British Elections: Why Glenda Jackson Should Replace Gordon Brown

Memo to the Labour Party HQ: Replace Gordon Brown with Glenda Jackson as your candidate in Thursday's election.

It's not all that often that you have the chance to contemplate a "what if" scenario while an election is still under way. But that's exactly what happened to me on Friday afternoon.

I was attending a "hustings" (open forum) for the Member of Parliament (MP) seat in my London constituency. It was the last time before the general election that the candidates from the three main political parties -- Labour, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats -- would be together in one room. And as these individuals took turns addressing the assembled crowd of school children and their parents, I realized suddenly how Labour could solve its problems in one fell swoop: Let Glenda Jackson -- the sitting MP in my electoral district -- run for prime minister instead of Gordon Brown.


I say this only half-jokingly. Glenda Jackson became famous as a two-time Oscar-winning actress before she won the seat in Parliament that she's held for the last 18 years. But her celebrity past isn't why I'd like to see her head the Labour ticket. (This isn't America, after all. At least not yet.) Nor is she -- like many Labour candidates right now -- assured of an easy victory.

No, the reason I'd like to see Jackson -- or someone of her ilk -- usher Labour through this coming election is that it would furnish the party with something it's been sorely lacking: inspiration.

Let me explain.

The event that I attended on Friday was in many ways a microcosm of what one might have expected to see (in an alternate universe) at the national level. There was a slick, young, well-tanned businessman-cum-politician representing the Conservative Party. There was an earnest (if not a tad too idealistic) gentleman representing the Lib Dems. And then there was a savvy, seasoned veteran anchoring the Labour ticket in the form of Ms. Jackson. And watching her combat her opponents made me feel . . . well, wistful for the Labour Party, if only they'd had a better candidate at the helm.

I say this not because of Gordon Brown's mega-gaffe on the campaign trail last week. Unaware that the microphone on his lapel was still on, the prime minister assailed an elderly woman from his party's own base as "bigoted" after she asked a question about the tide of Eastern European immigrants coming into the country. It was an unfortunate incident for Brown as a candidate, who is already electorally challenged by his dour mien, awkward manner and irascible temper. It was also unfortunate for the Labour Party, which has fought so hard to position itself as tough on immigration.

But in the immortal words of Joe Biden, I don't think that "bigot-gate" was such a B.F.D. Rather, I agree with Labour's spin doctors: He's human, we all do it, let's move on. What is a big deal is the way that Gordon Brown comes across to average voters, as he has on the three televised political debates over the course of the past month. And here's where he could stand to learn a thing or two from his colleague Glenda Jackson. Specifically:

1. Have a positive message. Glenda Jackson is somewhere to the left of Gordon Brown in policy terms and has more a reputation as a "progressive." But this isn't about her politics. It's about her style. And what she was able to transmit over the course of the hour was just how passionate she is about the ideals for which her party stands: equality of opportunity and social justice. She spoke eloquently about how her party's commitment to these ideals enabled someone of her socio-economic status (she is the daughter of a bricklayer) to achieve things that would have been unimaginable 60 years ago. It was a positive, uplifting message, one filled with hope. David Cameron and Nick Clegg have also been very positive during this election, each positioning himself as the candidate of change. Brown, in contrast, and especially during last Thursday's debate, has been relentlessly negative. His message has been more one of instilling fear in what a potential Conservative government might do to middle-class families than what he believes in.

2. Be proud of your country. Jackson also managed to convey a deep-seated pride in her country. Britain is currently mired in a sea of debt. This ought to be a huge albatross around the neck of any candidate running on the government's economic record. But somehow she was able to transform the country's debt into a ray of hope by talking about the resilience and resolve of the British people historically to overcome debt burdens through creativity and hard work. When she said "our greatest natural resource is our people," I was practically waving a Union Jack -- and I'm not even British. I've never heard Brown speak patriotically about his country. It's not that I doubt his patriotism, but it just isn't part of his repertoire. It should be.

3. Project self-confidence born of experience. To be fair to Brown, he's tried hard to do this. He is constantly reminding his opponents -- and voters alike -- that he's the only candidate who's managed a major financial crisis. But his manner, once again, makes him sound angry and defensive when he's defending his record, rather than proud and self-confident. In contrast, Jackson referred to her experience in government constantly when suggesting why she was best positioned to serve this constituency. When responding to a question about how to keep teenagers out of gangs, for example, she talked about peer-based programs in a district that already has a proven track record of success. She sounded knowledgeable and self-assured, and as if she really knew her district and its distinctive make-up and concerns.

4. Speak in simple language. Brown continues to run his campaign in policy-speak, while his competitors have mastered the age of the sound bite. Jackson, in contrast, speaks in simple, colorful, descriptive language. Granted, it helps to be a actress when it comes to delivery. But it works. When a student asked a question about what each candidate would do to save the environment, she listed a few big ticket items. Then she said: "But the most important thing is to believe that we can do something. The biggest energy wasters are us. What we have to take on board is that we as individuals can make a choice. This crisis is real and severe and we can do something about it and save the world." And suddenly, it really did seem that easy. Which is exactly what a candidate needs to do.

At the end of the day, I think that the reason I came away from that one hour so enamored of Glenda Jackson is that she seemed not only smart and articulate but, crucially, likable. Gordon Brown may be intelligent and well spoken when it comes to running the numbers, but he's sorely lacking in the likability category. When the prime minister smiles, it looks like a grimace. And when he tells a joke, it invariably sounds canned and clunky.

Brown keeps insisting that this election isn't a popularity contest. He wants it -- desperately -- to be about policy and policy alone. But in a political system that's been fundamentally altered by the existence of televised debates, that strikes me as wishful thinking on Labour's part. And potentially fatal.

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