Is Brown the new Barack?

I missed the beginning because of work stuff – yes the Young Fabian Executive have day jobs too – but I thought our Prime Minister did very well just now in his address to Congress.

He came across as passionate, knowledgeable, a man with ideas about bringing us out of recession and preventing similar failures in our interdependent financial world in the future. And at times human. These are the characteristics that many Labour supporters have seen before at private or party events but which he has struggled to convey to the wider British public. It will be interesting to see which clips are shown on the TV tonight and whether the slightly pointless ovation count is played up.

On The Apology that most of the Cabinet were apparently advocating, he was absolutely right not to do it. Yes, because of the poster argument, but also because the key benefit of apologising would be to draw a line under the past and be able to focus on plans for now and for the future. But this would not have happened. The media – particularly the tabloids and Tory press – rather than say thank you, would have plagued Brown for apologising in America and he would have faced increased pressure to ‘tell us to our faces’. The Prime Minister and his Cabinet colleagues are beginning to find some more appropriate language about how we got here, and hopefully it isn’t too late, because acknowledgement (but not apology) is necessary. It is frankly ridiculous that the whole of the world’s financial trouble is being seen as something Brown should take the blame for and he is right to try and ride the clamour.

Despite the ups and downs of yesterday’s scheduling, a successful trip. But if he learns one thing from Obama, and the behaviour of the White House yesterday, it is that he can not just be the world statesman he’s playing to be, but must also be seen to be concentrating on Britain. The public here will want to know how global solutions to recession will keep them in work and keep the roof over their heads.

Look out soon for Young Fabian work and events - with international and domestic focuses – on what this means for young people.