Brown was good man at bad time

I think Gordon Brown is one of the best prime ministers this country has had. I would certainly put his predecessor Tony Blair on the list of people he puts in the shade.

Brown’s biggest fault was perhaps that he did not have the confidence to be himself when he was, in fact, a statesman respected the world over.

Prime ministers do not have to be touchy-feely and chatty if, by their efforts, they show they care.

Brown certainly did that, travelling the country during foot and mouth outbreaks, floods and other disasters. It was a tragedy for Britain that the voters could not see this, and then the Tories got in.

I hope he will now get behind Corbyn’s Labour and use his considerable talents to help them make a fairer, greater Britain. Delys Wallace, Bradford

Gordon Brown is correct when he says we should have jailed the bankers who almost succeeded in bringing down our economy with their profiteering. What is the point of fining banks which have been bailed out using taxpayers’ money when the real culprits go unpunished? The UK is run by the greedy for the greedy. Jeremy Corbyn is the only politician with the courage to address this problem. Bill Cook Teignmouth, Devon

Gordon Brown went along with all the cuts and privatisation, and sold out to the bosses and bankers. The boom he was so proud of was a bubble based on overinflated house prices – and when it burst he bailed out the bankers and let them use our money to keep the profits and impose austerity on us.

He also imposed PFI on us which has led to the crisis in the NHS. Ann Walsh, Liverpool

Gordon Brown’s failure was indeed down to his lack of charisma and communication skills, rather than any lack of competence. He was also tainted by his association with Tony Blair and the Iraq war, and for being at the helm when the bankers caused the global economic crisis.

However, he can be criticised for using tax credits instead of increases in the minimum wage to help the badly paid. And his biggest failure was not taxing rich individuals and firms more when the economy was doing well, which left us with a debt crisis that the Tories were able to use as an excuse for austerity. Brett Grainger, Rugeley, Staffs

Gordon Brown was a very dour PM but that did not make him a bad leader. He wanted the best for the whole country, not just the few, and did not hold the voters in contempt. How unlike the present Tory government who only care about their own power game. Mary Thorpe, Blackpool

Gordon Brown is a good man. He and his wife Sarah still live in the same family home in Scotland and devote a lot of time to good causes. The district of Kirkcaldy elected him time after time, so as their MP he must have done something right.

He is a man of the people and, by all accounts, very approachable. Joan Morris, via Facebook

Gordon Brown was a very good PM who suffered a lot of abuse because people did not seem to understand him. Helen Clarke Wargrave, Berks