Gordon Brown, Renaissance Man.

I was delighted to read that Britain is about to enter a new Renaissance - a fitting legacy for those two great political princes of modern times, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Petrarch was a great poet of the first Renaissance, so here’s a Petrarchan sonnet in honour of our current golden age:

A wondrous era over - that of Blair,
We looked to someone else to wear the crown,
And so we ushered in our Gordon Brown,
Whose economic-growth rate showed much flair.
But then there were disasters everywhere -
Great floods and bombs in Glasgow made us frown.
The banking sector almost was brought down
By Northern Rock, whose business plan lacked care.
But by all Britain Gordon Brown was backed,
Despite the barbs of critics, crass and mean.
That Cameron declared Brown courage lacked,
And Vincent Cable called him Mr Bean.
But Britain’s love for Gordon’s still intact:
On ‘Jobs for British Workers’ he’s most keen.