks of the policies of the Blair government are being "reviewed", aka ditched. All in the name of the need for change in a changed world.
I suppose it might be that the pace and range of changes in the few weeks between Tony Blair announcing his departure and Gordon Brown becoming PM was fantastic beyond belief - flying pig alert.
Or could it be that Brown was a major player in the government which got all these things, and many others, badly wrong ?
By the way, Nick, are you keeping a count of the number of reviews already underway prior to Gordon Brown becoming PM or announced recently by him - or sometimes both ?
Would any resultant confusion be an unwanted side-effect of all these reviews - or the point of them ?
I was pressing the issue of the hero character in Nick's comments for a while and he picked up with a similar groove. Today, we have a topic discussing the Prime Minister's view on heroes. Given that I pressed all three main parities before the general election to consider the merits of the hero I can see today as a bit of a fulcrum. The hero is back in fashion.
Advertising and its bastard child consumerism are based on psychology. Here, fear and greed are the two strongest forces that are used to grab our attention, manipulate us, and line someone else coffers with power, status, and wealth. Knighthoods and crime are two extremes of this game, and learning to negotiate this is what some call the heroes journey.
As a follow-on to the cash for honours probe and the recent flooding, this is a well timed topic, as it raises issue of individual and collective performance, quality, and attitude. The Prime Ministers book is only one book among many but by listening, learning, and doing the lessons of success can be absorbed, lives made better, and help us see the hero in the mirror.
Here are five books I have read and recommend:
, by Miyamoto Musashi.
, by Caroline Brazier.
, by Daniel Goleman.
, by Chin-Ning Chu.
, by John Gray.
Don't laugh. Read them. Then laugh at yourself.
Brown’s book is about unsung heroes and it is one way of showing the British Public of their (SOCIAL RESPOSIBILITIES).
Just because we have someone TALKING about social responsibilities, or utters the same words, it does not mean that he actually knows how to make us be more responsible.
We already had one PM talking of (back to basics) and I am afraid that is exactly what Cameron is talking about. Move on, please!
Is his dad one of these heroes?
Nick,
I agree with Curly. Cameron has to go after. It is incredible that Brown who had his grubby mitts all over every aspect of every failed New Labour policy over the last ten years, can be allowed to get away with the "Change" message. His attack on pensions has ruined lives, and thanks to his actions many people who hoped to retire securely now cannot...he of course is safe and secure.
Cameron must show us all that he is prepared to go for Brown and his recycled cabinet hard and fast.
Nick,
Talking about your recent comments (More than a book). Could it not be the case that Gordon Brown may actually have a genuine belief in these things rather than scoring political points and keeping an eye on the next general election?
What an outrage to see Gordon Brown playing politics on the 10 o'clock news with Nick Robinson. Why did the 91Èȱ¬ allow what was in effect a Labour Party broadcast. It purported to show Gordon in control , working round the clock, though he was not too sure if he was up till 11 or 12. And all those close-ups of concerned Cabinet ministers.This was a tawdry piece of journalism by Nick Robinson. The real work is being done on the ground not by Ministers who have no experience of the real world.
You can't help but feal sorry for David Cameron in this situation , he obiously went where he felt he could do the most good. I should imagine Local MPs are probberly powerless until the clean up begins . By going to Africa Cameron can actually personally do something useful. And hey isn't this more usefull after all a lot more people need help in Africa then in one consituancy then launching a book.
Brown is having a ball right now, posturing on lots of things. The 91Èȱ¬ as usual are treating the present set up as a new government. Reality, this man has been a key member of the labour government and is entrenched in all the spin and spend of the past 10 years. Value for money would be nice, delivery in any area would be great. This is a man who has produced budgets that are so full of spin it takes 4 days to interpret them. Above all, is it really neccessary for the BBc to give him so much support over the past 4 weeks.
Justin #1 bet me to it because it was the first thought that came to mind when I read this Blog entry. The public has a short memory. People alive today may not know or have forgotten that JFK wrote "Profiles in Courage" two generations ago. Must everything done in Britain be a poor carbon copy of what America did a long time ago? Is JK Rowling the only person in all of Britain with an original thought? Well if you are going to copy why not take something that can make some real money. Check out ancient American scams like pyramid schemes and chain letters. They were outlawed in the US but I'll bet you could get away with them even here today. In Britain where they've probably never been heard of, it would be like stealing candy from a baby.
I agree with #4 that Brown is displaying a lot of guile and political nous.
He has also had a lot of luck so far.
That is, the terrorist incidents and the flooding could have been much, much worse.
Brown is plotting a steady course for 'Britain'.
So it is rather ironic that his fellow countrymen in Scotland are themselves plotting a course for Scotland that will leave 'Hen Broon' stranded in 'no-mans-land'.
But looking on the bright side, that will finally free us English!
Dear Nick. You are obviously very impressed with the PMs political nouse - faai enough. But this is little more than a political advert for Brown. You still do work for the 91Èȱ¬ don't you?
George he works for Gordy as his spin doctor in chief. No doubt trying to an Andrew Marr viz a viz Blair. As he says well Huw and yet and yet my hunch yawn yawn.