History UsefulNotes / GordonBrown

Otherwise, Brown's policy vis-à-vis the EU is generally well-regarded, though more for his tenure as Chancellor than as PM: the British economy showed itself to be a poor fit for the euro and opted to stick with the pound, which was all down to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_economic_tests five economic tests]] that Brown and his then-adviser Ed Balls devised (which separate Treasury analyses in 1997 and 2003 determined the euro failed). This was during a time when the UK was criticised for lobbing a wrench into the European project. [[VindicatedByHistory Doesn't look like such a bad call in hindsight.]] Even his decision not to call an early election as PM in 2007 has been revisited, after UsefulNotes/TheresaMay became PM in similar circumstances to Brown in 2016, ''did'' call a snap election after less than a year, and campaigned so poorly her party lost its majority. Nowadays his reputation leans towards that of a competent but flawed politician who happened to take power at the worst possible moment.

James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a UsefulNotes/{{Brit|ain}}ish politician who was the 52nd Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Blair Government from 1997 to 2007, which made Brown the pair of hands at the controls of the British economy. Then he became Prime Minister.[[note]]The change of power roughly mirrored UsefulNotes/MargaretThatcher's hand-off to UsefulNotes/JohnMajor in 1990, only Brown didn't get "elected" PM.[[/note]]

In this age of media, poor Gordon had a major disadvantage: he was boring. There is no way around this. Being boring, dull, and careful are virtues for a Chancellor but a handicap for a head of government, whose popularity, especially in the media, fell to remarkable lows. At the 2009 D-Day memorial celebrations, a small group of British veterans clapped politely for UsefulNotes/AngelaMerkel, Chancellor of Germany, then booed as Gordon Brown began his speech, demanding to know where former Queen UsefulNotes/ElizabethII was. The media claimed at the time that Downing Street had asked Nicolas Sarkozy, the president of France, not to invite the Queen so that Brown could get in more photo opportunities with the US president UsefulNotes/BarackObama. However, the same veterans gave the prime minister's speech a standing ovation and later insisted the booing was "jokey" -- they later sang "Why are we waiting?" at the French prime minister, François Fillon, because they were forced to stand in the rain.

Constant comparison to two kings of spin, UsefulNotes/DavidCameron and UsefulNotes/TonyBlair, did not help, and his attempt to compete with them in the 2010 election became infamous for his [[TheUnSmile painful un-smile]] and clear discomfort in front of a camera.[[note]]Ironically, he had been one of the most visible senior members of Labour's big wins in 1997, 2001, and 2005.[[/note]] He also struggled with a reputation of having been after Blair's job; his [[TheRival rivalry]] with Blair was heavily played up in the media.[[note]]Brown [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granita_pact apparently]] agreed not to bid for Labour's leadership in 1994 to make it easier for Blair to become leader and oversee its metamorphosis into the centrist "New Labour", which they both wanted. In exchange, Brown would get considerable policy sway in a then-hypothetical Blair government.[[/note]] Brown has always been an extremely private man -- some have since attributed this trait to possible symptoms of [[UsefulNotes/AspergerSyndrome Asperger's syndrome]], but it worked against him, since it let the press project whatever image they wanted onto him without any blowback.

Brown stayed on waiting to see there would be a Conservative-Liberal Democrat deal, as per the rules of British elections, which state that until a new PM is declared the last one must stay in office no matter how badly they lost. A Labour-Lib Dem agreement looked briefly possible when Brown stepped down as Labour leader, but the parliamentary arithmetic (which would have needed Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru, ''and'' Social Democratic and Labour Party[[note]]What's called simply the "Labour Party" organises in Northern Ireland as such, but the SDLP is the equivalent party in Northern Ireland that actually fields candidates for elections.[[/note]] support for an overall majority) never really added up; nor did Labour have a clear leader to direct the negotiations with the Lib Dems, which also reportedly damaged their chances. (The Lib Dems were mainly using the possibility of an agreement with Labour to extract concessions from the Conservatives anyway, according to the journalist Andrew Rawnsley. None of the three parties got ''quite'' enough seats to create the scenario the Lib Dems really wanted, which was to be a single [[KingmakerScenario kingmaker]] between Labour and the Conservatives and force both to make concessions to them to secure power.) He resigned and was succeeded by UsefulNotes/DavidCameron, ending 13 years of Labour rule and making him the first prime minister who had never led their party to electoral victory since UsefulNotes/JamesCallaghan three decades before. He did serve his personal mandate as MP for Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath,[[note]]He had previously represented Dunfermline, East from 1983 until 2005, for the duration of its existence.[[/note]] and retired from Parliament effective at the 2015 election.

More recently, some people have credited him with saving the ''United Kingdom'': During the final days before the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, the "No" campaign got his motor running again and he delivered [[http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2014/09/silent-no-more-watch-gordon-browns-patriotic-and-passionate-scotland-speech a widely-praised barnstorming speech]]. The "Remain" campaign in the referendum on continued UK membership of UsefulNotes/TheEuropeanUnion attempted the same tactic two years later, [[ItOnlyWorksOnce but they did not succeed]]. Ironically, as PM Brown had reneged on a Labour manifesto commitment to call a referendum on passage of the Treaty of Lisbon, forcing it through Parliament and thus ratifying it and allowing it to come into force. By the time the Conservatives (who also supported a referendum under Cameron) were elected in 2010, it was too late to reverse it. Why is this ironic? Because the Treaty of Lisbon contained a provision (Article 50) allowing for any member state to withdraw from the EU -- a provision that had ''never existed before''.[[note]]A fundamental principle of the EU is ''ever-closer union'', and many commentators describe it as a shark: it must keep moving forward (i.e. integrate) to survive. Joining the EU is and was generally intended to be irreversible.[[/note]] Had the referendum taken place and "No" won the day[[note]]This was seen as a ForegoneConclusion; every poll showed the UK electorate overwhelmingly rejected it, which is why it was never put to a public vote, since the Labour government supported its passage.[[/note]] the treaty would ''not'' have come into force[[note]]All EU treaties and amendments thereto must be ratified by every member state before they can come into force.[[/note]] and the UK might not have even been ''able'' to leave the EU, even if the government wanted it to.

He is still living and somewhat politically active, but apart from his participation in referendum campaigns, his post-premiership has been relatively quiet, making him perhaps the most anonymous former PM since his fellow Scot UsefulNotes/AlecDouglasHome.[[note]]His name showed up in the papers a bit in 2022; Labour leader Keir Starmer had asked him to lead a commission on British constitutional reform, which reported that year. If his suggestions are acted upon, his ultimate influence on British politics may be vast.[[/note]] As a Scot, Brown is eligible to be appointed to the Order of the ''Thistle'' (the zenith of the Scottish honours system) as opposed to the English Order of the ''Garter'', but it was believed that the Queen's refusal to appoint his predecessor Blair to the Garter for many years was preventing Brown from being elevated to the Thistle[[note]]in order to avoid creating appearances that the deliberately apolitical Queen had a personal animus against Blair[[/note]]. However, after Blair was finally appointed to the Garter in 2021, Brown was ''not'' elevated to the Thistle despite a number of other vacancies being filled in 2022, suggesting that he isn't interested in accepting the honour.

* He is played by Creator/DavidMorrissey in the 2003 TV film ''Film/TheDeal2003'', which focuses on Brown's early OddCouple friendship with Tony Blair (Creator/MichaelSheen), their eventual rivalry over the Labour leadership and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granita_pact the titular agreement]].
* ''Magazine/PrivateEye'' have two separate Brown parodies, one in which he releases Soviet-esque "Prime Ministerial Decrees" (a reference to how one MP said he had "Stalinist Tendencies" in 2007) and a comic strip called ''The Broon-ites'' (a parody of ''The Broons'') written in Scots, where the Cabinet are presented as all members of 'Pa Broon'`s extended family. They also did a one-shot parody ''Peanuts'' strip starring Gordon Brown rather than Charlie, ending with Snoopy calling him a loser to which he responds with the traditional "Good Grief!"

* Given much better treatment in ''Literature/TheSalvationWar'', where he had the "fortune" to have a ''far'' more pressing matter than the late '00s economic crisis happen, that of the biblical apocalypse. ''And'' he becomes famous in-universe for being the first world leader to actually respond to the demonic heralds of Hell: "Sod off, Baldrick", using a Series/{{Blackadder}} reference to be intentionally dismissive of them. He then formed a coalition government with UsefulNotes/DavidCameron's Tories and will most likely be heading this government throughout the events of the trilogy.

* Appears in Garth Ennis' ''ComicBook/{{Crossed}}'' comic as prime minister during the titular infection's initial outbreak, and for much of the comic he struggles with indecisiveness in the face of a viral (and later nuclear) apocalypse. However he does manage to eventually start coordinating an effective response to both, leading to the nuclear threat being averted, and having viable plans to mitigate the damage from the viral threat. The series [[CrapsackWorld being what it is though]], the latter is rendered sadly moot as [[spoiler: the infection inexplicably arises within Brown's bunker, and he is killed moments after said bunker is sealed, leaving the UK leaderless and thus without any coordinated response to the apocalyptic pandemic.]]

->''"[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8LNTCLQs0M GORDON IS ALIVE!]]"''

He is still living, but apart from his participation in referendum campaigns, his post-premiership has been relatively quiet, making him perhaps the most anonymous former PM since his fellow Scot UsefulNotes/AlecDouglasHome. As a Scot, Brown is eligible to be appointed to the Order of the ''Thistle'' (the zenith of the Scottish honours system) as opposed to the English Order of the ''Garter'', but it was believed that the Queen's refusal to appoint his predecessor Blair to the Garter for many years was preventing Brown from being elevated to the Thistle[[note]]in order to avoid creating appearances that the deliberately apolitical Queen had a personal animus against Blair[[/note]]. However, after Blair was finally appointed to the Garter in 2021, Brown was ''not'' elevated to the Thistle in 2022 despite a number of other vacancies being filled at that time, suggesting that he isn't interested in accepting the honour.

In this age of media, poor Gordon had a major disadvantage: he was boring. There is no way around this. Being boring, dull, and careful are virtues for a Chancellor but a handicap for a head of government, whose popularity, especially in the media, fell to remarkable lows. At the 2009 D-Day memorial celebrations, a small group of British veterans clapped politely for UsefulNotes/AngelaMerkel, Chancellor of Germany, then booed as Gordon Brown began his speech, demanding to know where UsefulNotes/HMTheQueen was. The media claimed at the time that Downing Street had asked Nicolas Sarkozy, the president of France, not to invite the Queen so that Brown could get in more photo opportunities with the US president UsefulNotes/BarackObama. However, the same veterans gave the prime minister's speech a standing ovation and later insisted the booing was "jokey" -- they later sang "Why are we waiting?" at the French prime minister, François Fillon, because they were forced to stand in the rain.

* He is played by Creator/DavidMorrissey in the 2003 TV film ''Film/TheDeal2003'', which focuses on Brown's early OddCouple friendship with Tony Blair (Creator/MichaelSheen), their eventual rivalry over the Labor leadership and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granita_pact the titular agreement]].

[[caption-width-right:350:"No Flash" Gordon.]]

Constant comparison to two kings of spin, UsefulNotes/DavidCameron and UsefulNotes/TonyBlair, did not help, and his attempt to compete with them in the 2010 election became infamous for his [[TheUnSmile painful un-smile]] and clear discomfort in front of a camera.[[note]]Ironically, he had been one of the most visible senior members of Labour's big wins in 1997, 2001, and 2005.[[/note]] He also struggled with a reputation of having been after Blair's job; his [[TheRival rivalry]] with Blair was heavily played up in the media.[[note]]Brown [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blair–Brown_deal apparently]] agreed not to bid for Labour's leadership in 1994 to make it easier for Blair to become leader and oversee its metamorphosis into the centrist "New Labour", which they both wanted. In exchange, Brown would get considerable policy sway in a then-hypothetical Blair government.[[/note]] Brown has always been an extremely private man -- some have since attributed this trait to possible symptoms of [[UsefulNotes/AspergerSyndrome Asperger's syndrome]], but it worked against him, since it let the press project whatever image they wanted onto him without any blowback.

* He is played by Creator/DavidMorrissey in the 2003 TV film ''Film/TheDeal2003'', which focuses on Brown's early OddCouple friendship with Tony Blair (Creator/MichaelSheen), their eventual rivalry over the Labor leadership and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blair–Brown_deal the titular agreement]].

Constant comparison to two kings of spin, UsefulNotes/DavidCameron and UsefulNotes/TonyBlair, did not help, and his attempt to compete with them in the 2010 election became infamous for his [[TheUnSmile painful un-smile]] and clear discomfort in front of a camera.[[note]]Ironically, he had been one of the most visible senior members of Labour's big wins in 1997, 2001, and 2005.[[/note]] He also struggled with a reputation of having been after Blair's job; his [[TheRival rivalry]] with Blair was heavily played up in the media.[[note]]Brown [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blair%E2%80%93Brown_deal apparently]] agreed not to bid for Labour's leadership in 1994 to make it easier for Blair to become leader and oversee its metamorphosis into the centrist "New Labour", which they both wanted. In exchange, Brown would get considerable policy sway in a then-hypothetical Blair government.[[/note]] Brown has always been an extremely private man -- some have since attributed this trait to possible symptoms of [[UsefulNotes/AspergerSyndrome Asperger's syndrome]], but it worked against him, since it let the press project whatever image they wanted onto him without any blowback.

* He is played by Creator/DavidMorrissey in the 2003 TV film ''Film/TheDeal2003'', which focuses on Brown's early OddCouple friendship with Tony Blair (Creator/MichaelSheen), their eventual rivalry over the Labor leadership and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blair%E2%80%93Brown_dealthe titular agreement]].

* He is played by Creator/DavidMorrissey in the 2003 TV film ''Film/TheDeal2003''.

James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a UsefulNotes/{{Brit|ain}}ish politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Blair Government from 1997 to 2007, which made Brown the pair of hands at the controls of the British economy. Then he became Prime Minister.[[note]]The change of power roughly mirrored UsefulNotes/MargaretThatcher's hand-off to UsefulNotes/JohnMajor in 1990, only Brown didn't get "elected" PM.[[/note]]

He is still living, but apart from his participation in referendum campaigns, his post-premiership has been relatively quiet, making him perhaps the most anonymous former PM since his fellow Scot UsefulNotes/AlecDouglasHome.

Brown stayed on waiting to see there would be a Conservative-Liberal Democrat deal, as per the rules of British elections, which state that until a new PM is declared the last one must stay in office no matter how badly they lost. A Labour-Lib Dem agreement looked briefly possible when Brown stepped down as Labour leader, but the parliamentary arithmetic (which would have needed Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru, ''and'' Social Democratic and Labour Party[[note]]What's called simply the "Labour Party" organises in Northern Ireland as such, but the SDLP is the equivalent party in Northern Ireland that actually fields candidates for elections.[[/note]] support for an overall majority) never really added up; nor did Labour have a clear leader to direct the negotiations with the Lib Dems, which also reportedly damaged their chances. (The Lib Dems were mainly using the possibility of an agreement with Labour to extract concessions from the Conservatives anyway, according to the journalist Andrew Rawnsley.) He resigned and was succeeded by UsefulNotes/DavidCameron, ending 13 years of Labour rule and making him the first prime minister who had never led their party to electoral victory since UsefulNotes/JamesCallaghan three decades before. He did serve his personal mandate as MP for Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath,[[note]]He had previously represented Dunfermline, East from 1983 until 2005, for the duration of its existence.[[/note]] and retired from Parliament effective at the 2015 election.

Constant comparison to two kings of spin, UsefulNotes/DavidCameron and UsefulNotes/TonyBlair, did not help, and his attempt to compete with them in the 2010 election became infamous for his [[TheUnSmile painful un-smile]] and clear discomfort in front of a camera. He also struggled with a reputation of having been after Blair's job; his [[TheRival rivalry]] with Blair was heavily played up in the media. Brown has always been an extremely private man -- some have since attributed this trait to possible symptoms of [[UsefulNotes/AspergerSyndrome Asperger's syndrome]], but it worked against him, since it let the press project whatever image they wanted onto him without any blowback.

He was blinded in his left eye after a rugby accident in his youth and later discovered that he has two small tears in his right eye, but they are not serious enough to require surgery.

Shortly after replacing Tony Blair as Prime Minister -- the latter had stood down -- the media and some ministers began speculating about the possibility of an election being called. When Brown finally announced there would be no election, it was after weeks of media hype and several poor polls and by-election results, leading to the media image that he was indecisive and a "bottler". Labour's reputation never recovered and political writers have described Gordon Brown's delayed response to the speculation as the biggest political mistake of his career. Although Blair had benefited from the Conservatives choosing three successive unappealing leaders (William Hague, Iain Duncan Smith, and Michael Howard) in opposition, Brown found himself up against David Cameron, a man 15 years younger and with a lot more media savvy, whose reputation had been climbing in the polls and media since before Blair stepped down as prime minister. Rumours of bullying, smear campaigns, an addiction to anti-depressants, and a rejection of claims made by the media and Conservatives that he had a role in the ongoing global financial crisis, alienated the media that Blair had carefully courted and, inevitably, the British public as well.

He eventually served as Prime Minister for almost three years, until 11 May 2010, finishing the term that Tony Blair had won in 2005. The general election on the previous Thursday, 6 May, had resulted in no party gaining overall control of the House of Commons for the first time since February 1974, leaving the Liberal Democrats holding the balance of power and the Conservatives with most votes and seats. It followed a campaign wherein Brown [[IsThisThingStillOn was overheard on a microphone]] during a campaign stop in Greater Manchester calling a local senior citizen and avowed "used to be Labour" supporter named Gillian Duffy "bigoted". While she ''had'' badgered him, repeatedly asking, "Where are all these Eastern Europeans flocking from?" and being viewed by most of the public as indeed bigoted, his reaction was a media gift: he backed down, said she wasn't a bigot and that he'd misunderstood her words. His team were robbed of the chance to defend him against the media, and the British public viewed that as yet another example of his mistakes.

Brown stayed on waiting to see there would be a Conservative-Liberal Democrat deal, as per the rules of British elections, which state that until a new PM is declared the last one must stay in office no matter how badly they lost. A Labour-Lib Dem agreement looked briefly possible when Brown stepped down as Labour leader, but the parliamentary arithmetic (which would have needed Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru, ''and'' Social Democratic and Labour Party[[note]]What's called simply the "Labour Party" organises in Northern Ireland as such, but the SDLP is the equivalent party in Northern Ireland that actually fields candidates for elections.[[/note]] support for an overall majority) never really added up; nor did Labour have a clear leader to direct the negotiations with the Lib Dems, which also reportedly damaged their chances. (The Lib Dems were mainly using the possibility of an agreement with Labour to extract concessions from the Conservatives anyway, according to Andrew Rawnsley.) He resigned and was succeeded by UsefulNotes/DavidCameron, ending 13 years of Labour rule and making him the first prime minister who had never led their party to electoral victory since UsefulNotes/JamesCallaghan three decades before. He did serve the entirety of the term to which he'd been personally re-elected as MP for Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath,[[note]]He had previously represented Dunfermline, East from 1983 until 2005, for the duration of its existence.[[/note]] and retired from Parliament effective at the 2015 election.

Otherwise, Brown's policy vis-à-vis the EU is generally well-regarded, though more for his tenure as Chancellor than as PM: the British economy showed itself to be a poor fit for the euro and opted to stick with the pound, which was all down to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_economic_tests five economic tests]] that Brown and an adviser devised (which separate Treasury analyses in 1997 and 2003 determined the euro failed). This was during a time when the UK was criticised for lobbing a wrench into the European project. [[VindicatedByHistory Doesn't look like such a bad call in hindsight.]] Even his decision not to call an early election as PM in 2007 has been revisited, after UsefulNotes/TheresaMay became PM in similar circumstances to Brown in 2016, ''did'' call a snap election after less than a year, and campaigned so poorly her party lost its majority. Nowadays his reputation leans towards that of a competent but flawed politician who happened to take power at the worst possible moment.

In this age of media, poor Gordon had a major disadvantage: he was boring. There is no way around this. Being boring, dull, and careful are virtues for a Chancellor but a handicap for a head of government, whose popularity, especially in the media, fell to remarkable lows. At the 2009 D-Day memorial celebrations, a small group of British veterans clapped politely for UsefulNotes/AngelaMerkel, Chancellor of Germany, then booed as Gordon Brown began his speech, demanding to know where UsefulNotes/HMTheQueen was. The media claimed at the time that Downing Street had asked Nicolas Sarkozy, the president of France, not to invite the Queen so that Brown could get in more photo opportunities with the US president UsefulNotes/BarackObama. However, the same veterans gave the prime minister's speech a standing ovation and later insisted the booing was "jokey" -- they later on sang "Why are we waiting?" at the French prime minister because they were forced to stand in the rain.

Being placed up against two kings of spin, UsefulNotes/DavidCameron and UsefulNotes/TonyBlair, did not help, and his attempt to compete with them in the 2010 elections became infamous for his [[TheUnSmile painful un-smile]] and clear discomfort in front of a camera. He also struggled with a reputation of having been after Blair's job; his [[TheRival rivalry]] with Blair was heavily played up in the media. Brown has always been an extremely private man -- some have since attributed this trait to possible symptoms of [[UsefulNotes/AspergerSyndrome Asperger's syndrome]], but it worked against him, since it let the press project whatever image they wanted onto him without any blowback.

He eventually served as Prime Minister for almost three years, until 11 May 2010, finishing the term that Tony Blair had won in 2005. The election on the previous Thursday, 6 May, had resulted in no party gaining overall control of the House of Commons for the first time since February 1974, leaving the Liberal Democrats holding the balance of power and the Conservatives with most votes and seats. It followed a campaign wherein Brown [[IsThisThingStillOn was overheard on a microphone]] during a campaign stop in Greater Manchester calling a local senior citizen and avowed "used to be Labour" supporter named Gillian Duffy "bigoted". While she ''had'' badgered him, repeatedly asking, "Where are all these Eastern Europeans flocking from?" and being viewed by the public as indeed bigoted, his reaction was a media gift: he backed down, said she wasn't a bigot and that he'd misunderstood her words. His team were robbed of the chance to defend him against the media, and the British public viewed that as yet another example of his mistakes.

Brown stayed on waiting to see there would be a Conservative-Liberal Democrat deal, as per the rules of British elections, which state that until a new PM is declared the last one must stay in office no matter how badly they lost. A Labour-Lib Dem agreement looked briefly possible when Brown stepped down as Labour leader, but the parliamentary arithmetic (which would have needed Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru, ''and'' Social Democratic and Labour Party[[note]]What's called simply the "Labour Party" organises in Northern Ireland as such, but the SDLP is the equivalent party in Northern Ireland that actually fields candidates for elections.[[/note]] support for an overall majority) never really added up; nor did Labour have a clear leader to direct the negotiations with the Lib Dems, which also reportedly damaged their chances. (The Lib Dems were mainly using the possibility of an agreement with Labour to extract concessions from the Conservatives anyway, according to Andrew Rawnsley.) He resigned and was succeeded by UsefulNotes/DavidCameron, ending 13 years of Labour rule and making him the first prime minister who had never led their party to electoral victory since UsefulNotes/JamesCallaghan three decades before. He did serve the entirety of the term to which he'd been personally elected as MP for Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath,[[note]]He had previously represented Dunfermline, East from 1983 until 2005, for the duration of its existence.[[/note]] and retired from Parliament effective at the 2015 election.

In a gaffe of UsefulNotes/AlGore proportions, he once accidentally stated [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-DNzui8hK0 "we saved the world"]] (50 seconds into the video). What he was trying to say was "we not only worked with other countries to save the world's banking system..." (1:25 minutes into the video) and that his recapitalisation plan had protected every depositor's deposit in Britain.

More recently, some people have credited him with saving the ''United Kingdom'': During the final days before the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, the "No" campaign got his motor running again and he delivered [[http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2014/09/silent-no-more-watch-gordon-browns-patriotic-and-passionate-scotland-speech a widely-praised barnstorming speech]]. The "Remain" campaign in the referendum on continued UK membership of UsefulNotes/TheEuropeanUnion attempted the same tactic two years later, [[ItOnlyWorksOnce but they did not succeed]]. Ironically, as PM Brown had reneged on a Labour manifesto commitment to call a referendum on passage of the Treaty of Lisbon, forcing it through Parliament and thus ratifying it and allowing it to come into force. By the time David Cameron (whose party also supported a referendum) was elected in 2010, it was too late to reverse it. Why is this ironic? Because the Treaty of Lisbon contained a provision (Article 50) allowing for any member state to withdraw from the EU -- a provision that had ''never existed before''.[[note]]A fundamental principle of the EU is ''ever-closer union'', and many commentators describe it as a shark: it must keep moving forward (i.e. integrate) to survive. Joining the EU is and was generally intended to be irreversible.[[/note]] Had the referendum taken place and "No" won the day[[note]]This was seen as a ForegoneConclusion; every poll showed the UK electorate overwhelmingly rejected it, which is why it was never put to a public vote, since the Labour government supported its passage.[[/note]] the treaty would ''not'' have come into force[[note]]All EU treaties and amendments thereto must be ratified by every member state before they can come into force.[[/note]] and the UK might not have even been ''able'' to leave the EU, even if the government wanted it to.

Otherwise, Brown's policy vis-à-vis the EU is generally well-regarded, though more for his tenure as Chancellor than as PM: the British economy showed itself to be a poor fit for the [[UsefulNotes/TheEuropeanUnion euro]] and opted to stick with the pound, which was all down to Brown's "Five-Point" quiz (which the euro failed). This was during a time when the UK was criticized for lobbing a wrench into the European project. [[VindicatedByHistory Doesn't look like such a bad call in hindsight.]] Even his decision not to call an early election as PM in 2007 has been revisited, after UsefulNotes/TheresaMay became PM in similar circumstances to Brown in 2016, ''did'' call a snap election after less than a year, and managed to take her party to a shock loss of its majority. Nowadays his reputation leans towards that of a competent but flawed politician who happened to take power at the worst possible moment.

James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a UsefulNotes/{{Brit|ain}}ish politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Blair Government from 1997 to 2007, which made Brown the pair of hands at the controls of the British economy. Then he became Prime Minister.

Being placed up against two kings of spin, UsefulNotes/DavidCameron and UsefulNotes/TonyBlair, did not help, and his attempt to compete with them in the 2010 elections became infamous for his [[TheUnSmile painful un-smile]] and clear discomfort in front of a camera. He also struggled with a reputation of having been after Blair's job; his rivalry with Blair was heavily played up in the media.[ Brown also was and is extremely private -- a trait that some have since attributed to possible symptoms of [[UsefulNotes/AspergerSyndrome Asperger's syndrome]], but it was one that worked against him, since it let the press project whatever image they wanted onto him without any blowback.

He holds a doctorate in history from Edinburgh University. Gordon Brown has the distinction of being only the fifth Prime Minster to have attended a university other than [[UsefulNotes/{{Oxbridge}} Oxford or Cambridge]] (along with the Earl of Bute, UsefulNotes/TheViscountPalmerston, [[UsefulNotes/EarlRussell Lord John Russell]] and UsefulNotes/NevilleChamberlain), and the third to have attended Edinburgh (after Palmerston and Russell, although Russell never graduated; another eleven Prime Ministers didn't go to university).

Shortly after replacing Tony Blair as Prime Minister -- the latter had stood down -- the media and some ministers began speculating about the possibility of an election being called. When Brown finally announced there would be no election, it was after weeks of media hype and several poor polls and by-election results, leading to the media image that he was indecisive and a "bottler". Labour's reputation never recovered and political writers have described Gordon Brown's delayed response to the speculation as the biggest political mistake of his career. Although Blair had benefited from a string of unappealing Conservative leaders of the opposition, Brown found himself up against David Cameron, a man 15 years younger and with a lot more media savvy, whose reputation had been climbing in the polls and media since before Blair stepped down as prime minister. Rumours of bullying, smear campaigns, an addiction to anti-depressants, and a rejection of claims made by the media and Conservatives that he had a role in the ongoing global financial crisis, alienated the media that Tony Blair had carefully courted and, inevitably, the British public as well.

He eventually served as Prime Minister for almost three years, until 11 May 2010, seeing out the remainder of the term that Tony Blair had won in 2005. The election on the previous Thursday, 6 May, had resulted in no party gaining overall control of the House of Commons, leaving the Liberal Democrats holding the balance of power and the Conservatives with most votes and seats. It followed a campaign wherein Brown [[IsThisThingStillOn was overheard on a microphone]] during a campaign stop in Greater Manchester calling a local senior citizen and avowed "used to be Labour" supporter named Gillian Duffy "bigoted". While she ''had'' badgered him, repeatedly asking, "Where are all these Eastern Europeans flocking from?" and being viewed by the public as indeed bigoted, his reaction was a media gift: he backed down, said she wasn't a bigot and that he'd misunderstood her words. His team were robbed of the chance to defend him against the media, and the British public viewed that as yet another example of his mistakes.

Brown stayed on waiting to see there would be a Conservative-Liberal Democrat deal as per the rules of British elections which state that until a new PM is declared the old one has to stay in office no matter how badly he lost. A Labour-Lib Dem agreement looked briefly possible when Brown stepped down as Labour leader, but the parliamentary mathematics (which would have needed Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru, ''and'' Social Democratic and Labour Party[[note]]What's called simply the "Labour Party" organises in Northern Ireland as such, but the SDLP is the equivalent party in Northern Ireland that actually fields candidates for elections.[[/note]] support for an overall majority) never really added up; there was also no clear leader to direct the negotiations with the Lib Dems, which also reportedly damaged their chances. (The Lib Dems were mainly using the possibility of an agreement with Labour to extract concessions from the Conservatives anyway, according to Andrew Rawnsley.) He resigned and was succeeded by UsefulNotes/DavidCameron, ending 13 years of Labour rule and making him the first prime minister who had never led their party to electoral victory since UsefulNotes/JamesCallaghan three decades before. He did serve the entirety of the term to which he'd been personally elected as MP for Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath,[[note]]He had previously represented Dunfermline, East from 1983 until 2005.[[/note]] and retired from Parliament just before the 2015 election.

More recently, some people have credited him with saving the ''United Kingdom'': During the final days before the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, the No campaign managed to get his motor running again and he delivered [[http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2014/09/silent-no-more-watch-gordon-browns-patriotic-and-passionate-scotland-speech a widely-praised barnstorming speech]]. The "Remain" campaign in the referendum on continued UK membership of UsefulNotes/TheEuropeanUnion attempted the same tactic two years later, [[ItOnlyWorksOnce but they did not succeed]]. Ironically, as PM Brown had reneged on a Labour manifesto commitment to call a referendum on passage of the Treaty of Lisbon, forcing it through Parliament and thus ratifying it and allowing it to come into force. By the time David Cameron (whose party also supported a referendum) was elected in 2010, it was too late to reverse it. Why is this ironic? Because the Treaty of Lisbon contained a provision (Article 50) allowing for any member state to withdraw from the EU -- a provision that had ''never existed before''.[[note]]A fundamental principle of the EU is ''ever-closer union'', and many commentators describe it as a shark: it must keep moving forward (i.e. integrate) to survive. Joining the EU is and was generally intended to be irreversible.[[/note]] Had the referendum taken place and NO won the day[[note]]This was seen as a ForegoneConclusion; every poll showed the UK electorate overwhelmingly rejected it, which is why it was never put to a public vote, since the Labour government supported its passage.[[/note]] the treaty would ''not'' have come into force[[note]]All EU treaties and amendments thereto must be ratified by every member state before they can come into force.[[/note]] and the UK might not have even been ''able'' to leave the EU, even if the government wanted it to.

Otherwise, Brown's policy vis-à-vis the EU is generally well-regarded, though more for his tenure as Chancellor than as PM: the British economy showed itself to be a poor fit for the [[UsefulNotes/TheEuropeanUnion euro]] and opted to stick with the pound, which was all down to Brown's "Five-Point" quiz (which the euro failed). This was during a time when the UK was criticized for lobbing a wrench into the European project. Doesn't look like such a bad call in hindsight. Even his decision not to call an early election as PM in 2007 has been revisited, after UsefulNotes/TheresaMay became PM in similar circumstances to Brown, ''did'' call a snap election and managed to take her party to a shock loss of its majority. Nowadays his reputation leans towards that of a competent but flawed politician who happened to take power at the worst possible moment.

In this age of media, poor Gordon had a major disadvantage: he was boring. There is no way around this. Being boring, dull and careful are virtues for a Chancellor but a handicap for a Head of Government, whose popularity, especially in the media, became quite low. At the 2009 D-Day memorial celebrations, a small group of British Veterans clapped politely for the German Chancellor then booed as Gordon Brown began his speech, demanding to know where the Queen was. The media claimed at the time that Downing Street had asked the then French president Sarkozy to not invite the Queen so that Brown could get in more photo opportunities with the then US president Obama. However, the same veterans gave the prime minister's speech a standing ovation and later insisted the booing was "jokey" - they later on sang "Why are we waiting?" at the French prime minister because they were forced to stand in the rain.

Being placed up against two kings of spin, UsefulNotes/DavidCameron and UsefulNotes/TonyBlair did not help, an attempt to compete with them in the 2010 elections became infamous for his painful un-smile and clear discomfort in front of a camera. He also struggled with a reputation of being after Blair's job; his rivalry with Blair was heavily played up in the media. Brown also was and is extremely private - a trait that some have since attributed to possible symptoms of [[UsefulNotes/AspergerSyndrome Asperger's syndrome]], but it was one that worked against him, since it let the press project whatever image they wanted onto him without any blowback.

He holds a doctorate from Edinburgh University. Gordon Brown has the distinction of being only the fifth Prime Minster to have attended a university other than [[UsefulNotes/{{Oxbridge}} Oxford or Cambridge]] (along with the Earl of Bute, UsefulNotes/TheViscountPalmerston, [[UsefulNotes/EarlRussell Lord John Russell]] and UsefulNotes/NevilleChamberlain), and the third to have attended Edinburgh (after Palmerston and Russell, although Russell never graduated; another eleven Prime Ministers didn't go to university).

He was blinded in one eye after a rugby accident in his youth and later discovered that he has two small tears in his other eye, but they are not serious enough to require surgery.

Shortly after replacing UsefulNotes/TonyBlair as Prime Minister - the latter had stood down - the media and some ministers began speculating about the possibility of an election being called. When Brown finally announced there would be no election, it was after weeks of media hype and several poor polls and by-election results, leading to the media image that he was indecisive and a "bottler". Labour's reputation never recovered and political writers have described Gordon Brown's delayed response to the speculation as the biggest political mistake of his career. Although Blair had benefited from a string of unappealing Conservative leaders of the opposition, Brown found himself up against the relatively young and media-savvy UsefulNotes/DavidCameron, whose reputation had been climbing in the polls and media since before Blair stepped down as prime minister. Rumours of bullying, smear campaigns, an addiction to anti-depressants, and a rejection of claims made by the media and Conservatives that he had a role in the ongoing global financial crisis, alienated the media that Tony Blair had carefully courted, and inevitably the British public as well.

He eventually served as Prime Minister for almost three years, until 11 May 2010, seeing out the remainder of the term that Tony Blair had won. The election on the previous Thursday, 6 May, had resulted in no party gaining overall control of the House of Commons, leaving the Liberal Democrats holding the balance of power and the Conservatives with most votes and seats, after a campaign that saw Brown get overheard on microphone calling a woman "bigoted". While she ''had'' badgered him, repeatedly asking, "Where are all these Eastern Europeans flocking from?" and being viewed by the public as indeed bigoted, his reaction was a media gift: he backed down, said she wasn't a bigot and that he'd misunderstood her words. His team were robbed of the chance to defend him against the media, and the British public viewed that as yet another of example of his mistakes.

Brown stayed on waiting to see there would be a Conservative-Liberal Democrat deal as per the rules of British elections which state that until a new PM is declared the old one has to stay in office no matter how badly he lost. A Labour-Lib Dem agreement looked briefly possible when Brown stepped down as Labour leader, but the parliamentary mathematics (which would have needed Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru ''and'' SDLP support for an overall majority) never really added up; there was also no clear leader to direct the negotiations with the Lib Dems, which also reportedly damaged their chances. (The Lib Dems were mainly using the possibility of an agreement with Labour to extract concessions from the Conservatives anyway, according to Andrew Rawnsley.) He resigned and was succeeded by UsefulNotes/DavidCameron, ending 13 years of Labour rule.

More recently, some commentators have credited him with saving the ''United Kingdom'': During the final days before the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, the No campaign managed to get his motor running again and he delivered [[http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2014/09/silent-no-more-watch-gordon-browns-patriotic-and-passionate-scotland-speech a widely-praised barnstorming speech]]. The REMAIN campaign in the referendum on continued UK membership of UsefulNotes/TheEuropeanUnion attempted the same tactic two years later, [[ItOnlyWorksOnce but they were not successful]]. Ironically, as PM Brown had reneged on a Labour manifesto commitment to call a referendum on passage of the Treaty of Lisbon, forcing it through Parliament and thus ratifying it and allowing it to come into force. By the time David Cameron (whose party also supported a referendum) was elected in 2010, it was too late to reverse it. Why is this ironic? Because the Treaty of Lisbon contained a provision (Article 50) allowing for any member state to withdraw from the EU - a provision that had ''never existed before''[[note]]A fundamental principle of the EU is ''ever-closer union'', and many commentators describe it as a shark: it has to move forward (i.e. integrate) in order to survive. Joining the EU is and was generally intended to be irreversible[[/note]]. Had the referendum taken place and NO won the day[[note]]which was seen as a foregone conclusion; every poll showed the UK electorate overwhelmingly rejected it, which is why it was never put to a public vote, since the Labour government supported its passage[[/note]] the treaty would ''not'' have come into force[[note]]all EU treaties and amendments thereto must be ratified by every member state before they can come into force[[/note]] and the UK might not have even been ''able'' to leave the EU, even if the government wanted it to.

Otherwise, Brown's policy vis-a-vis the EU is generally well-regarded, though more for his tenure as Chancellor than as PM: the British economy showed itself to be a poor fit for the [[UsefulNotes/TheEuropeanUnion euro]] and opted to stick with the pound, which was all down to Brown's "Five-Point" quiz (which the euro flunked). This was during a time when the UK was criticized for lobbing a wrench into the European project. Doesn't look like such a bad call in hindsight. Even his decision to not call an early election as PM in 2007 has been revisited, after UsefulNotes/TheresaMay became PM in similar circumstances to Brown, ''did'' call a snap election and managed to take her party to a shock loss of its majority. Nowadays his reputation leans towards that of a competent but flawed politician who happened to take power at the worst possible moment.

He is still living, but apart from his participation in referendum campaigns, his post-Premiership has been relatively quiet, making him perhaps the most anonymous former PM since his fellow Scot UsefulNotes/AlecDouglasHome.

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'': "Pinewood Derby" - He appears as one of the world leaders. He's just about recognizable through the South Park animation filter, and unlike ''Series/TheDailyShow'', he has the only other accent British people have in America - Cockney lite.
* Given much better treatment in ''Literature/TheSalvationWar'', where he had the "fortune" to have a ''far'' more pressing matter than the late '00s economic crisis happen, that of the biblical apocalypse. ''And'' he becomes famous in-universe for being the first world leader to actually respond to the demonic heralds of Hell: [[Series/{{Blackadder}} "Sod off, Baldrick."]] using a Blackadder reference to be intentionally dismissive of them. He then formed a coalition government with UsefulNotes/DavidCameron's Tories and will most likely be heading this government throughout the events of the trilogy.

* He is a recurring character in the BBC Radio 4 comedy ''[[Radio/FifteenMinuteMusical 15 Minute Musical.]]''
* Appears in Garth Ennis's ''ComicBook/{{Crossed}}'' comic as prime minister during the titular infection's initial outbreak, and for much of the comic he struggles with indecisiveness in the face of a viral (and later nuclear) apocalypse. However he does manage to eventually start coordinating an effective response to both, leading to the nuclear threat being averted, and having viable plans to mitigate the damage from the viral threat. The series [[CrapsackWorld being what it is though]], the latter is rendered sadly moot as [[spoiler: the infection inexplicably arises within Brown's bunker, and he is killed moments after said bunker is sealed, leaving the UK leaderless and thus without any coordinated response to the apocalyptic pandemic.]]

Being placed up against two kings of spin, UsefulNotes/DavidCameron and UsefulNotes/TonyBlair did not help, an attempt to compete with them in the 2010 elections became infamous for his painful un-smile and clear discomfort in front of a camera. He also struggled with a reputation of being after Blair's job; his rivalry with Blair was heavily played up in the media. Brown also was and is extremely private - a trait that some have since attributed to possible symptoms of [[UsefulNotes/AspergerSyndrome Asperger's syndrome]], but it was one that worked against him, since it let the press project whatever image they wanted onto him.

Otherwise, Brown's policy vis-a-vis the EU is generally well-regarded, though more for his tenure as Chancellor than as PM: the British economy showed itself to be a poor fit for the [[UsefulNotes/TheEuropeanUnion euro]] and opted to stick with the pound, which was all down to Brown's "Five-Point" quiz (which the euro flunked). This was during a time when the UK was criticized for lobbing a wrench into the European project. Doesn't look like such a bad call in hindsight. Even his decision to not call an early election as PM in 2007 has been revisited, after UsefulNotes/TheresaMay became PM in similar circumstances to Brown, ''did'' call a snap election and managed to take her party to a shock loss of its majority.

Being placed up against two kings of spin, UsefulNotes/DavidCameron and UsefulNotes/TonyBlair did not help, an attempt to compete with them in the 2010 elections became infamous for his painful un-smile and clear discomfort in front of a camera. He also struggled with a reputation of being after Blair's job; his rivalry with Blair was heavily played up in the media.

He holds a doctorate from Edinburgh university. Gordon Brown has the distinction of being only the fifth Prime Minster to have attended a university other than [[UsefulNotes/{{Oxbridge}} Oxford or Cambridge]] (along with the Earl of Bute, UsefulNotes/TheViscountPalmerston, [[UsefulNotes/EarlRussell Lord John Russell]] and UsefulNotes/NevilleChamberlain), and the third to have attended Edinburgh (after Palmerston and Russell, although Russell never graduated; another eleven Prime Ministers didn't go to university).

Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a UsefulNotes/{{Brit|ain}}ish politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Blair Government from 1997 to 2007, which made Brown the pair of hands at the controls of the British economy. Then he became Prime Minister.

He holds a doctorate from Edinburgh university. Gordon Brown has the distinction of being only the fifth Prime Minster to have attended a university other than [[{{Oxbridge}} Oxford or Cambridge]] (along with the Earl of Bute, UsefulNotes/TheViscountPalmerston, [[UsefulNotes/EarlRussell Lord John Russell]] and UsefulNotes/NevilleChamberlain), and the third to have attended Edinburgh (after Palmerston and Russell, although Russell never graduated; another eleven Prime Ministers didn't go to university).

Brown stayed on waiting to see there would be a Conservative-Liberal Democrat deal as per the rules of British elections which state that until a new PM is declared the old one has to stay in office no matter how badly he lost. A Labour-Lib Dem agreement looked briefly possible when Brown stepped down as Labour leader, but the parliamentary mathematics (which would have needed Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru support for an overall majority) never really added up; there was also no clear leader to direct the negotiations with the Lib Dems, which also reportedly damaged their chances. (The Lib Dems were mainly using the possibility of an agreement with Labour to extract concessions from the Conservatives anyway, according to Andrew Rawnsley.) He resigned and was succeeded by UsefulNotes/DavidCameron, ending 13 years of Labour rule.

More recently, some commentators have credited him with saving the ''United Kingdom'': During the final days before the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, the No campaign managed to get his motor running again and he delivered [[http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2014/09/silent-no-more-watch-gordon-browns-patriotic-and-passionate-scotland-speech a widely-praised barnstorming speech]]. As for the mainland, the British economy showed itself to be a poor fit for the [[UsefulNotes/TheEuropeanUnion euro]] and opted to stick with the pound, which was all down to Gordon's "Five-Point" quiz (which the euro flunked). This was during a time when the UK was criticized for lobbing a wrench into the Europe project. Doesn't look like such a bad call in hindsight. Even his decision to not call an early election in 2007 has been revisited, after UsefulNotes/TheresaMay became PM in similar circumstances to Brown, ''did'' call a snap election and managed to take her party to a shock loss of its majority.

In a gaffe of UsefulNotes/AlGore proportions, he once accidentally stated [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-DNzui8hK0 "we saved the world"]] (50 seconds into the video). What he was trying to say was "we not only worked with other countries to save the world's banking system..." (1:25 minutes into the video) and that his recapitalisation plan had protected every depoistor's deposit in Britain.

More recently, some commentators have credited him with saving the ''United Kingdom'': During the final days before the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, the No campaign managed to get his motor running again and he delivered [[http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2014/09/silent-no-more-watch-gordon-browns-patriotic-and-passionate-scotland-speech a widely-praised barnstorming speech]]. As for the mainland, the British economy showed itself to be a poor fit for the [[UsefulNotes/TheEuropeanUnion euro]] and opted to stick with the pound, which was all down to Gordon's "Five-Point" quiz (which the euro flunked). This was during a time when the UK was criticized for lobbing a wrench into the Europe project. Doesn't look like such a bad call in hindsight.

He holds a doctorate from Edinburgh university. Gordon Brown has the distinction of being only the fifth Prime Minster to have attended a university other than [[{{Oxbridge}} Oxford or Cambridge]] (along with the Earl of Bute, UsefulNotes/TheViscountPalmerston, [[Creator/EarlRussell Lord John Russell]] and UsefulNotes/NevilleChamberlain), and the third to have attended Edinburgh (after Palmerston and Russell, although Russell never graduated; another eleven Prime Ministers didn't go to university).

[[quoteright:230:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gb.JPG]]
[[caption-width-right:230:"No Flash" Gordon.]]