He knows a voter winner when he sees one
If I were David Cameron I wouldn’t be straying too far from British soil this summer for fear of allowing the Labour Party’s poll leads to grow. Gordon Brown seems to have had a strange time at Camp David, not exactly cosying up to George “Dubya” Bush and not lavishing praise on his host either. As Nick Robinson points out in his blog;
“….Mr Brown, while talking warmly about the shared history and shared values of the two countries, did nothing to return those personal compliments. He even referred to their meetings as full and frank - which is normal diplomatic code for an argument.”
The whole visit has been about political posturing by the Prime Minister, positioning himself in the so called new world order (in post Blair terms) but what may become apparent as an election nears is the rumoured decision to call an end to British military involvement in Iraq, sooner rather than later. Hence the chats about “Private Full” and “Sergeant Frank.”
Just by talking about the possibility and without mention of a probability, Brown has managed to entice his audience back home with another tasty treat. There can be no doubt (even though the job is unfinished) that talking of bringing the troops home from Iraq will be a mighty vote winner.
That’s the trouble with Gordon Brown, as David Cameron must be quickly learning, he is wily, clever, adaptable, and with an astute political nose.
