Britons approve of Brown's low-key approach

LONDON — Last Wednesday, Gordon Brown stepped up to a microphone outside the black door of 10 Downing St. to address his nation for the first time after becoming prime minister about an hour earlier. Without a smile, he promised to "try my utmost" and soon signed off somberly, like a teacher assigning homework: "Now let the work of change begin."

In the next few days, Britain's straight-laced new leader was forced to deal with floods that caused more than $2 billion in damage in central England, leaving hundreds of families homeless, and car bombers trying to kill hundreds of people in London and Glasgow. His response has been careful, steady and without a single glittering turn of phrase, a far cry from the telegenic empathy and pitch-

perfect oratory of his predecessor, Tony Blair.

And Brown's popularity ratings are soaring. A Times of London poll published Monday found that 77 percent of Britons think Brown is a strong leader, up 14 points from a month ago. Analysts in London said Brown, in addition to enjoying a predictable honeymoon period with Britain's carnivorous media, is proving to be a far more formidable politician and reassuring leader than many people expected.

While pundits predicted for a decade that Brown's serious and wonkish style would be a liability when he became prime minister, especially after a charismatic communicator like Blair, Britons seem to be savoring the change in tone at Downing Street.

"Brown has been more measured, more calm and less excitable, and I think it's gone down well," said Inayat Bunglawala of the Muslim Council of Britain. "It's a welcome change."

Even political opponents, such as Nick Clegg, home-affairs spokesman for the opposition Liberal Democrats, welcomed the change from "the somewhat breathless way Tony Blair used to always rush to try to make, frankly, political points on the back of these events."

Brown began by engineering a surprising political coup on the eve of taking office; he helped persuade a well-known Conservative Party member, Quentin Davies, to defect to the Labour Party and write a scathing public letter to Conservative leader David Cameron, Brown's chief political opponent. The defection left the Conservatives steaming and off-balance, and analysts marveled at Brown's previously unknown sense of theatrical timing.

He has disarmed critics by sharing power, starting with appointments of some key Blair allies to his Cabinet. On Tuesday, addressing the House of Commons for the first time as prime minister, Brown proposed a broad transfer of powers from the prime minister to Parliament.

Without mentioning the Iraq war, which cost Blair much of his public support, Brown proposed moving the power to send the military to war from his office to Parliament.

He also proposed giving away the prime minister's traditional power to choose Church of England bishops and judges and ratify international treaties. He also proposed U.S.-style confirmation hearings in Parliament for his appointments to important government posts, and a debate about whether to establish a U.S.-style Bill of Rights.

"He's a quiet toughie, a little bit like Teddy Roosevelt: Speak softly and carry a big stick," said Anthony King, professor of government at the University of Essex. "It's been a remarkable performance."

Brown's response to the failed terrorist attacks has suggested a subtle but important change in approach from the Blair era. After bombings in London in July 2005, Blair proposed major changes in terrorism laws — notably outlawing speech "glorifying" terrorism — that many Muslims regarded as a generalized attack on their religion.

Mohammed Shafiq, 28, spokesman for the Ramadhan Foundation, a national Muslim youth organization, said Blair's response to the July 2005 bombings "demonized Muslims."

"Brown's government has not had the knee-jerk reaction like Blair's," Shafiq said. "Brown has been trying to bring people together."

Brown's message — in one brief televised statement and a longer TV interview — can be summarized as "keep calm and carry on." Speaking in the gruff Scottish brogue that is his trademark, he said the country faced a "sustained" threat and urged Britons to "stand together, united, resolute and strong."

He has not used "Muslim." A Brown spokesman said that was deliberate, just as Brown also intends to avoid the phrase "war on terror."

Associated Press material is included in this report.