Gordon Brown

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Gordon Brown

Gordon Brown.Portrait.jpg

Name James Gordon Brown (born 20 February, 1951)
Nicknames The Clunking Fist (everyone), Gordo (the fandom), GBro (the fandom)
Politics
Party Labour
Constituency Kirkcaldy (1983-2015)
Positions • Prime Minister (2007-2010)
• Chancellor of the Exchequer (1997-2007)
• Shadow Chancellor (1992-1997)
• Shadow Secretary of State for Trade (1985-1992)
Likes Scotland, rugby, loyalty, Keynesianism
Dislikes Child poverty, "treachery"
Friends Sue Nye, Ed Miliband, Ed Balls, Damien McBride, John Smith, Charlie Whelan, Yvette Cooper, Brownites
Enemies Tony Blair,Peter Mandelson, Alan Milburn, Alistair Darling, David Miliband, James Purnell, Hazel Blears, Derek Draper
Relationships
Partners Princess Margarita of Romania, Sheena McDonald, Sarah MacCauley (2000-present)
Children Jennifer Jane Brown (2001, deceased), John Brown (2003), James Fraser Brown (2006)
Personal Attributes
Nationality Scottish
Religion Church of Scotland
Sexuality Straight
Height 5'11"
Eye Colour Brown
Handedness Right
Accent Scottish

[The] Nixonian neighbour, contorted by ambition and early traumas...~ Bagehot, the Economist

Gordon Brown was a New Labour politician who served as Chancellor from 1997-2007 and then as Prime Minister from 2007-2010. He was one of the founding triumvirate of New Labour, along with Tony Blair and Peter Mandelson in the 1990s. After the Labour leadership race of 1994, his relationship with the other two founders began to fracture, and worsened during his years in Government. He presided over the economic crisis of 2008 and after Labour lost the general election of 2010, he stood down as leader, retiring to the backbenches.

Life and Career[edit | edit source]

Early Life[edit | edit source]

A baby Gordon, already hopelessly rumpled.

Gordon was born the 'son of the manse', the middle child of John Ebenezer Brown, a CoS minister, and "Bunty" Scouter. He was picked out as a bright pupil and chosen to be fast streamed through education, something which he described as a damaging experiment. As a youth, he was very academic, serious and sporty, playing football, tennis and rugby. Aged 16, he was kicked in the head during a game of rugby and was left blind in his left eye, despite numerous painful treatments and a period of weeks spent lying in a dark room in the hope that he would mend.

The young Gordon: dreamy!

He was accepted into Edinburgh University two years early, and read History. While a student, he was elected Rector of the University, and had several girlfriends and admirers, allegedly including a group of girls who described themselves as the 'Brown Sugars'. He completed his PhD, which was called The Labour Party and Political Change in Scotland 1918-29.

Pre-political Career[edit | edit source]

As a young man in his twenties, he became a lecturer in Politics, and a tutor with the Open University. He later went into research for television.

Early Political Career[edit | edit source]

Gordon first stood for Parliament at the age of 28, when he stood for Edinburgh South in 1979. He lost that election to the Conservative candidate, but he was soon elected for the seat of Dunfermline East in 1983.

In Opposition[edit | edit source]

When Gordon arrived in Westminster, he quickly met Tony Blair, with whom he shared a small Parliamentary office. Both MPs quickly moved up the ranks of the Labour benches, pushed forward by their friend and Director of Communications, Peter Mandelson. After losing the 1987 and 1992 elections, Neil Kinnock stood down as Labour leader, and Gordon considered running for the leadership, but bottled out of loyalty to John Smith, who became leader instead.In 1992, after Peter's advice, he appointed Charlie Whelan as his spokesman, who joined his inner circle, which also included his spad, Ed Balls.

Gordon + Tony in their first public appearance after the Granita Pact

By 1994, Gordon was Shadow Chancellor and Tony Shadow Home Secretary under John Smith. After John's shock death by heart attack, Gordon dallied until after his friend's funeral before mobilising his team, by which point Tony was already garnering support and had a considerable lead. He received a letter from Peter, which said that "you have a problem in not appearing to be the front-runner... You have to either escalate rapidly or you need to implement a strategy to exit with enhanced position, strength and respect." Peter threw his support behind Tony, and Gordon was infuriated by the betrayal. He and Tony met at the Granita restaurant in Islington, where he agreed not to contest the leadership, and it is possible that Tony agreed to stand down after one term to allow Gordon to be Prime Minister. Gordon remained as Shadow Chancellor, and his relations with Tony and Peter declined while they remodeled the Party, scrapping Clause IV and revamping Labour's image.

As Chancellor[edit | edit source]

As Chancellor, Gordon allowed banks 'feather light' regulation under the FSA, and the economy boomed. He boasted over a hundred times at the despatch box during his time in Number 11 that it was the end of Tory "boom and bust", a phrase that would come back to haunt him. He was an impressive, commanding figure, earning himself the nickname 'the clunking fist'. One of his first policies was to grant independence to the Bank of England, and he claimed as a success the decision to change the measure of inflation from the RPI to the CPI. In 1999, he introduced the 10p tax rate, which he later scrapped, to much criticism.

Gordon had complete control over economic policy, and he and Tony governed as a duopoly.

In the Treasury, he built up a team of brutal loyalists, including Ed Balls, Nick Brown, Yvette Cooper, Sue Nye, Charlie Whelan and Ed Miliband. He was intensely resentful towards the Prime Minister, and set Charlie out to ruin Peter, which cost the Government three heads. The Brownites continued the aggression, chasing out Alan Milburn in an operation dubbed 'Kill Mil', and wrestling with Blairite Derek Draper. The resentment intensified after 2001, when Tony continued in Number 10 instead of standing down for Gordon.

His decision between 1999 and 2002 to sell bullion when prices were at a low was estimated to have cost at least £7bn of public money. He blocked the Blairites over the euro, which they had hoped to join. In his 2000 Spending Review, he massively increased public spending, investing in education, the NHS and international aid. In 2003, it was believed that he was the one Cabinet member who could have made Tony rethink the decision to join George W Bush in the Iraq War, but made no movement to do so.

When Tony sought out a third term and won it in 2005, Gordon was furious that he still hadn't stood aside, and began to exert unbearable pressure on the Prime Minister. Tony was weakened, having lost Peter Mandelson, Alastair Campbell and Anji Hunter over the past 2 years, and in 2006 he caved in to the pressure, announcing that he would not seek a third term. Gordon stood unopposed in 2007, and became Prime Minister.

As Prime Minister[edit | edit source]

Let the work of change begin.~ Gordon Brown, on his arrival at Number 10

Gordon was described as being like a dog chasing a plane - he desperately wanted to be Prime Minister, but didn't know what to do when he finally achieved the position he had longed for. He appointed a balanced Cabinet, placing Blairite threat David Miliband in the Foreign Office, while keeping the Treasury slightly Brown, with Alistair Darling as Chancellor.

His premiership was marked by a series of scandals and other, more serious problems, including that of the lost child protection data, the expenses scandal, the 42 day detention bill, the election that never was and, in 2008, the banking crisis and following recession. There were serious stirrings of unrest in his Cabinet, marked with numerous resignations, and he reappointed his old friend and enemy, Peter Mandelson to the Cabinet in a dangerous gamble to steady himself. This gamble paid off, and Gordon survived the resignations of Geoff Hoon, Hazel Blears, Caroline Flint and James Purnell, as well as a suspected threat to the leadership from David Miliband. Gordon was further injured by the revelations in the Andrew Rawnsley book The End of the Party, which claimed that Gordon was violent, aggressive and rude, claims which have only been supported with the subsequent publications of New Labour memoirs.

Despite Gordon's effective handling of the world financial crisis, the Labour campaign for the 2010 general election was poorly funded and marred with gaff after gaff, and they lost the election. He remained as Prime Minister as he desperately tried to form a 'Rainbow Coalition', but when it was clear that the Liberal Democrats would form a coalition with the Conservatives, Peter and Alastair encouraged him to resign with dignity, so he could leave Downing Street before the night came.

Full List of Appointments
• Shadow Secretary of State for Trade (1985-1992)
• Shadow Chancellor (1992-1997)
• Chancellor of the Exchequer (1997-2007)
• Prime Minister (2007-2010)

Gordon stood down at the 2015 election, although his attendance record in the 2010-2015 Parliament suggests he quit back in May 2010. The choice not to contest his seat again was probably a wise one, as the SNP took it with a 35% swing.

Personal Life[edit | edit source]

Gordon and Sarah's wedding

Gordon has had a number of girlfriends, including one with Princess Margarita of Romania. He has kept his private life private, and does not enjoy talking about his romantic relationships. In 1995, rumours circulated that Gordon, still a bachelor in the mid-forties, was gay. Gordon suspected Peter of having started these rumours, saying to Lord Levy, "He's been going around telling everyone that I'm gay. And I'm not gay." Charlie Whelan saw these rumours as damaging to his reputation, and organised for a photo to be leaked to the press of Gordon with his girlfriend, Sarah, before the 1997 Budget.

Sarah and Gordon married in 2000 in a private ceremony held at Gordon's house. He didn't let anybody know about the coming wedding, save for a select few in his inner circle - Charlie Whelan and Sue Nye and her family were guests. Charlie sent photos to the press and by the next day, Gordon was back at work.

Portrayal[edit | edit source]

In the Media[edit | edit source]

During the 1990s, Gordon was portrayed in the media as a brooding intellectual and a powerful personality. His twisted ambition became the subject of jokes during Tony's third term, and when he became Prime Minister, he was mocked for his lack of charisma. In particular, his difficulty in producing a natural-look smile has been remarked on. After the 2010 election, a series of publications have revealed him to have been a violent, "psychologically flawed" figure.

In Culture[edit | edit source]

Gordon, Tony, Cherie and Peter in The Deal

Gordon had been lampooned in Spitting Image, Headcases, Dead Ringers (in which he is a Dalek), The Impressions Show and HIGNFY, in which his never ending stream of bad luck is a running joke; 'It's been another bad week for Gordon Brown, which is as close as this show will get to a catchphrase'. He appears in TONY! The Blair Musical, (in which he finds himself being abandoned by Tony in favour of Peter, Alastair and then George Bush Jr), and Tony Blair: The Musical, in which he has a loose homoerotic relationship with Tony as encapsulated in the song Balancing the Books, in which he sings of Tony, "Some say that it is better to have loved and lost/But on reflection I don't think they've properly assessed the cost".

Private Eye portrayed Gordon as the Reverand Blair's sulking Treasurer, and then as a Soviet-style dictator at the head of a crumbling regime in the column "From the Desk of the Supreme Leader". He is played by David Morrissey in The Deal, and in The Trail of Tony Blair, he is shown to be unsympathetic towards his predecessor, allowing him to be sent to the Hague for a criminal trial.

In Fanon[edit | edit source]

Gordon is generally portrayed in fanon as being a brooding, misanthropic, embittered man, though he is rarely written as being evil or a villain. He is prone to tempers, and is possessive, surrounding himself with cronies. He is typically cast in New Labour environment.

Meme[edit | edit source]

Shipping[edit | edit source]

Gordon is most commonly paired with Tony (TBGB, a name given to the relationship between the pair by their spads). He is also paired with Peter Mandelson (Mandelbrown), and together with Alastair, the four men make up the NuLab OT4. He is also paired with Sarah, Charlie and Ed Balls.

Prominent Portrayals in AUs[edit | edit source]

Gordon is shown as being in a healthy, tender relationship with Tony in the Hug-A-Hoodie!AU. He is gender-swapped to become Gina Brown in the Girlband!AU, keeping his brooding, intellectual characteristics, paired with Toni and Shawn (Sarah). He makes regular appearances in Forumverse as RedPaper. In the Gorillaz!AU, he takes on the role of Russel, the articulate but deranged drummer of the band who grows to an enormous size. In the NuLab Teen!AU, he fronts a gang with Ed and Charlie, and experiments briefly with his sexuality by kissing Peter at a party. He appears in the Steampunk!AU as a naturalist and academic, and in Integral as a gun-weilding maniac threatening the authority of the dictator.