For Mr Dear Gordon Brown and Family, because I know Sarah Brown may lurk, a support thread

[expatinscotland]

although I can't dictate that, I hope that is how it turns out.

I for one will miss you. I and my family will be sad to see you go. They've painted not just the town but most of the country red for you!

I think your heart was in the right place, though I did not always, and I think you really cared, even about people like us, in the Highlands of Scotland.

I hope when it's all over, that you and your family come home to Fife and enjoy a retirement.

We don't live in the East anymore, and it will all I can do to keep us here for now. But my husband and my elder two are from the East in Edinburgh, and all their family from Fife and the Perthshire Highlands, who accepted me, a foreigner, as their own when they were under no obligation to do so.

You are so welcome up here.

The Queen Mother, daughter of the Earl Strathmore said, 'Duty is the rent you pay on life.'

You took that to heart, and regardless of what others may say, some of us believe that, maybe even the Queen!

Best of luck to you and yours and just to know, you are not without your supporters, Mr Brown (I think that is how he is called but forgive me if not).

Well done. And, as Churchill said, 'Keep b*ggering on.'

Ooops. , sorry SoH. Hadn't heard that, and it doesn't seem to be reported on any of the news channels yet.

Sorry again.

No, I think having made a phone call to the texter, that it's a malicious lie. Cousin (tory) sent it. She sends a lot of circular texts containing a lot of dubious nonsense about politics. Usually I ignore. I think I'll revert to ignoring again henceforth.

{shock] at your cousin SOH!
Great post.

I have joined the Labour party.

Thought you lot on this thread might like to have a look at these pictures.

Apols if they've been posted already.

Dear Mr Brown

I just want to say thank-you for everything you have done. Thank-you for making education and the family so high on your list of priorities.

I believe you were never given 'a fair crack at things' due to the timing of when you became PM.

You have been an intelligent and progressive leader and I was very upset to see the footage of you leaving 10 Downing Street. It was emotive seeing you with your children because I know that you have never wheeled them out in public for your own ends.

I hope that you are now able to enjoy more time with your lovely wife and children and wish you all the best in the future.

Mr Brown,

Thank you for endeavouring to improve the lives of those that are less well off, both in this country and abroad.

Your principles and integrity hold you head and shoulders above many of the others in your profession.

I too am sorry to see you go, and wish you every happiness for the future, relax, enjoy the company of your family - you have done enough for others.

I hope one day to be able to shake your hand.

My family are also sad to see you go, Mr Brown. I think you and your government did a lot of good things for the people of this country and I wish you and your family well.

I have joined the Labour as well. Apparently 2000 people joined on-line last night.

I detested the way Gordon Brown was bullied by the media. Despite this he always remained dignified.

And yes 'that woman' was a bigot, and Brown went up in my estimation by saying this. He's not afraid to stand up and be counted, although I wish he had about Iraq!!!

Sarah Brown and Gordon Brown have two adorable looking sons, and I hope he gets some time to really enjoy them, as he deserves to!

Lovely idea Expat

Just adding my support and thanks too, for all that you have done, for your integrity and sincerity. I too was very moved by your leaving speech and wish you the very best for the future with your delicious boys.

NQGU

PS - Sarah, couldn't avoid the girly thought that your shoes were much nicer than Mrs Cs!

Mr Brown I questioned some of your policies and applauded others. The media will always need its fodder, and sadly you were targeted. Next week it will be someone else. I think you have shown great integrity and have done a lot of good, but also believe that sadly you inherited a bit of a mess. Public opinion is not a reflection on you as a leader but on an accumulation of circumstances that you did your best to remedy.

I cried when I saw your speech yesterday and am still rather sad. I wish you, Sarah and your lovely boys the very best of luck for the future.

Thanks for posting those pictures Squeaver, I am in tears again. I too would like to say thank you Mr Brown, I am deeply sorry to see you go. I second all that has been said above about your principles and integrity and I hope that this is not the last we will see of you (although you deserve a break!). I am full of admiration for Sarah too for all that she has done and hope she will keep tweeting. Didn't she look beautiful yesterday - fab dress.

Great idea for a thread. Was very emotional last night and felt that Gordon Brown remained dignified to the very end. Watching him walk out of Downing Street with his wife and boys was a sad sight.

I haven't agreed with everything that Brown has done but like others agree TB left him with a lot of stuff to sort out. Labour have made a massive different to education and families, hopefully in years to come people will appreciate this even more.

Best of luck, Mr Brown.

I wander what he wrote in the letter?
"screw you Tory boy" "the handle on the kitchen door is a bit dodgy, try to get it fixed".

Quite agree.

I thought he was a moral unpolished politician in the mold of John Smith.

We need more like that.

I am like ShowfoHands, I have written a letter to Gordon Brown. I have never written a letter to anyone in the public eye before (apart from Jim'll Fix It).

I just have no idea where to send it - SoH where are you sending yours?

I haven't always agreed with your policies, and I suspect that you were not the easiest of people to work with, but I am so sad that you have gone. It is rare to find someone who enters politics in the spirit of idealism and manages to keep those ideals strong for a long and successful time in office, and you have done this. I remember life under the last Tory government, and am sad and scared that I will have to live through this again. I hope that you take your intelligence, seriousness and passionate committment to making the world better, and use those in a way that prings happiness to you and your family.

My son said with horror "You mean Mr Gordon Brown isn't our Prime Minister any more?" He is 4 and very fond of you. I haven't always agreed with you or your party but I believe you are a man of integrity and whose politics come from the heart.

I love Fife and wish you the time to be with your family.

I thought the Queen seemed to like you. Watch out for her now you're on the loose - you know how her ancestors have a penchant for Scotsmen called Brown.

Just wanted to add to this thread.
I was very moved by your resignation speech and also by your speeches during the campaign in Manchester and to Citizens UK.

GOML...

"Parliamentary Office, 318/324 The High Street, Cowdenbeath, KY4 9QL"

As my gran was fond of saying,

"It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice!"

This is one PM who never let the ego get too big for the job.

Even my DS, (currently Dr Who & X Factor fan) was disappointed when that nice man got sent home because of David Tennant!

Well done Mr Brown, I am sure we will see more of you soon.

After watching your speech last night I joined the labour party.

I have never posted before and have joined MN so that I can leave this message.
I am very sorry to see Gordon and his family leave government. He is truly a man of great integrity with a huge sense of social justice. I am in no doubt that he will be judged to be an outstanding PM by history. I am ashamed of the right wing media treatment of such a fine man.
Wishing you a peaceful retirement with many happy days spent with your lovely wife and boys.

oh forgot to say, Sarah Brown, please keep up all the good work you have done on behalf of women everywhere.You are definitely as asset to this country in your own right as GB mentioned in his parting speech.

I had never voted Labour before but I did for the first time in this election. And that was due to Gordon Brown alone. I too am ashamed at how he has been treated, and thoroughly fed up with a media who purports to know what us the electorate are thinking about this or that issue.

You're better off out of it Gordon - you're too a good a man for it all!

Thank you for what you did for us.