Moving Britain Forward: Selected Speeches, 1997-2006

Aimed at the general reader and covering a broad range of topics, from Britishness and fairness, through the economy and public services, to child poverty and environmental issues, this book is essential reading for anyone who wants to discover what motivates Gordon Brown, and what his vision is for a modern, forward-looking Britain. Though varying in tone and style, the Chancellor's speeches stand as an integrated whole—as those of very few politicians do—because they reflect long thought and a coherent view of Britain, of our responsibilities to one another as citizens, and of Britain's role in the world. Prefaced by short introductions by leading figures including Kofi Annan, Helen Clark, Linda Colley, Ralph Dahrendorf, Al Gore, Alan Greenspan, Nelson Mandela, Wangaari Maathai, Trevor Phillips, J. K. Rowling, Jonathan Sacks, Derek Wanless, and Sir Magdi Yacoub, they reflect a formidable and widely read intellect, trained in the analytic skills of the historian but also—and far more importantly—inspired by a vision of what the political process can achieve for our society and our nation.