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.'

Dear Mr Brown,

I did not vote for you, but I greatly admire you. You have acted with dignity and integrity.

I wish you all the best for the future.

As someone else said - a statesman not a showman. I may not have liked all that you did but you were obviously a man of more integrity than most policticians I see. I think in time you will be recognised for this quality

Dear Gordon, I hope I can call you Gordon! I want to say what a fab job you have done, you have run our country well, with a huge commitment and an honest love, I can tell and I know lots of others can too. We love you too!
I hope you can rest, go on, have a lie-in, you deserve it!

So sorry you had to leave Gordon, you are a decent man who, given the chance could have achieved so much. Unfortunately you were never given that chance and somehow were held to blame for a global recession! I feel now that everything you have tried to put right could now fall to pieces in the wrong hands. You were a terrific chancellor and could have been a terrific Prime Minister. All the best for the future to you and your family.

Mr Brown, Prime Minister, we are sad to see you go.

You have dignity, honesty and integrity running through you. You ran this country from the heart, and with a mind weightier than most. You were not guided by spin but by reality.

I know from the inside what a kind, decent, honourable and inspirational man you are - I hope you go on to achieve even greater things.

(Expat, your message gave me goosepimples)

Mr Brown - you are a honourable, principled man, a good person who obviously gave your all. I think history will judge you kindly, and I am sure you can continue to use your intelligence and integrity to the benefit of the poor, old and sick. Enjoy having more time with your family, and thanks for everything.

A sincere, honest, dignified and decent man. Our loss is your family's gain.

We only have ourselves to blame for our PR-driven political future.

You shall be missed.

I think he has carried himself brilliantly well in the past few days and personally think that he dealt with the economic crisis in a statesmanlike way.

I love Sarah Brown.

I wish them both good luck for the future in whatever they choose to do (and love the fact that he's already said will be charity related rather than the business route - that in itself is demonstrative of the type of man and politician he is).

Dear Mr Brown - thank you for everything you've done for the country and for our family. You had a tough row to hoe, I think, but so much to be proud of.

thank you so much

although this is starting to read a bit like an obituary ...

Dear Mr Brown, I am a staunch Labour supporter from Wales and my heart is breaking as we see a Tory in No 10. I don't think you should shoulder all the blame for not keeping the Tories at bay, though I respect the fact that you are prepared to do so.

I have watched you over the last few days with admiration and with sadness. You have been so dignified and so statesmanlike, I'm sure that is your true nature.

I wish that during the hard times you had stepped forward and addressed the nation as the President in the US does, you would have been able to show your true self and your integrity and reassured the people that we were in safe hands. However, as you have always had to fight the right-wing press, they would probably have twisted all you said.

I wish you and your family many blessings and I hope you carve out a niche where your many skills and attributes are appreciated.
Can I recommend gardening and making compost as soul nuturing activities, which small boys thoroughly enjoy,
with many thanks and Bright Blessings to you and Sarah,
EM

Yes, Ninah, I agree!
Mr Brown we do know you're not dead...just our hopes and dreams.

Dear Mr Brown

I have long admired your integrity, loyalty, courage and determination. You were one of the few politicians left in this country who had principles and lived by them.

I wish you the very best of lives with your family, and whatever you choose to do next.

Thank you.

I am an expat and couldn't vote. I don't even know who I would have voted for if I had been there.

But I am as sad as all these other folk to see you go, Mr B. You struck me as a decent and honest man with great integrity. A rare thing these days.

Can I just add...Be heartened by the fact that despite the War, the expenses scandal, a hosile right-wing press and a worldwide recession, the Tories still couldn't convince the country that they should be handed power. You almost did it, Gordon, despite everything. You should be proud.

hostile obv.

What a great thread! I just wanted to echo the nice things everyone else has said. I was in tears watching the TV coverage tonight - I think GB and the Labour party have done so much good for the country in the last 13 years and its a shame the media seem to forget that. I think you seem like a genunie, good person and that can't be said for lots of others in politics! I hope the Browns get the read this and know how much support there is out there for them.

Dear Mr. Brown,
Thank you for so many things. For the minimum wage. For doubling the NHS budget. For cancelling third world debt. For the year I will be able to spend caring for my child when he/she is born in November.

You have achieved a million times more in 13 years than those miserable, sniping bastards in the media will achieve in their lives.

Yours gratefully,
AE

Ps. And yes, she was a bigot. Good call.

I am not a labour fan or voter so not going to make any comment on how GB was as PM.

However I would like to say that that was the first timeI had seen his two little boys who were gorgeous . Sarah ahs been a proper PM wife , in the background , supportive and no agenda for herself ,unlike 'First Lady Blair' .

So good luck and now have that family time .

I agree with the sentiments of this thread. With GB heading Labour and the country I felt secure as I knew my family were being looked after, I'm a public sector worker, DH is in construction and we have benefitted from Tax credits and CTF.

Good Luck to the Browns

Gordon - you were great, and not given the chance to be greater. You will be sadly missed in our house for your straightfoward and un PR-ish approach. Thanks to your child trust funds, tax credits and Sure Start centres I have felt totally supported and able to be a full-time mum. Also I liked the fact that you once said you were unairbrushable. I think I'm in that club, for sure... Good luck for whatever you do next.

A devastating loss for our country. The most genuine and caring prime minister we've had in my lifetime. And I have never voted labour, until last week. Best of luck Mr Brown. I hope you manage to get to a few more Raith Rovers games from now on.

Mr Brown - apart from anything else - aren't your children BEAUTIFUL?

And thanks for answering my question on MN - made me appreciate how much easier a bit of typing is than chaining myself to railings...

PS - totally agree - she was a bigot.