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PP RUEHAG RUEHROV RUEHSL RUEHSR
DE RUEHLO #0414/01 0541809
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 231809Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY LONDON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5053
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO PRIORITY 0001

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LONDON 000414 
 
NOFORN 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/23/2020 
TAGS: ECON PGOV PREL SP UK GR NO EU
SUBJECT: LEFT-LEANING EUROPEAN LEADERS RALLY BEHIND GORDON 
BROWN 
 
REF: LONDON 313 
 
Classified By: Economic Counselor Kathleen Doherty for reasons 1.4 (b), 
 (d) 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary.  An international conference on jobs had 
the feel of a campaign rally for Prime Minister Brown, with 
several left-leaning European leaders strongly praising Brown 
for rescuing the world from the economic crisis.  The theme 
of the February 19 conference held in London by Progressive 
Policy Network, a UK-based left-of-center thinktank, was to 
discuss a socially progressive approach to generate jobs and 
economic growth; the prime ministers of Greece, Spain, and 
Norway were among the high-level participants.  Brown opened 
the conference with an uncharacteristically impassioned and 
emotive speech, which focused predominantly on the Labour 
Party's plans to address Britain's economic woes and the 
continued need for concerted global action.  Despite the 
prominent list of speakers, the event was unnoticed by the UK 
media.  End Summary. 
 
UK and European Political Heavyweights at Conference 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Progressive Policy Network, an international 
left-of-center thinktank, sponsored an international 
"Progressive Governance Conference" on February 19 in London. 
 The conference's theme was "Jobs, industry and opportunity: 
Growth strategies after the crisis", and featured many 
important British and European leaders such as Gordon Brown; 
UK Foreign Secretary David Milliband; UK Business Secretary 
Lord Peter Mandelson; the Greek, Spanish and Norwegian prime 
ministers; WTO director-general Pascal Lamy among others. 
The conference focused on advancing an international 
progressive agenda to tackle economic issues throughout 
Europe.  The political leaders engaged the audience on issues 
related to a more responsible international financial 
regulatory system, further regional (EU) and global 
integration in terms of trade and market regulation, a strong 
role for government to stimulate job growth and others. 
 
Gordon Brown Opens with "Campaign Speech" 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Gordon Brown's opening remarks hit on several key 
Labour party policies, sounding more like a campaign speech 
aimed squarely at the upcoming British elections than a 
speech for a progressive internationalist conference.  Aside 
from calls for a "world constitution" for the global 
financial economy and general support for more global 
coordination at the G8 and G20 level, Brown's speech focused 
on Labour party policies to address domestic economic 
troubles.  Echoing themes from Labour's September 2009 
conference, Brown outlined his economic agenda:  1) financial 
sector reform; 2) sustained economic recovery; 3) economic 
growth based on modern, low-carbon industrial investments; 
and 4) guaranteeing social mobility.  Brown's speech was 
unusually emotive, spurring a generally positive reaction 
from the audience.  Between sessions, several participants 
commented on their surprise at such an impassioned speech by 
the normally reserved prime minister. 
 
European Leaders Show Support for Gordon Brown 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶4. (SBU) The three visiting prime ministers from Spain, 
Greece and Norway all offered effusive praise for Gordon 
Brown in their remarks.  Each PM credited Gordon Brown with 
mobilizing a globally-concerted fiscal response to avert a 
much deeper economic crisis in late 2008/2009.  Spanish PM 
Jose Luis Zapatero, who also attended the 2009 Labour Party 
conference, predicted that economists thirty years from now 
would single out Gordon Brown as the person who "saved the 
world from the first global financial crisis".  Norwegian PM 
Jens Stoltenberg praised Brown's "initiative" to get the 
world's governments to take fiscal action at the height of 
the crisis.  The newly elected Greek PM George Papandreou 
said Brown "gets credit" for convincing the world to increase 
fiscal spending. 
 
¶5. (C/NF) Comment.  Brown no doubt sees the effusive European 
praise as validation of his economic policies and his 
leadership both globally and within the EU.  However, his 
European colleagues' support went largely unnoticed in the UK 
press, and will likely have no impact on Labour's standing in 
the polls (reftel).  With Brown's government fast approaching 
an election where a Labour victory is far from certain, the 
fact that Brown may not be on the other side of the 
negotiating table in a few months time also won't be lost on 
European leaders.  End comment. 
 
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