What I learned on my holidays

One of the reasons that everyone got so excited about an early election is this - Bob Shrum was rumoured to have cleared his diary.

And Shrum has, for many years, been on-off speech writer for Gordon Brown.

I've been working through Shrum's memoirs, which he has entitled No Excuses. The reason for the title? He's worked for eight Presidential candidates and they all lost. In the US media they talk of the Curse of Shrum.

Reading Shrum's book was a little like reading Geoff Hurst's memoirs. The stuff about winning the World Cup was interesting, but I could have done with less about West Ham v Stoke City in the 1972 League Cup semi-final.

Shrum provides lots of information about last minute TV ads in obscure Primary races.

But I did pick up this.

Shrum is a liberal partisan. The curse of Shrum comes not because he led candidates to defeat, but because he picked candidates for their liberalism and encouraged them in it. I found it, in a strange way, rather admirable.

I also picked up this. Shrum is seductive, tenacious and talented. He will make his presence felt.

As Brown's election wordsmith he will definitely encourage Brown to echo Gore's "the people, not the powerful" rhetoric and discourage centrism. And this speechwriter will have an important say in strategy.

Comments

[Tory Watch]

Who are Cameron's speech writers, I wonder?