Dignified Exit

by Graham Davies

Right at the end, Gordon Brown was almost someone that you could like. His farewell speech was a triumph of dignity.

He achieved the tricky balance of leaving Downing Street elegantly and eloquently, without letting any residual bitterness show through. His tribute to our armed forces at last sounded genuine, because he had no electoral advantage to gain from it. His acknowledgement that he was unable to form a government was a measured statement of political fact and not, as it easily could have been, the whine of a beaten man.

His cleverest and most touching presentational moment was completely unexpected. He described being PM as the second most important job behind being a husband and father.

It's a shame that he was unable to present this level of humanity when he was actually in office, rather than just when he was leaving it.