Is Brown to be Believed?

It was interesting to see the comments that came out of the Fabian Society Meeting held yesterday. It was an opportunity for Gordon Brown to set out his thoughts about a government run by him might operate. One of the striking things about Mr Brown, both in this most recent speech and over the past months has been is very public scorning of celebrity culture. He is certainly positioning himself as a man of ‘character’ and ‘values’. Perhaps this approach, a return to a more traditional way of conducting politics, might be much more effective at re-engaging the public and increasing trust in politics and voter turn out. How genuine this positioning is remains to be seen. However, as I said yesterday, more use of new media and marketing style political communications will in my view only drive people further apart and increase apathy so perhaps a return to more ‘soap box’ political debate is worth a shot.