Britain's new prime minister set on putting 'B' back in British
As Gordon Brown takes over from Tony Blair Wednesday, he's focused on improving the country's social cohesion.
from the June 27, 2007 edition
Page 2 of 3
"What we are looking at now is a more integrationist model, which is not saying people should conform to the white homogenous society, but recognizes that we all share the same space and certain values [such as respect, tolerance of other people's views, freedom of speech, and liberty] that we have in common," says Nick Johnson, director of policy and public sector at the Commission for Racial Equality. "Britishness can help draw the line about what is acceptable and what is not."
But not everyone subscribes to Brown's view of Britishness. Surveys have shown a small but significant proportion of Muslims feel more kinship with Iraqi, Palestinian, and Chechen "brothers" than with their fellow Britons. Meanwhile, in recent elections in Scotland, the independence-minded Scottish National Party won the largest bloc in the Edinburgh parliament. One Scottish MP, Pete Wishart, said recently that Brown did not understand "that many of us in these isles don't feel, or indeed desire to be labeled, as British." There may also be more delicate political reasons for Brown's British push. Brown himself is Scottish and represents a Scottish constituency. Emphasizing Britishness glosses over any problems he may have in appealing to English voters.
And appeal to them he must. Brown becomes prime minister by dint of being crowned Blair's successor as Labour Party leader. But he will at some point have to call an election – and some are predicting the vote could come as early as next year.
To demonstrate that he represents a new start, Brown is expected to announce a series of eye-catching plans on health, education, and overseas aid, as he turns the page on Blair's decade in office.
Brown is promising to turn Britain into the "education nation" by encouraging every secondary school to develop business sponsorship, so as to increase the nation's investment in education, science, and innovation to as much as 10 percent of national income.
He has also pledged further measures to improve healthcare, a program to help young people buy new homes, and a drive to get more poor people into university. Brown is also thought to want to total reform of the House of Lords.
But a clean break from the Blair era will be hard to achieve. As Blair's right-hand man, Brown was instrumental in many of the reforms and decisions of the Blair decade, and hence is unlikely to set about reversing them. Instead, the chief difference between him and his predecessor will be one of style. Blair leaves office with a reputation for dominating decisionmaking and putting presentation ahead of policy; Brown looks set to change all that.
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