Brown's conditional Unionism

If true, this is indicative of a Prime Minister who had completely lost touch with public opinion:

The latest (ex-miinster to criticise Gordon Brown) is John Denham the former communities secretary, who wishes that Brown had backed his one big idea – for local celebrations for St George's Day.

His "modest proposal" was accepted across government, but when it reached No 10 it was instantly canned, presumably by Brown on the grounds that it might cause trouble in Scotland. "Was I put out?" Denham asks, rhetorically. He says: "I was driving when I found out, so I didn't actually break anything."

Why on earth would it have "cause trouble in Scotland"? The Nats would have given two hoots about St George's Day being celebrated?

He says Brown "wasn't suited to the modern media world," and adds that, during his premiership, it was permissable only to be "Scots or Welsh, but not English.

Not at all sure about that last bit though. As a "pragmatic" Unionist (ie he believed an appeal to our "Britishness" would keep him in power) Brown thought wrapping himself in the Union flag would keep the forces of anti-Labour nationalism, especially in Scotland, at bay. In the end though, he lacked the backbone to extend his "Britishness" campaign to the three parts of the UK which faced the greatest separatist threat and rather than have the whole thing embarrassingly cancelled, he thought he'd it push it through on the one part of the nation where it wouldn't raise too much fuss, England.

It was permissable to be Scottish, Welsh *and* English Labour during his administration; anyone else be they nationalist, Conservative or Liberal Unionist were beyond the pale.