The Tory of Kirkcaldy

Tim Luckhurst professor of journalism and former editor of the Scotsman points out that if Gordon Brown had been born in Kent rather than Kirkcaldy he would must likely have been a Tory.

In the article he points out that

Gordon's family were very much part of Kirkcaldy's aristocracy something his father's job would have guaranteed if Mrs Brown had not been the privately educated beneficiary of modest legacies. The family had a lot more than their neighbours.

He also had access to the network of connections that link the Church of Scotland and the Scottish Labour party. There are parts of Scotland where the established church's influence on the establishment party is more important than the C of E's cameo as the Tory party at prayer. The difference is that Scotland's establishment party is Labour and it privileges its own to undeniable effect. The reputation for nepotism that damaged it in last May's contest with the SNP is no invention.

Tim also explains why the Gordon may appeal so much the the Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre

Brown was about as fortunate as a politically ambitious young Scot could be. Forget Eton and Oxford. He had the right family, the right school, the right university and, of course, the left opinions. It is easy to understand why he appeals so powerfully to that brilliant interpreter of English middle-class prejudices, Paul Dacre. The Daily Mail chief perceives in the prime minister commitment to the values his newspaper cherishes most dearly - the values of an establishment rooted in middle-class conservatism.

This might explain why a Labour Prime Minister is stealing all the Tories policies rather than making some up for themselves.

Tim Luckhurst: The Tory of Kirkcaldy | Special Reports | Guardian Unlimited Politics