London – A week ago, Gordon Brown stepped up to a microphone outside the fabled black door of No. 10 Downing St. to address his nation for the first time after becoming prime minister about an hour earlier.
Without a smile, he promised to “try my utmost” and soon signed off somberly, like a teacher assigning homework: “Now let the work of change begin.”
In the next few days, Britain’s straight-laced new leader was forced to deal with floods that caused more than $2 billion in damage in central England, leaving hundreds of families homeless, and car bombers trying to kill hundreds of people in central London and at a Glasgow airport. His response has been careful, steady and without a single glittering turn of phrase – a far cry from the telegenic empathy and pitch-perfect oratory of his predecessor, Tony Blair.
And Brown’s popularity ratings are soaring. A Times of London poll published Monday found that 77 percent of Britons think Brown is a strong leader, up 14 points from a month ago. Analysts here said Brown, in addition to enjoying a predictable honeymoon period with Britain’s carnivorous press, is proving to be a far more formidable politician and reassuring leader than many people expected.
“It’s been a good week, a fantastic week, really,” said Guillaume Arth, 32, a marketing manager in London, who added that Brown’s first week reminded him of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s triumphant leadership during the 1982 Falklands War. “In times of crisis, it’s the leader’s job to deliver a calm message, to appear in control, and he did.”
While pundits predicted for a decade that Brown’s serious and wonkish style would be a liability when he became prime minister, especially following a natural communicator like Blair, Britons seem to be savoring the change in tone at Downing Street, especially in a time of crisis.
“Brown has been more measured, more calm and less excitable, and I think it’s gone down well,” said Inayat Bunglawala of the Muslim Council of Britain. “It’s a welcome change.”
