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Commentary on Gordon Brown’s speech to the Labour Party Conference

Former award-winning BBC TV reporter Alistair Macdonald from media consultancy, Alexander Macdonald, said:

"The speech can be summed up in two words; faux passion. Brown had all the right words on his lips but lacked the genuine emotion that should have accompanied them.

"It smacked of a 'speech by numbers' - he made all the relevant points, ticked all the boxes but the speech didn't feel like it rightfully belonged to him. His insincerity was also exposed by his body language. He failed to physically hold his hands up when he said the words, again betraying the genuine confession of a man who has made mistakes along the way.

"It was also interesting to note his palms faced inward for most of the speech - a clear gesture from a closed man.

"The prime minister also failed to refer to the city in which he was making his landmark speech, which failed to push the regional buttons given Manchester's reputation as a crucible for democracy and fair dealing.

"For me the speech only reiterated the leader's trademark emotional poverty. It's something Brown will never escape. He isn't and never will be a Kinnock or a Skinner as his lack of warmth is an innate characteristic and not one that can be learned."

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