Love Letters

I’ve just read the letter that has caused so much trouble for Gordon Brown. I’m not sure what all fuss is about.

It’s difficult/impossible to put myself in Ms Janes place, but I think that I would have been comforted to have received a handwritten letter from the Prime Minister. So why was she so upset? If her son’s name was misspelled that would be unforgivable, but it’s not clear it was. Were the sentiments inappropriate; no I don’t think so. So what was it that made her contact the Sun?

I think it must be the last part of the letter “..your son’s courage and bravery and the huge contribution he made to the security of our country”. This just rings false; and that cracked note alerted Ms Janes to the whole tenor of the letter. As Simon Carr identified in today’s “Independent” what the Prime Minister said was clearly untrue. Her son made a huge contribution – he was killed – but to say it had a huge impact on our security was clearly false.

What is so fatal for the Prime Minister is the back beat – “Your son died stopping the terrorists bringing the war to the streets of the UK.” Starkly, in this letter of condolence, is the Labour’s rationale for keeping our troops in Afghanistan. The PM has used this death as an opportunity to get over Labour’s political message to a bereaved mother. It is this that has incensed Ms Janes.

This is truly frightening, because for Gordon Brown all experience is grist to his political mill. And he doesn’t know it. I am convinced that he believes he is a compassionate, loving, engaging human being (Dr Jekyll), yet his political being (Mr Hyde) constantly intrudes; giving away the true motor that drives this man’s ambition.

And I still don’t know why we’re supporting a corrupt government in a country next to a corrupt country. Why aren’t we supporting their opponents?