Gordon Brown: Power with Purpose by James Macintyre review: 'persuasive'
This new biography paints a picture of a man of substance driven by a deep moral purpose, writes Alistair Grant
Early in his new biography of Gordon Brown, author James Macintyre references a line from Macbeth. Whatever the former prime minister's achievements in office, he writes, "nothing in his life became him like the leaving of it".
This book is published on the eve of Brown's 75th birthday, when he still devotes much of his time to charitable efforts aimed at fighting poverty. This includes persuading Amazon to donate surplus goods as part of a pioneering multibank scheme, distributing food, clothes, hygiene products and other items to those in need. It is a far cry from the path taken by some of his Downing Street successors, one of whom currently rails against the “deep state” on YouTube.
Macintyre, a former BBC Question Time producer and New Statesman writer, is not a neutral observer. Indeed, his tone is sometimes too reverential. But he makes a persuasive case for Brown as a "conviction politician from a seemingly lost age"; a man of substance driven by a deep moral purpose.
Growing up in Kirkcaldy as a son of the manse, Brown was influenced by the "strong social conscience" of his father, the Rev John Brown, and witnessed first-hand the impact of industrial decline on the local area. Highly intelligent, he was just 16 when he left for Edinburgh University, and made up his mind to pursue politics while recovering from multiple eye operations after a rugby injury.
He later became the longest-serving Chancellor of the Exchequer since William Gladstone. Macintyre makes a compelling argument for the far-reaching impact of his time at the Treasury. Brown's chancellorship was "the most redistributive since the Second World War", he writes, with the introduction of the first ever national minimum wage, record public spending and the rollout of tax credits. The decision to make the Bank of England independent "proved a spectacular and lasting success".
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In contrast, he concedes that being prime minister may not have suited Brown quite so well, despite his “quick and decisive handling” of the 2008 financial crash. His bailout of the banks was a pivotal moment with global consequences. Tom Fletcher, his senior civil service foreign affairs adviser, recalls a later phone call between Brown and Barack Obama. “And Obama just said [paraphrasing], “Yeah, and no one else could have done it at that moment... I know that people joked about how you saved the world. But actually, Gordon, you know, you kind of did.”’
The aftermath of the crisis nevertheless damaged Brown, and friends — such as the journalist Piers Morgan — feel he has never received the recognition he deserves.
His extraordinary, tortured relationship with Tony Blair is a recurring theme. They were the "outstanding partnership in modern times”, turning New Labour into an election-winning machine. But they were also rivals, and Blair’s emergence as leader in 1994 caused lasting bitterness.
Blair agreed to be interviewed for this book on the condition that Brown was happy for him to speak. "I don't think you'll get a balanced account," the latter told the author. In fact, Blair heaps praise on Brown, describing him as "an astonishingly high-quality intellect". It is a revealing moment — both amusing and slightly tragic.
Macintyre acknowledges Brown's flaws, including his ability to retain "residual and sometimes needless resentment towards perceived opponents", but does not dwell on them. I would have liked a bit more on Brown's reported "volcanic temper", as well as his relationship to the "dark arts" practiced by some of those around him. Their behaviour reflects on his judgment. Recent headlines also show his decision to bring Peter Mandelson back into the fold was a mistake.
As mentioned, Macintyre — who reveals in the book’s acknowledgements that he fell sick with acute pancreatitis while working on this project, falling into a five-week coma — does not hide his huge admiration for Brown. Whether you share this or not, this is a readable, revealing account of an “unusually deep and complicated man” — a politician of conviction and consequence whose life after frontline politics only serves to underline his serious-minded commitment to making a difference.
Gordon Brown: Power with Purpose, by James Macintyre, Bloomsbury, £25
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