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One must be fair and compliment both Gordon Brown and his wife for hosting the G20, they both did very well. Also in pushing and promoting it, Brown worked hard in getting the top 20 Leaders together and especially on the new American President’s first foreign tour, a worthwhile move.

Although all these people having the opportunity to meet face to face does not mean that there will not be future ‘misunderstanding’, it does reduce the chances plus ‘side issues’ like nuclear weapons can be discussed. As for results there is little that can be said, it was the right “mood music” but it is only the markets rather than the politicians that can lift the global economy. So where does this leave Gordon Brown ?

Little Changed

The reality is that whilst he deserves to have a bounce in the polls if only because of his efforts in getting this G20 done, it is highly unlikely to change his personal destiny or save his political career because even if things changed rapidly which is unlikely, the same character flaws that have dogged him, will still exist.

In simple terms he is out of touch with the Zeitgeist and is incapable of change. In the EU Parliament Daniel Hannan said that Gordon Brown was pathologically incapable of apologising for his mistakes and he was right. The focus of Brown is always to the lowest level of political street fighting, he sees all things in terms of “getting one over on his political rivals” whether inside his own party or outside it.

Looked at from this perspective, the reason that he won’t apologise is that it may give the Tories a benefit…and as he would react is how he thinks others will.

A Poor Leader

Brown comes across as a typical school bully. He is completely lacking in any charisma or charm and clearly years ago decided that he would project himself as a “serious person who gets things done”. This is fine if you do deliver but what happens when all the things you have taken credit for delivering publicly, start to unravel ? The “I have abolished Boom & Bust in the UK Economy” becomes the millstone around your neck rather than the milestone you thought it was.

The stories of his behaviour towards Blair because Brown thought it “was his turn”, have projected the image of a mean spirited, spiteful and petty man. His funk over the “Election that Never Was” and his obvious choice of a very weak and colourless Cabinet that can never challenge him, are all signs of a lack of courage and leadership potential.

What the Public Need

From the point of view of the average person, they have watched this house of cards tumble around their ears and therefore; “If you were so smart, why didn’t you see it coming ?”

In this context, David Cameron apologising for not having “opposed more vigorously” is right on the money and the majority of people appreciated the gesture because it was also a public acknowledgement of their pain. False humility never works but a genuine apology with appropriate humility does.

Our next Prime Minister needs to lead with humility, honesty and a “We are in this together “ attitude. David Cameron can do that, Gordon Brown cannot because he is a prisoner of his own past and past mistakes, he is truly a yesterday man.