So, in a remark which reminded me of Bill Clinton saying that there was “no easy way to say that I have sinned” over Monica Lewinsky, Gordon Brown sought to draw a line under today by describing himself as a “penitent sinner”. The papers, alas, doubtless have other ideas.
I have already given my view that there could be a public backlash against the media frenzy over Brown’s private “gaffe” today. All I would add is that there is a chance that, with tomorrow night’s debate, this most unlucky of politicians has been given one last chance to salvage his bid for a mandate of his own next Thursday.
It is probable that even more people than ever — some of whom, judging by those texting rolling news, are sympathetic — will watch. Suddenly all the pressure is on Brown to deliver on his strongest territory, the economy.
Certainly, Brown’s plans for practising today for tomorrow night in Manchester with — among others — Alastair Campbell, will have been thrown off the rails. But as I write he is regrouping, and focusing on the debate. He faces the challenge of his life, but it is, as I have always said, unwise to underestimate Brown’s ability to survive a crisis.
One footnote: It is arguable, looking at this from a process point of view, that Brown is lucky he called Gillian Duffy a “bigoted woman”. Had he simply moaned about the “disaster” of meeting people, the focus would have been much more on his hatred of meeting people generally.
The “bigot” — and immigration — element means the focus will be partly on his character, but also on immigration. Let’s hope that Brown makes the case for a fair approach on that and doesn’t get panicked into appealing to the right instead. Oh, and it’s very lucky that he didn’t swear.
Overall, this has been a terrible day for Labour’s campaign. Yet my prediction remains that — just as with past attempts by the Sun and the Observer to portray Brown as a bully — it won’t really “cut through”. It may — just possibly — not be too late for Brown to perform well in the debate and benefit from a counter-wave of sympathy. We shall see.
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