Global Statesman revisits the decade that Gordon Brown spent as architect-in-chief of the New Labour project, and charts an often neglected but crucial dimension of the Brown years: his commitment to international development and the issues of global poverty. Drawing upon 10 years of primary research, including an extensive and exhaustive survey of speeches and policy statements made by Brown both prior to and throughout New Labour’s time in government, Global Statesman offers a critical assessment of one of the most powerful figures in modern British politics. While a number of books have foc ... More

Global Statesman revisits the decade that Gordon Brown spent as architect-in-chief of the New Labour project, and charts an often neglected but crucial dimension of the Brown years: his commitment to international development and the issues of global poverty. Drawing upon 10 years of primary research, including an extensive and exhaustive survey of speeches and policy statements made by Brown both prior to and throughout New Labour’s time in government, Global Statesman offers a critical assessment of one of the most powerful figures in modern British politics. While a number of books have focused upon the politics and performance of Brown in office, Global Statesman considers these in the light of the former Chancellor and Prime Minister’s own personal crusade against global poverty. As this book demonstrates, there was a clear link that existed between those policies that Brown himself design and implemented in Britain and the model of international development that he sought to promote abroad. As this book demonstrates however, this transmission of policy proved problematic and Brown’s persistence in working with the grain of global capitalism prevented him from truly getting to grips with the multiple and systemic causes of underdevelopment experienced by billions of people across the world. This, sadly, limited the scope for any genuine, lasting success and, ultimately, undermined Brown’s otherwise admirable commitment to address global poverty.