Former PM reveals frustration at public displays of emotion

Image: Gordon Brown replies to critics who say he failed to connect with the public

Gordon Brown has lamented the new breed of “touchy-feely” politician in a counter to criticism that he struggled to connect with the people.

The former Prime Minister said he is uncomfortable with public displays of emotion aimed to win over voters.

In his new book, the ex-fife MP revealed his frustration at being quizzed over his refusal to share personal information, adding it is those who “freely broadcast what they claimed to be their deepest feelings” that should be questioned.

Expressing regret over his failure to embrace social media such as Twitter, he said he “never mastered the capacity to leave a good impression or sculpt my public image in 140 characters”.

Writing in his memoirs My Life, Our Times, Mr Brown said: “In recent years ‘connecting’ seems to increasingly include the public display of emotion,

“

What mattered, I thought, was how others might benefit from what I did for them as an active politician – not what I claimed to feel

with the latter – authentic or not – seen as evidence of a sincerity required for political success.

“In a more touchy-feely era, our leaders speak of public issues in intensely personal ways, and assume they can win votes by telling their electors that they ‘feel their pain’.”

He added: “When I was asked why I was reluctant to talk about myself while other political leaders freely broadcast what they claimed to be their deepest feelings, I was always tempted to reply: why don’t you ask them why they are always speaking about themselves?

“What mattered, I thought, was how others might benefit from what I did for them as an active politician – not what I claimed to feel.

“If in my political career I was backward in coming forward, my failure was not so much a resistance to letting the public in – I never shrank from that – it was resisting the pressure to cultivate an image that made the personal constantly public.”

In extracts of the memoirs released ahead of publication on November 7, Mr Brown said the biggest regret of his political career was failing to reform the banking system after the 2008 financial crash.

The book also relives the moment he feared he would lose his eyesight following problems that emerged from suffering an injury in a school rugby match.

gmcpherson@thecourier.co.uk

Picture: Kris Miller. In his new book, the ex-fife MP says he was quizzed over his refusal to share personal information.