Gordon’s ghost

Gordon Brown’s physical presence in 10 Downing Street, while irksome, was not really the problem.

Gordon Brown’s physical presence in 10 Downing Street, while irksome, was not really the problem. As Prime Minister, he struggled to achieve anything positive: his skills lay mainly in destroying rivals and terrorising Conservatives. The power he exerted derived from his ability to programme the government machine, and advance his agenda: five-year plans, faith in bureaucracy and the idea that money was the solution to every given problem.