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| The Scot who kept the Kingdom united | The Scot who kept the Kingdom united |
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| When historians come to write their account of the Scottish independence referendum of 2014, they may well point to a single speech as a decisive moment in the "no" victory. That speech, given by a Scotsman on the eve of the vote, called on the "silent majority" of Scottish voters to reject independence. | When historians come to write their account of the Scottish independence referendum of 2014, they may well point to a single speech as a decisive moment in the "no" victory. That speech, given by a Scotsman on the eve of the vote, called on the "silent majority" of Scottish voters to reject independence. |
| "This is everyone’s flag, everyone’s country, everyone’s street," former British prime minister Gordon Brown told a crowd in Glasgow. "And let us tell the people of Scotland that we who vote no, love Scotland and love our country." | "This is everyone’s flag, everyone’s country, everyone’s street," former British prime minister Gordon Brown told a crowd in Glasgow. "And let us tell the people of Scotland that we who vote no, love Scotland and love our country." |
| The reaction to Brown's speech was unanimous. Historian Simon Schama, a prominent pro-union voice, called it a "wonderful speech" on Twitter, adding that "those of us who cherish UK hold heads high." Former Parliament member Louise Mensch also praised it. "I am not at all a fan of Gordon Brown," the Conservative tweeted, "but sometimes you have to swallow your pride and say: Cracker of a speech." | The reaction to Brown's speech was unanimous. Historian Simon Schama, a prominent pro-union voice, called it a "wonderful speech" on Twitter, adding that "those of us who cherish UK hold heads high." Former Parliament member Louise Mensch also praised it. "I am not at all a fan of Gordon Brown," the Conservative tweeted, "but sometimes you have to swallow your pride and say: Cracker of a speech." |
| Now as the dust settles on a vote that had looked remarkably close to dissolving the United Kingdom, Brown is seen as the man who kept it together. | Now as the dust settles on a vote that had looked remarkably close to dissolving the United Kingdom, Brown is seen as the man who kept it together. |
| That role will come as a surprise to anyone who followed Brown's rocky years in 10 Downing Street. He was a man renowned for his intellect, but widely seen as bumbling and awkward. His time in office was fraught with difficulties, with a financial crisis and political infighting in his Labor party. The British nation never seemed to take to him, and he didn't come to be prime minister through the ballot box, but instead took over after his slick, PR-savvy predecessor Tony Blair resigned; the contrast between the two was hard to miss. | That role will come as a surprise to anyone who followed Brown's rocky years in 10 Downing Street. He was a man renowned for his intellect, but widely seen as bumbling and awkward. His time in office was fraught with difficulties, with a financial crisis and political infighting in his Labor party. The British nation never seemed to take to him, and he didn't come to be prime minister through the ballot box, but instead took over after his slick, PR-savvy predecessor Tony Blair resigned; the contrast between the two was hard to miss. |
| In the one election he contested as prime minister back in 2010, the Labor party suffered huge losses, and Brown, well-known for his love of the party, offered to step down to help Labor enter a coalition government. Brown's gambit failed, and Labor, now in opposition, selected Ed Miliband to replace him. Polls as recently as last year portrayed Brown's time in office as a disaster: YouGov found that almost a third of the British public considered him a "terrible" prime minister, more than anyone who had held office since 1979. | In the one election he contested as prime minister back in 2010, the Labor party suffered huge losses, and Brown, well-known for his love of the party, offered to step down to help Labor enter a coalition government. Brown's gambit failed, and Labor, now in opposition, selected Ed Miliband to replace him. Polls as recently as last year portrayed Brown's time in office as a disaster: YouGov found that almost a third of the British public considered him a "terrible" prime minister, more than anyone who had held office since 1979. |
| Since leaving office, Brown had taken a backseat in politics, making the occasional public speech but rarely making headlines. He was linked to a job as the head of the International Monetary Fund, but his bid appeared to fail. It was only in March that Brown surprised many by tackling the Scottish independence vote head on and by offering a 10-point plan to reform power-sharing between Scotland and the central British government. | Since leaving office, Brown had taken a backseat in politics, making the occasional public speech but rarely making headlines. He was linked to a job as the head of the International Monetary Fund, but his bid appeared to fail. It was only in March that Brown surprised many by tackling the Scottish independence vote head on and by offering a 10-point plan to reform power-sharing between Scotland and the central British government. |
| According to various accounts, Brown was inspired to wade in due to what he saw as the negative style and lack of drive of the anti-independence "Better Together" campaign. In June, he warned Britain's Conservative government that they risked "patronizing" Scottish voters, adding that "countries can be lost by mistake." However, he was held at arms length by the campaign for some time: A historically unpopular former prime minister, renowned for his lack of charisma, whose leadership had coincided with a large loss of seats in Scotland, was understandably not an obvious choice to lead the charge. | According to various accounts, Brown was inspired to wade in due to what he saw as the negative style and lack of drive of the anti-independence "Better Together" campaign. In June, he warned Britain's Conservative government that they risked "patronizing" Scottish voters, adding that "countries can be lost by mistake." However, he was held at arms length by the campaign for some time: A historically unpopular former prime minister, renowned for his lack of charisma, whose leadership had coincided with a large loss of seats in Scotland, was understandably not an obvious choice to lead the charge. |
| Things changed. As the polls tightened, Brown, raised in a middle-class family in Fife, Scotland, seemed better suited to heading the campaign than Britain's other prominent politicians, who were mostly English and often from wealthier backgrounds. Scottish nationalists were loathe to directly criticize a British MP still popular with his Scottish constituents, and he held sway over many Scottish Labor voters who were still undecided on independence. Faisal Islam, political editor of Sky News, points to a narrowing of polls after the second televised independence debate as the catalyst for Brown taking over. | Things changed. As the polls tightened, Brown, raised in a middle-class family in Fife, Scotland, seemed better suited to heading the campaign than Britain's other prominent politicians, who were mostly English and often from wealthier backgrounds. Scottish nationalists were loathe to directly criticize a British MP still popular with his Scottish constituents, and he held sway over many Scottish Labor voters who were still undecided on independence. Faisal Islam, political editor of Sky News, points to a narrowing of polls after the second televised independence debate as the catalyst for Brown taking over. |
| Brown gave a remarkable series of speeches all over Scotland before the final vote on Thursday. As the speech from Glasgow shows, his old, awkward self wasn't there. Brown seemed to have discovered the self-confidence that eluded him as prime minister. Perhaps now with nothing to fear from Britain's right-wing tabloid press (uniformly pro-union), Brown could reveal his passion. | Brown gave a remarkable series of speeches all over Scotland before the final vote on Thursday. As the speech from Glasgow shows, his old, awkward self wasn't there. Brown seemed to have discovered the self-confidence that eluded him as prime minister. Perhaps now with nothing to fear from Britain's right-wing tabloid press (uniformly pro-union), Brown could reveal his passion. |
| The Scottish referendum and Brown's role in it now seem likely to change the way the history books see Brown too. It's particularly notable that Brown became the focus of the campaign, while his better known, smoother predecessor Blair (also born and partially raised in Scotland, but of English heritage), a man who has shadowed him for much of his political career, was not present at all. | |
| And there may even be a new chapter for Brown. With his nationalist rival Alex Salmond stepping down as first minister of Scotland, some are touting Brown to replace him. | And there may even be a new chapter for Brown. With his nationalist rival Alex Salmond stepping down as first minister of Scotland, some are touting Brown to replace him. |