BROWN AT HIS BEST

by RAY FLEMING
GORDON Brown showed his “serious man doing a serious job” image to great effect in his first Labour Party Conference speech as prime minister. Although there were a few moments of light relief and some effective personal references, this hour-long speech was packed with proposals for more “personalised” services in health and education as well as measures to strengthen people's liberties, to uphold freedom of speech, freedom of information and freedom to protest. On crime, he said that the police will have 10'000 handheld computers so that officers can log crimes on the spot and stay on the beat instead of returning to the station to fill out forms. Paid maternity leave will be extended to nine months and later to one year. Every adult will get a regular health check-up on the NHS. Unclaimed assets in dormant bank accounts will be used to build new youth centres. The House of Lords will, finally, be reformed as an elected second chamber; if Mr Brown can bring that off after 100 years he will indeed go down in history! Mr Brown did not mention an election, although his speech was virtually a manifesto for one, nor did he mention the Conservatives or David Cameron. To judge by the warm applause and later comments from those at the Conference, this was an exceptionally successful speech. Trade Union leaders were effusive; Tony Woodley, joint secretary of Unite, said it showed Mr Brown was “a man of decency and integrity.”