“I will reach out beyond the narrow party interest,” he said, “I will build a government that uses all the talents, I will invite men and women of good will to contribute their energies in the new spirit of public service to make our nation what it can be.” — Gordon Brown
He has been blind in one of his eyes ever since he was 16. He suffered from the loss of his first daughter. Having gone through events in his life that could have led him to despair, Gordon Brown remains an optimist: “I do believe that tomorrow can be better than today.”
And this adamant man climbed to the peak of his career. As Tony Blair stepped down, Brown took over as British Prime Minister on June 27.
Brown was born in Scotland in 1951. His childhood was a brilliant success because of his intellectual strength. He was accepted into middle school at 10. At 16 he became the youngest student in Edinburgh University.
At that time, he was a lucky boy, good at almost everything,” said his old friend Murray Elder.
Brown Has Dealt with Misfortune
However, setbacks fell on the outstanding boy then. After a rugby injury, he suffered from a retinal detachment in his left eye. A series of three operations to save the eye were all failures.
Before long, similar symptoms developed in his right eye. “I lay in the hospital bed in total darkness, uncertain about my future,” recalled Brown.
But the young man put up a brave front. His fourth operation successfully saved his right eye.
Looking back into the past, Brown didn’t complain about his misfortune. He even said it focused him. “One door is closed, you can’t play rugby any more, so you focus on other things.”
After going back to university, Brown immersed himself in student politics, which helped a lot in his political career later in life.
In 1997, Brown was appointed as Chancellor of the Exchequer. He has succeeded in giving the country a high rate of employment and the longest economic growth in its history.
Compared with his successful career, Brown’s family life is full of downs. He lost his first daughter ten days after her birth. His 1-year-old youngest son has a deadly disease. “The accidents make me more cherish my life,” he said.
Perhaps it is the many setbacks in his life that have turned Brown into a silent man. He was often described as dour and lacking in charisma, especially compared with Tony Blair. But the optimist doesn’t see these as his weakness. “British people have had enough of political stars. It’s time to do something down-to-earth for them,” he said.
Married Life
Previous girlfriends included the journalist Sheena McDonald, Marion Calder and Princess Margarita, the eldest daughter of exiled King Michael of Romania. She has said about their relationship: “It was a very solid and romantic story. I never stopped loving him but one day it didn’t seem right any more, it was politics, politics, politics, and I needed nurturing.”
Brown married Sarah Macaulay in a private ceremony at his home in North Queensferry on Aug.3, 2000 after a four-year courtship. On 28 December 2001, a daughter, Jennifer Jane, was born prematurely and died on 8 January 2002. Gordon Brown commented at the time that their recent experiences had changed him and his wife: “I don’t think we’ll be the same again, but it has made us think of what’s important. It has made us think that you’ve got to use your time properly. It’s made us more determined. Things that we feel are right we have got to achieve, we have got to do that. Jennifer is an inspiration to us.”
Mrs. Brown, unlike Cherie Blair QC, rarely appears at public events with her husband and until recently even missed his Budget speeches. She intends to remain out of the limelight as much as possible but accepts that her life will change when she moves into 10 Downing Street. However, to date, she has never given a magazine or television interview but is now inundated with requests to break her silence. She is unlikely to do so.
Brown Vows Change
Former Treasury chief Gordon Brown became the British prime minister, he vowed to rebuild trust in government and work to improve health care, the education system and improve affordable housing.
“At all times, I will be strong in purpose, steadfast in will, resolute in action in the service of what matters to the British people,” said Brown, who is the father of two young sons. “I want the best of chances for everyone. That is my mission — that if we can fulfill the potential and realize the talents of all our people then I'm absolutely sure that Britain can be the great global success story of this century.” |
