Cicero Policy Briefer

Issue 14, July 2007

All change for the Brown era

By Laura Chisholm

Gordon Brown used the word ‘change’ 25 times in his acceptance speech last week. Elsewhere, Hazel Blears was on radio making the very unconvincing claim that the atmosphere at the first meeting of the new cabinet ‘was like there had been a General Election’. Meanwhile, the Conservatives are arguing that nothing has changed at all and that Brown’s new team ‘represents the past, not the future’.

They do have a point - our new Prime Minister has been at the heart of Government for the last ten years. He even earned the title the ‘Domestic Prime Minister’ as Blair spent so much time travelling the world. All this talk of change seems a little forced—and is it even necessary? Surely the electorate would prefer some progress rather than change?

Change is also at the heart of the Conservatives’ message. The party’s slogan is ‘change to win’, words which Quentin Davis MP described as vacuous and cynical in his resignation letter to Cameron this week.

The parties have different reasons for talking about change, of course. Cameron’s are well documented-he needs to demonstrate that his party occupies the centre ground and cares about the issues that voters care about. Defections and internal rows are all part and parcel of this and, if properly managed, can be positive. Brown’s motives and the pitfalls he faces are more complicated.

If the new Prime Minister doesn’t swiftly announce some new policies his new Government will drift, but unless they are substantive he will face the same charge as his predecessor of putting spin first. They should stand up to scrutiny-it’s not as if he has not had time to plan them.

The new Chancellor, Alistair Darling, recently said: "You may get a lot of stick for being dull and boring, but stick to it, make the changes that people want, let the improvements speak for themselves." This wise and rather workmanlike approach will serve him well at the Treasury. It’s unlikely there will be much room there for flashes of inspiration anyway, given the tight spending limits he has inherited from Brown.

All this talk of change cannot replace the feeling of renewal that a general election provides. Brown will have to fill this void with new ideas. It’s unlikely we will see as much change as we have been promised from either party-though we’ll probably see more of it than progress.

Laura Chisholm can be contacted on +44 (0)20 7665 9536 or click here to email.

Back to main policy briefer