Gordon's Best Speech that Day

The biggest cheer Brown got mid-speech in Manchester last week was when he said "My family are not props but people". The impromptu roar and over-the-head clapping from Ministers like Tony McNulty had me really puzzled. It was obviously a dig at Dave 'the Toff' Cameron. And how relieved were the troops to hear Gordon dare to have a pop. Except his point was totally fatuous. Cameron has allowed one or two shots of the normal 'Dave and the kids' in the market, on the beach. Certainly that staged shot with his wife Sam in Cornwall was pretty nauseous. But these pictures are not so commonplace so anyone could accuse him of exploiting his children's image - rather they show he has some appreciation of ordinary life. It's just with oodles of dosh in the bank he doesn't know anything of the stresses of a tight budget. And then I remembered this shot of Gord with his 'received smile' with wife and wee bairns. So the moral high ground was really no more than Gordon standing on tip-toe.

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What was the big message of the speech they were discussing in the pubs and clubs up and down this great land? Why the New Settlement of course. It has taken Brown and his coterie months to come up with a big idea and the result is instantly forgettable New Settlement. It's a kind of muddled and compromised version of the New Deal I suppose. Except it is only about the vague notion of 'fairness', long gone are those trotskyist principles of social justice and equality. Even a good policy announced on free nursery care for two year olds will take a yawning ten years to deliver. Atlee, Morrison and Bevan gave us the whole welfare state in five.

Overall it was a successful speech, well presented but ultimately lacking and vision for the voters. It was a bit like a good Premiership team who have had a rotten start to the season but then get a good win in the League Cup against Crewe Alexandra. "This could be the kick start to our season," opines the manager, when we all know relegation beckons. That looks certain even with a new manager.