James Forsyth James Forsyth

Brown’s speech to Congress: Live blog

Gordon Brown is about to deliver his speech to a Joint Session of Congress. When Blair addressed one in 2003, he received 19 standing ovations. Brown by having the Queen offer the ailing Teddy Kennedy an honorary knighthood has sweetened the mood and guaranteed him a few standing ovations. 

One problem for Brown is that it is harder to hit the rhetorical high notes in a speech that focuses mainly on the economy than in one on foreign policy. Whatever you think of the content, Blair’s speech in 2003 was a rhetorical tour de force. In that respect, the bar is set almost impossibly high for Brown. He’s also far less of a draw in the US. As one US journalist friend of mine said to me last night, ‘Brown’s a good second or third story’ while Blair was a lead.

4.10 Congress rises to applaud Brown. Brown starts by saying how ‘America’s faith in the future’ is an inspiration to him and the whole world: a crowd-pleasing start.  

4.15 Brown is cleverly using Reagan’s rhetoric to praise Obama. Brown’s speech have always owed almost as much to American politicians as Joe Biden’s did to Neil Kinnock so expects lots of well-chosen phrases.

4.20 The announcement of Edward Kennedy’s knighthood wins Brown another standing ovation.

4.25 A Labour PM travelling to Washington to praise Reagan for winning the Cold War: Thatcher, history and Blair really have changed the Labour party. 

So far we have already had quotes from Winthrop, Reagan, Kennedy and Lincoln—and that’s just the ones I’ve noticed. 

4.30 Brown is playing it safe, praising the military and the shared sacrifices of ther two countries.

‘Partnership of purpose’ really is an awful sound-bite.

4.35 Now, Brown is moving onto the economy—expect a few fewer ovations now. Oddly, Brown’s intro sounds rather like a section of Joe Biden’s speech at the Democratic Convention.

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