Brown: The Labour party and the government should put on a show of unity

Gordon Brown’s reply to David Cairns’s resignation letter ends as follows:

I will always respect the views of others both in the party and the government but believe that both function best when we show unity.
Gordon Brown

This strikes me as a revealing choice of words. Brown doesn’t say the party and the government work best when they are united but when they show unity, a subtle but important difference. Maybe I’ve been staring at this for too long but it does seem that Brown is accepting that the party and the government are divided about his leadership but arguing that it is best not to talk about it openly. Not in front of the voters, dear.

One of the oddest aspects of this whole crisis has been how tepid and defensive all the statements in support of Brown have been. I’m puzzled as to why no one has come forward, or been called on to, to deliver a passionate and full-throated defence of Gordon, to put some fight back into the PLP.