O’Conall Street

Brown came into his own as Labour Leader today with a bulwark of a speech. He did his party proud and delivered a typically robust and honest address in his first conference as Labour Leader.

Just catching up with him online courtesy of the bbc.co.uk/news. Not unexpectedly he announced his Britishness and celebrated the island he calls home. Brown is an honest man and communicates as such. What is interesting from an Irish perspective is that his nation is the island of Britain, Great Britain. He sees his nation as an island and his island as a great and disparate nation.

I believe his view of Britain as Britain is in fact the view of the vast majority of British people. In other words they don’t Northern Ireland as part of their ‘nation’. No problem for me because as it happens that is the same way I feel about this island, Ireland.

Brown has set out a big marker for progressive politics on these islands. He will likely have his vision endorsed overwhelmingly by the British people at the next General Election, be it next month or next year. The New Labour, New Britain message continues to excite and motivate - the ‘many’ are just not impressed by David Cameron - with his party infighting and appeal to the ‘few’.

I have written before that these are amazing times for these islands. Brown stands proud for his island; devolved, diverse, determined and ambitious. Seeking prosperity with equality and measuring individuals for who they are not where they come from. I think it is high time this island gave his vision a run for its money. When he talks about an island of diversity, I think Ireland. When he says his is an island of talents, I think mine is to.

Eddie O’Sullivan and the boys in green may have left us sad on Saturday but Gordon Brown, by accident perhaps, has mapped out a vision for this island. Who can argue with a place that in the words of the bible, treasurers the children and protects the poor, that celebrates success and rewards risk. It’s his Britain but sounds like the sort of Ireland, North and South, we should all aspire to.

Time we got on with it, I think.

ps - Slugger O’Toole reports NI has been left off the UK edition of Monopoly. Brown’s consensus is growing!

This entry was posted on Monday, September 24th, 2007 at 8:00 pm and is filed under Current Affairs, Politics, Public Affairs, The Media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.