I am going to make an educated guess; Gordon Brown is not your ideal Prime Minister. I would further venture in suggesting that your perfect leader was neither Blair, nor Major, nor Thatcher. If so, what kind of person should we put in charge?

Think about this carefully, and then construct your own Frankenstein elected representative. Mix Blairite charm with Thatcherite resolve, add the dependability of Major and throw in some Churchillian gravitas. Is he going to the listen to the people? Is he the one who knows best? Is he reliable? Is he a she? Does he focus on the big picture? Is he a good representation of the public? Is he setting an example? I would imagine “all of the above” but also some important characteristics like honesty, integrity, courage, kindness and fairness. He must respect the people; he must bring the nation together. He is a man of great stature and dignity who serves as a symbol for all things good about the nation, has a strong moral compass, but is tolerant of others. As was the case of Dr. Frankenstein, the monster you have just created will turn on you.

I came to a sad realisation not long ago; a great leader is inherently a terrible person. Consequentially, a simple discussion about Nicolas Sarkozy with my French friend quickly became a forty-minute argument. I asked her why she thought the man to be such an awful president; “because he is horrible, he destroys his opponents and shouts at his cabinet” and while this is all true, it is actually an advantage rather than a weakness.

Sarkozy is a particularly good example of how a bad person is ultimately a force for good. He pushes his agenda with a force Chirac could barely have imagined, he gets things done quickly with little regard for whining. In many cases such a “my way or the high-way” attitude can backfire, yet I am sure any politician would be delighted to have the same fifty-five per cent approval rating. France in particular needs Sarkozy’s “reform, reform, REFORM!” considering the fact that by tackling the unions, he is set to become the French version of Margaret Thatcher. Sarkoism is particularly necessary at this time since currently the French system of government works in three stages; the parliament passes the laws, the president signs the laws, and then subsequent strikes bring the nation to a standstill.

There have been even more attacks on the character of Gordon Brown, but I feel that most people dislike him for all the wrong reasons. On October 26^th, Jeff Randall of the Telegraph claimed, “When it comes to misleading, Brown is the boss. Where others employ fake magic, Gordon’s trickery is real: successes appear from nowhere; failures vanish.” Nobody wants their superiors to lie to them, yes-men are useless, but it is a universal truth that lying is sometimes necessary. I want to be safe in the knowledge that the Prime Minister can lie and cheat, for it shows that he is not naive, and nobody can take a cynic for a ride. I respect Brown for fooling the Conservatives repeatedly.

In a simple bid to outline his ‘vision’ for Britain, the PM has been making speeches on liberty in constitutional reform and equality in education. Fraternity in immigration is sure to follow; I would advise the Queen watch her back, I imagine he is sharpening the guillotine. The adjective ‘dour’ has been thrown about a lot recently, positively or negatively, but the world does not run on smiles and sunshine, the man I vote for will be the one who holds the cards. Of course, maybe your ideal Prime Minister is yourself, in a tie.