(I'm stealing the title from Saatchi & Saatchi...but how can you not? It's pure gold!)- NOT FLASH, JUST GORDON. (Brilliant.)

I have been a little guilty of blog-neglect over the past week or so, due to the ever growing pile of tasks to get through. So to bring us up to date...here we go.

The following is a 400 wrd article on Gordon Brown's first 100 days in power. Do we have a Blairite presidential figure at the helm? Or a John Major-esqe, open, considerate leader? As it happens, the days immediately following Mr brown's 100 day milestone, were not at all good. He faced the most harsh criticism he has yet had to deal with as PM, due to his dithering over whether to call a November election, and eventual climb down.

The following article was written before all this came to light. It quickly became apparent, after a little research, that in Mr brown, we have a man who realises the importance of shedding the presidential skin, or, as some have been quoted, the Stalinist reputation. But it is too early to say for certain whether this realisation, and the actions performed in its light, represent an honest attempt at open leadership, or are merely further spin.


100 Days at the Top

After 10 years on the sidelines, patiently awaiting his tenure at the top, Gordon Brown accepted the Queens invitation to form a government on June 27th. Now that Mr Brown has reached the 100 day milestone, what of the man, and his leadership style? Is Prime Minister Brown a suitable term, or should we be raising our fists with passionate fervour and declaring “Vive el Presidente!”

It was a baptism of fire, to say the least. With terrorist car bombs, middle England under water, not to mention a timely stab in the back. As Mr Brown prepared to accede to the top job, his former colleague Lord Turnbull warned Britain that Mr Brown “had a very cynical view of mankind and his colleagues. He cannot allow them any discussion.”

Entering office on a wave of criticism from trusted quarters embarrassed Mr Brown, who was understandably keen to shed the spectre of spin and closed door, power monger politics left over from his predecessor Tony Blair.

Within days, reports surfaced in the Guardian concerning Mr Brown’s willingness to hand “power to the people,” via a new constitutional settlement, thus inhibiting his own powers on key issues, including the right to declare war. Now- what did we learn from Iraq…Gordon?

Mr Brown was also conspicuous in his efforts to invite leading Tory and Lib Dem politicians into his circle, to act as advisers in key areas such as security.

So, does this perceived willingness to unveil a new kind of politics, a democratic, classically British style of government, ring true within the corridors of power? Has the ideological circle been widened to allow influence from all sides?

The recent announcement that 1,000 British troops would be home from Iraq “by Christmas,” would seem to suggest otherwise, coming as a surprise not only to the Tories, whose wind was well and truly torn from their conference sails, but also to the Cabinet, who would have expected such an announcement this coming Monday, when Mr Brown makes a statement to parliament on Iraq.

A brief look at Mr Brown’s office confirms the presidential legacy of Mr Blair remains in place, with ‘Chiefs-of-staff’ here and ‘G8 Sherpas’ there.

And at the centre of it all, we have a man waging war against a ruthless Stalinist reputation which continues to preceed him. As he sits on the huge decision whether to call a snap November election, Gordon Brown, post 100 days, is a man whose bark is worse than his sound-bite.