Brown Points to Christian Roots as Foundation for Universal Values

Current Chancellor Gordon Brown, touted by many to be the successor to Prime Minister Tony Blair, has promoted his reputation as a stern, hard-working man originating from his Scottish Presbyterian background.

|PIC1|Brown, 55, emphasised that he was not just Scottish, but British, and that he upheld values that were universal rather than motivated by any narrow religious conviction.

He spoke of "an enduring set of values that put the needs and concerns of the British people first.

"And where did I learn these values? My father was a minister of the church. His motivation was not theological zeal but compassion. He told me: 'You can make your mark on the world for good or ill'."

His mother also had a similar influence in his decision to enter politics.

"They believed in duty, responsibility and respect for others. They believed in honesty and hard work, and that the things that matter had to be worked for," Brown said.

"Most of all my parents taught me that each of us should live by a moral compass," he added.

The Independent on Sunday, explained that Brown was careful to omit the word "Kirk", the Scottish word for church, in addition to distancing himself from religiosity.

"He's trying rather unsubtly to portray himself as different from Blair in that he doesn't go on about his faith, in the sense that Blair was more explicitly a Christian," an Independent newspaper representative told AFP.

|QUOTE|"He's trying to align himself with this agnostic majority who have nominally a Christian upbringing but wouldn't necessarily describe themselves as believers," he said. "He's performing a rather clever balancing act."

Brown also vowed to advocate "Britain and Britishness" if he becomes Prime Minister, following various commentators stating concerns that English voters would reject a Scottish leader.

The Chancellor was sure to promote a strong sense of national identity, saying his "dual nationality" was no bar to being Prime Minister.

Over the past year, Brown has had to increasingly fight back against questions regarding his character, rather than just relying upon his widely hailed record as Chancellor of the Exchequer.

In highlighting his positives, Brown seemed to compare himself with David Cameron, the Conservative opposition leader, who is recognised as more charismatic than Brown but has much less experience.

Brown has a record of steering Britain along a path of sustained growth, high employment and lower interest rates, while overcoming the personal tragedy of the death of his first child.

He also became Britain's longest-serving finance chief, without interruption, in June 2005.