The purpose of prudence
ONE of Gordon Brown's favourite jokes, according to William Keegan, is that there are two kinds of chancellor: those that fail, and those that get out in time. This is typical of Britain's chancellor of the exchequer in two ways. He is a witty man, despite his dour television appearances to the contrary; and he rarely thinks his jokes apply to himself. For it will be a big surprise, not least to him, if Mr Brown does not remain at the helm of the Treasury for several more years before, as he fervently hopes, succeeding Tony Blair as prime minister.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “The purpose of prudence”
From the November 1st 2003 edition
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