Wednesday, 16 April 2008
Today in Politics: Mr Brown goes to Washington
Gordon Brown begins a visit to the United States today but, as is often the case when a troubled leader goes abroad, he will find it difficult to escape his domestic woes. His trip is already being seen as accident-prone: it is getting little media coverage in America, as it is being eclipsed by Pope Benedict XVI's US visit and the Pennsylvania presidential primary.
Given his current difficulties, Brown will be more interested in how it plays back home. At least he will be in the right place today to discuss the global credit crunch when he meets bankers in New York. Whether he will be able to "do something" about the cause of the economic storm clouds in Britain is another matter.
The same problem may arise on Zimbabwe, which he will discuss when he visits the United Nations. His talks may have to be in the margins of a Security Council debate on co-operation with the African Union, since African nations are pursuing their own "softly, softly" approach to the Zimbabwe crisis and do not welcome lectures from leaders like Brown.
Although the PM will meet president George Bush at the White House tomorrow, the other main purpose of his visit will be to lay the ground for what his aides call the "post Bush era". Brown won't use that phrase as he still has to do business with Bush until he leaves office in January. But he will seek common ground with the next President by holding separate talks with John McCain, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama (who he will meeting for the first time).
Brown will make a speech on Friday on his vision for a new world order, what he calls a "global society", and will seek the backing of the the three presidential contenders for a shake-up of institutions like the UN and World Bank. He has thought long and hard about the need to make bodies created after the second World War fit for the 21st century. However, his clout on the world stage will be reduced if he is seen as a beleaguered figure in his own country.