Gordon Brown’s team decided that they would take the Prime Minister off the airwaves over the summer. The thinking was that when Brown did return in September to roll out his economic plan the public would pay renewed attention. So, apart from an appearance at the Edinburgh books festival, Brown has kept pretty quiet.
What the Brown team did not factor in or adjust for was an international crisis that would require the Prime Minister to play the part expected of a British Prime Minister on the world stage. So, Brown has ended up following not leading on the Georgia crisis both at home and abroad.
Internationally, this has undercut Britain’s standing in the world—the only other permanent member of the Security Council who has been as quiet as Britain has been China which wants nothing to distract from the Olympics.
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