Government Affairs Blog

Gordon Brown and the progressive consensus

In the past, Gordon Brown has made references to the progressive consensus he wishes to create.  In the speech announcing his bid for leadership of the Labour party, the country was given a far clearer idea of how he might build that consensus.

Brown’s starting point is his “moral centre”.  This he learned from his father: everyone in the country has a talent and everyone has a duty to exercise that talent.  This core idea owes much to the writings of John Stuart Mill, although Mill’s liberalism might have caused him to raise en eyebrow at the view that everyone has a duty to exercise that talent. 

The Chancellor went on to discuss constitutional reform including select committees vetting public appointees and emphasised his Cabinet would be of all the talents.  When asked by Michael Crick, BBC’s Newsnight political editor, if this meant non-Labour party members joining the Cabinet, the answer was emphatic: “I rule nothing out.”

The media began speculating immediately but by the end of the day the story was going cold, James Purnell, Labour Cabinet Minister, played the remark down and Vince Cable, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, denied that Ming Campbell was about to become Foreign Secretary. 

The Prime Minister in-waiting has made no secret of his liking for America.  He hasn’t discussed the subject in great detail but it is safe to assume that he is looking across the pond at Senate confirmation hearings and Presidential Cabinets that include members of another party for inspiration. 

Brown isn’t about to put David Cameron in his Cabinet.  But would he pick up the telephone and offer a job to his ex radical rambler who now happens to lead the Liberal Democrats?

If Brown ever reached out beyond his own party in this way it would make far more sense to offer Ming Campbell the Ministry of Justice where he could get to work protecting civil liberties and making the type of constitutional reforms Brown indicates he wants to see and the liberals spend hours discussing.  The idea of giving Foreign Secretary to your greatest critic over Iraq seems less likely. 

This is all froth and speculation but there is one thing that gives it some credibility.  In the recent local elections Labour and the Liberal Democrats were neck and neck. The Tories were 13% ahead.  This is a mirror of election results in the 1980s when the Labour party was unelectable.  An astute a politician as Gordon Brown is, he won’t have missed the warning.

Simon Goldie is Head of Communication at The Chartered Institute of Taxation – www.tax.org.uk - and a member of the CIPR GAG committee