Brown Is Risen

It may have taken him almost five months, but everybody's favourite failed Prime Minister is about to return to the Commons, the BBC reports. Like a modern-day Christ we thought him dead and buried, but he liveth yet. Gordon Brown will give his first speech in the House since before the Election on a private member's motion to examine options for the maintaince of the yet-to-be-constructed aircraft carriers. Brown will apparently argue that the contract should be awarded to a company in Rosyth, Scotland, near Brown's constituency.

Not really as impressive as returning to announce the redemption of all mankind, but that might have been too much to expect. Still, the criticism of Bernard Jenkin MP is uncalled for. The Tory MP is quoted in the same BBC article as saying:

"His appearance in this debate shows that his decision to order the aircraft carriers was always about protecting his own interests rather than the national interest."

However, far from showing that Brown during his time in Downing Street was looking out solely for the fortunes of his own constituents and not for those of the rest of the country, this just shows that Brown understands that his time as a national politician is over forever. Instead of addressing an issue of paramount importance to the whole of Britain, he is doing his primary duty as a MP, speaking up for his constituents for whom the keeping the maintaince work in Rosyth might mean the difference between having a job and unemployment.

As long as he behaves like any other backbencher, Brown is unlikely to become a 'rallying point' for dissident Labour MPs. He seems to be looking to avoid going down the route Ted Heath chose in continually attacking his own party leadership after he was removed as Tory leader. Brown's decision is a wise one in every respect and if he plays it well he will at least have returned to redeem himself.