BTW - Brown isn't reading off of an auto-cue but from sheets of paper and, if you're not from the UK, you'll probably not know that he's blind in one eye....
Gordon Brown is a decent man and fine speaker. Not a great PM, but a man who has my respect. He is also a patriot who passionately defended our union when it was threatened. I met him briefly when he was Chancellor. Great to see the respect our American cousins are showing here. Thankyou! Also great these sort of videos are preserved.
@@josephcullen9174 : She was not a bigot or a racist !!. She was objecting to the mass immigration inflicted on us by Blair and Brown - mass imigration of white people from the EU - nothing racist about it at all. Francis you are quite right, He is a two faced little weasel. If he had any honour or guts he would have said she was a bigot to her face instead of in the car afterwards.
He was an excellent chancellor who kept the UK out of the Euro and when he was the prime minister (although he was a bit out of his depth) he played a key role in the international effort to recover from the 2008 recession
He seems great, I can't believe he was the last Labour PM when you've now had three Conservative fuck-ups in a row, sounds like four now. Why can't Labour get back into power, the choice should be obvious?
"And after that terrible September morning when your homeland was attacked, the Coldstream Guards at Buckingham Palace played the Star Spangled Banner. Our own British tribute as we wept for our friends in the land of the free and the home of the brave." I as an American was deeply touched by that unbelievably kind gesture. Even today, reading those words brings tears to my eyes. The British people will always have a special place in my heart.
Also an American here, my Grandmother immigrated here from England back in the 70s so I have a lot of a connection and respect for that country as well
For all those who do not know Gordon Brown - these words are truely meant by a person who has genuine grasp and practice of values. If there is too much detail for some of you that is the price to pay for a well thought through intelectual and moral base. Well done Gordon for telling things as they are and by raising crucial issues in a passioned and inclusive way.
Such a powerful speech. The world has really gotten better. To hear British PM acknowledge the first African-American President at the US Capital is amazing! We’re not perfect but we can get there together. 💪🏾
Hi!!! We had a very smartest Prime Minister, Gordon Brown is very inteligent Person, he is working well, i don't think is any corruption here in UK.....i am gone vote for him again..... well done Gordon Brown You are the best
A passionate, persuasive, and purposeful speech by one of the greatest British Prime Ministers. Gordon Brown's eloquence and energy, combined with the originality of his message, will never be forgotten or even rivalled in a long time to come
Good speech ??? At about 8.0 Brown spouts off just what his American hosts want to hear - about all the good 'ol American boys who gave their lives for freedom in Europe, fighting for people whose name they didn't even know. Mmmm. Wait up. Was't it JAPAN who declared war on the US, and wasn't it HITLER who declared war on the US - and not the other way round ??? Yes it was. America didn't actually step forth like a knight in shining armour to rescue the world, America was forced into the fight. And could we all just remember that the good 'ol USA only entered the European War in large numbers on D-Day 1944 - year FIVE of a SIX yr war. MMMMmmmm. Pause for thought. The USA did only 5% of the fighting and dying in Europe. 85% of ALL WW11 battle casualties were on the Eastern Front. I'm all for making yourself liked by your hosts, but when unending flattery and smarm turn into (in effect) a gross distortion of history and the truth , it's time to step back and think.
Give me a break, we are the two greatest countries in the world, we have the strongest friendship of any other two countries in the world, why shouldn't we show each other respect.
I will literally cry myself to sleep for five years if this man loses the next election. How on earth anyone could seriously think that David Cameron would make a better prime minister than Brown is absolutely beyond me. From an unbiased stance, can ANYBODY imagine David Cameron standing where Brown is, doing what he's doing? Cameron is a naive man and we would be so so much weaker internationally if he were our leader... Please don't vote for him. :(
When PM Brown addresses Parliament, he's addressing blooded nobles who are stodgy. Brown is speaking to his audience; the three branches of government all come from the common people. Those people are most impacted by a combination of words and gestures.
Absolutely correct. Under first past the post, we elect a political party to make up the government. The political party that wins the most amount of seats in the Commons (ie wins the most constituencies) makes up the government. It's then up to that elected party to select who is to be their leader, and hence forth, the Prime Minister.
Americans applaud speakers for taking the time to speak to them, as well as showing respect by staying quiet while they speak (other than the odd applause for good statements).
This country is a home away from my home. You cannot remove the English from me, yet now, you cannot eliminate the American within me either . I hold a deep affection for both, encapsulating the essence of a transatlantic connection. My love for you, our American cousin, is boundless.
Actually to recieve an honorary knighthood there is no need to kneel before the Sovereign - there's no dubbing with the sword you see. This is because the award is "honorary" (the clue is in the title). No doubt the Ambassador give it him. Recieving an honaray degree from a university doesn't mean you can claim to be a PHd in astrophysics! It merely means the university wishes to ackowledge you in some way. The same applies to honorary knighthoods. Its not such a hard concept to grasp.
Ehhhh... 22:18 "If these times have shown us anything it's that the major challenges we face are global. No matter where it starts an economic crisis does not stop at the waters edge; it ripples across the world. Climate change does not own a passport control. Terrorism has no respect for borders. Modern communication instantly spans every continent. The New Frontier is that there is no frontier. And the 'new shared truth' is that global problems now need global solutions."
its youtube, note how it says comment..... i.e comment on the video... not on peoples opinions.. you are not going to change anything even if you challenge something..
We have a Congress not a Parliament, with the House of Representatives as the 'lower house' and the Senate as the 'upper house' [if that terminology applies.] The laws are decided by both houses in the Capitol, and it gets confirmed by one house, then passed to the other house to be voted on and amendments added. Eventually a law is passed after it's been passed back and forth between the Houses.
Im not sure why he is getting so many negative comments. Why do people debate that the USA is not the leader in so many fields of the world, when in fact it truly is. I think he is a great man and Prime Minister
brett18. The Monarch is Head of State. The PM is Head of Government. Although no PM has been directly elected anyone who denies that a general election is a vote on the leadership of the parties is being naive. Technically the PM is any MP who can command a majority in the House of Commons - in practise the leader of a party who then go on and form a government. Making that leader the head of government. When the party in power changes its leader they should go to the country for a mandate
Well said, one point though, you say most taxed in Europe and nothing to show for it, can I just correct you on that, we have lots of new hospital & schools along with a massive PFI debt to contractors of approx £53 billion when these building are infact only worth approx £8 billion and will take approx 25 years to pay off. A lot of people don't realise this, they think all our taxes have gone to build these new facilities.
Questions from the opposition parties are not submitted beforehand. "Friendly" questions from Labour MPs are obviously. The PM can only guess what might be coming his way from the opposition. That is the strength of our system - a good way of holding the executive to account. Even if all questions were submitted (which they aren't) it is still a different situation because he is facing a hostile audience NOT a polite audience willing to flatter his ego.
@matthewthecoolkid you're wrong. I'm voting labour. I believe helping the majority, not the elite few. NHS waiting lists are at there lowest and there is a record number of people in higher education
To say "thank you" for saving us during two world wars was a lovely and appropriate gesture. It is that kind of kindness that will preserve the defenders of liberty. Well done Gordon.
But one could argue that the standing ovation by both houses is implicit (even explicit) consent. And technically a knighthood is an honour/award. The "title" is the prefix "sir" and the suffix "KBE" which he is not permitted - does that not circumvent the need to gain consent from Congress? An interesting dilema but one that I think is easily dealt with. Anyway, if needed I suspect Congress would give its "official" consent if that is required. :)
Well thank you for that insight. I guess that makes the "gift" Mr. O gave him even more horrible than originally thought to be, imho. The word "stoned" refers to the effects of smoking Marijuana on the "lazy eyelid" appearance. Anyhow, thanks for the information.
@Independence4UK theres no such thing. the us say they have a the most "special relationship" with France, the UK, Israel, Canada, Germany, Japan... i could go on but i dont want to bore you
Not the greatest, that honour goes to Clement Attlee, I'd say Brown definitely ranks 2nd or 3rd. Brown was generally a great Prime Minister though slightly forgotten.
