JP1 Assessment Article 2

TOM HOWARD / HOMEWORK EXERCISE 09/10/07 BROWN 100 DAYS

For better, for worse

Gordon Brown has marked 100 days as Prime Minister, but it remains unclear as to how effective he will be.

However the nation is stuck with him after his decision not to hold a snap election following recharged Conservative opposition.

The choice not to call a vote on Brown’s tenure is surprising, due to apparent popularity surges that met his appointment as Tony Blair’s successor.

Wavering public popularity possibly indicates that good feeling was catalysed by Brown’s take-over representing a change from Blair rather than confidence in Brown himself; the public have realised the government remains a Labour one, its policies largely similar.

Brown is a co-founder of “New Labour”, and people are beginning to think he may not differ much from Blair. Brown helped orchestrate Blair’s landslide victory which ousted the Conservative government after 18 years. He holds the core ethos of New Labour to heart.

The Conservatives became stale under the autocratic Thatcher and the more personable but less fiery Major. Blair was a welcome break, an inspiring beacon of sorts.

Blair adopted a firmer hand over government, as had Thatcher, allowing less debate and more action; a style that drove the country onwards but left Blair compromised over the Iraq war.

Brown’s appointment mirrors Major’s, and will be tough. He has to reinvigorate Labour after a period of single-minded leadership whilst restoring confidence in a waning brand, but Brown could succeed if given the chance.

A pragmatist, Brown is more open to party input. He knows from experience where Labour’s shortcomings lie, and has striven to combat them and gain public favour with moves such as troop-withdrawal from Iraq.

A taciturn man, getting on with the job, he is savvy to political machinations and has knowledge of UK economic needs from heading the Treasury. Brown should make a proficient Prime Minister, having witnessed his predecessor’s mistakes.

However he largely lacks the ability to inspire, but people can appreciate his reasoning rather than clever speech-making. Brown’s failure to inspire could though prove his downfall, if he lacks the charisma to unite the country behind Labour over a longer period.

Conversely, while Campbell and Cameron head the rival parties, opposition to a Labour government seems equally un-inspirational.

At least Brown displays the competency and skills to lead the country, if only as the role’s custodian until Labour find someone more likeable than an ex tax-man to head the nation.


ENDS


Word count: 400


REFLECTIVE REPORT:

The brief for this was to ‘produce a short comment piece suitable for the Independent or Guardian’.

It analyses Gordon Brown’s success as Prime Minister following 100 days in office, summing and critiquing his performance.

As a longer piece we had an increasingly free reign to write more in a more flowing and verbose style. My first draft of this was around 550 words. Written in longer paragraphs, I approached it more as a short essay than in the usual “inverted triangle” manner.

As a comment piece, I felt I had freedom to write in a more opinionated style. Ultimately, I felt I was able to put across my viewpoint as I saw things and that the article demanded a final personal judgement. I approached it more as a character based work, believing any leader has to unify their people.

Therefore it is based on personal observations, and my general knowledge of current affairs and studies of the subject informed my writing.

I am conscious of the fact that the piece may appear partially speculative. This, I think, will largely come down to reader opinions as to whether they agree with my conjectures and believe my work to be unsubstantiated. My observations are by no means unfounded and the article does draw on – possibly generalised – examples, albeit that they may not be explicitly detailed.

It is however my opinion that over-filling it with fact would have unbalanced and disrupted the flow of what I intended to be a mainly personal study of Brown’s tenure.

Having restructured it into shorter paragraphs, included a rough four paragraph introduction, and reduced it by 150 words to meet the limits for this assessment, I feel the streamlined outcome reduces the impression of speculation that the original longer prose created.


Word count: 295