Brown’s inner circle - AS exam update

Over the next few weeks I will try to provide important updates of examples that students can employ in exams.

First off, the always popular PM power debate. It’s incredible to think that about two thirds of the way through the current election campaign, Gordon Brown will have been PM for longer than John Kennedy was the American President. By my rough calculations JFK was President for 1036 days, and Brown has been in Number 10 for 1014 days. What’s my point? Brown often barely gets a mention in essays analysing where power lies within the core executive.

An article by Nicholas Watt in today’s Guardian got me thinking about how we can apply our wider reading in the exam hall.

According to Watt the 10 key figures in red corner of the election battle are to be:

“Lord Mandelson, director of election strategy One of the three architects of New Labour, Mandelson will provide the broad strategic direction for the election campaign. It will be a more harmonious affair than in 1997, when Mandelson and Gordon Brown clashed at the height of their feud.

Douglas Alexander, general election co-ordinator One of Brown’s oldest allies, Alexander is back at the heart of the operation after a bumpy period. Relations between the pair became tense after Alexander was blamed for pushing for an early election in the autumn of 2007.

David Muir, director of political strategy A former marketing communications executive at Ogilvy, Muir has been pushing hard for Brown to speak up for the struggling middle classes.

Justin Forsyth, director of strategic communications A former Oxfam campaigner who was one of the few members of Tony Blair’s staff to transfer to Brown, Forsyth has promoted the prime minister on platforms such as YouTube and Twitter.

Ed Miliband, manifesto co-ordinator The climate change secretary, who was tasked with drafting the manifesto when Brown became prime minister in 2007, is balancing the challenge of producing radical ideas while acknowledging that drastic public spending cuts will have to be introduced.

Ed Balls, schools secretary Brown’s closest ally and one of the more politically aggressive members of the cabinet, his speciality is in drawing up dividing lines with the Tories.

Alicia Kennedy, Labour’s deputy general secretary and key seats co-ordinator Charged with ensuring that Labour voters turn out in marginal constituencies, Kennedy is making use of the “Contact Creator”, a database of voters that allows Labour to tailor emails.

Lord Gould, focus group adviser A veteran of the Blair years, Gould will provide crucial advice on voters’ fears and hopes from focus groups. He believes the party that embraces optimism and the future will win.

Pat McFadden, business minister Blair’s former political secretary, who left Downing Street to become an MP in 2005, will work closely under Mandelson.

Iain Bundred, Gordon Brown’s political spokesman The youngest member of the inner circle, Bundred, 27, will be at Brown’s side throughout the campaign.”

What does this information tell us? Notice the absence from this list of high ranking Ministers, including the holders of three great offices of state. This shows that there are, as one academic put it, spheres of influence, with some Cabinet members holding more sway than others. Why omit Darling, David Miliband, and Johnson? None of them are as loyal to Brown as the likes of Ed Balls and Douglas Alexander. Don’t forget “let’s be friends again” Mandelson, either. Useful content in a PM/Cab essay.

Also included in the list are special advisers. The power of political appointees is not a phenomenon exclusive to the Blair premiership, even if we don’t hear as much about them. Though I’m not arguing here that the current crop are as powerful as Campbell and Powell were, probably reflecting GB’s relatively diminished power. Look at what Watt says about how David Muir is trying to shape the campaign and we have a rich illustration that spin doctors matter more than some members of Cabinet.

Students should also try to apply the theories of the likes of George Jones and Michael Foley to the Brown premiership, if they want to get into the higher mark bands. After all, taking into account what I said earlier about the relative amount of time that two men had been in their country’s top political job: ask not what Brown can do for the country, but what Brown can do for your essay.