Gordon Brown speech to Congress as-it-happened
Gordon Brown met with Barack Obama yesterday
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Wednesday, 04, Mar 2009 06:13
Relive as-it-happened coverage of Gordon Brown's historic speech to both Houses of Congress in Washington.
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(All times GMT)
With Matthew Champion
16:56 - As you can see from the Wordle art below, the people of the world and the future featured heavily in Brown's speech.
16:46 - Genuine warmth for Brown from Congress. Our prime minister came across well, especially to the American eye. Not a stirring speech - when was the last time Brown delivered such an address - but he got his message across despite making some very sweeping statements.
16:44 - It seems strange for a British prime minister to praise America so explicitly in a speech to Congress. It has gone down very well as the PM is autographing copies of his speech on the floor of Congress. Hold back on investing in any Brown action dolls however.
16:42 - Let us renew our special relationship. Let us build tomorrow today.
Here endeth the lesson according to Brown. No mention of why the special relationship needed renewing when the subtext is that the Iraq war and Bush administration's war on terror had undermined Britain's faith in America. Is the fact that Obama is in the White House enough to renew this relationship? Brown made no mention of the former and did not answer the latter. A missed opportunity, no matter how vigorously Brown is nodding.
16:40 - More mention of his minister father. We will never pass by on the other side. There is no mountain high enough, Brown goes on. His whole speech has sounded like a love song to Obama and the Democrat-dominated Congress.
Roosevelt, Reagan and Obama - the American people share this optimism. Faith in the future is emerging as Brown's central message.
16:39 - When the strong help the weak it makes us all stronger. Do not value the wealthy less when pledging to help the less wealthy during a recession. Brown could not get away with saying this in the Commons.
16:37 - Poignancy from Brown RE the Rwandan genocide. The United Nations failed a victim of the genocide there. It pushes Brown onto the radicalisation of children in Islamic schools. The greatest gift is that every child in every country - denied to 70 million children - to go to school.
16:36 - More cheering for the Copenhagen climate change summit later this year.
16:34 - G20 summit plugging time: Brown wants a new global deal for banks to be agreed upon. America and a "few others" cannot be expected to bear the burden of fiscal stimuli. Is Brown advocating for a global interest rate-setting mechanism?
16:33 - Outlaw shadow banking systems and offshore tax havens, Brown urges. It gets a standing ovation and a woop from an unidentified Democrat.
16:32 - Seize the opportunity, Brown is urging Congress. We can achieve more by working together. The message could not be clearer ahead of the G20 London Summit next month.
16:30 - Now more than ever, the rest of the world wants to work with America. Brown's 'Europe is your friend' message is around the corner. So far he has given a lot more attention to climate change than previously expected. Global solutions for global problems... Brown is demanding a global new deal as was expected. Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden are chatting among themselves. There is no old Europe, no new Europe, only your friend Europe. Congress stands to applaud.
16:29 - Why does anyone plant the seeds of a tree they will never be able to enjoy the shade of? Because they plan for the future. We must protect our Planet Earth. Environmental technology must be used to end the dictatorship of oil and help create the millions of green jobs we need.
16:27 - Unleash scientists, promote green jobs... for hard-working families. Credit to Brown, he is adopting Obama's message - which he sincerely believes in - without betraying his own political delivery. Brown says he has faith in the future. The American audience has made Brown's speech one of his most accessible in years.
16:26 - A bad bank anywhere is a threat to good banks everywhere. Should we succumb to a race to the bottom and protectionism that threatens everyone? No.
16:25 - Brown's image of a dour but wise Scot with a minister for a father should be immensely appealing to both sides of Congress. Blair had bipartisan appeal - will Brown?
16:24 - Tweet from NPR Politics - "Markets should be free. But markets should never be value-free"
16:22 - New and different battles assail London and Washington - it's economy time. Hard-working families need change; it's an amalgamation of Brown and Obama-speak. Markets must be free... Brown begins his anti-protectionist message.
16:21 - Viable two-state solution, nuclear proliferation, suspension of Iranian nuclear programme - UK and US foreign policy is identical on these issues.
16:20 - A partnership of purpose: Brown's phrasing of the special relationship.
16:18 - Is Brown trying to carbon copy Blair? The war on terror material - though of course he never phrases it as such - seems very old hat. Is it what Congress wants to hear? Six standing ovations say yes.
16:16 - By emphasising the shared battles Britain and USA have fought Brown is underlining the undeniable historical connection between the two countries. It has relevance with the military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan but seems a bit out of place amid the economic downturn. He is sure to turn to his favourite subject soon.
16:15 - Personal thanks from Brown on behalf of American support during two world wars. It really is an incredibly broad speech but the PM is jumping all around history. It brings Congress to its feet though.
16:14 - The Berlin Wall - it got torn down brick by brick. Standing ovation no. 3.
16:12 - Arise, Sir Edward. And that's the second standing ovation. I come in peace, Brown continues. Endless void of the unknown... new frontier... has Brown been listening to Obama or watching too much Deep Space 9?
16:11 - Brown says Obama's inauguration was the latest chapter in the American story. Billions of people looked to Washington DC as a shining city. Brown is speaking of his friendship with President Obama, absent from today's session.
Ted Kennedy gets a mention thanks to his honorary knighthood - we owe a great debt to life and courage of the senator, says Brown. It sounds like an obituary.
16:10 - "I come to this great capital of this great nation, America renewed under a new president... America's great faith has been an inspiration to me and the whole world."
It gets a standing ovation. It will be the first of many.
16:09 - Warm applause for Brown as he comes in. Nancy Pelosi says she has "high privilege" of introducing him.
15:00 - We are an hour away from Brown's debut before US lawmakers. His speech is expected to champion Europe as a true friend of the American people.
The big questions all centre around how well the prime minister will be received, with predecessor Tony Blair feted on the Capitol. The former prime minister stole a march on everyone when he became the first world statesman to shake hands with President Obama.
Middle East envoy Blair was endorsed by Obama as "my good friend" at the beginning of February, making Brown's contest to beat German chancellor Angela Merkel and France's Nicolas Sarkozy to the White House a little superfluous.
So, with that in mind:
- How full will Congress be for Brown's speech?
- How will his expected anti-protectionist message be received?
- How sustained will the applause be?
Find out all this and more on the hour...