Courage and cowardice

MATTHEW LYNN

Gordon Brown's new book, Courage, reminds me of karaoke. After a few drinks, most of us can get up ...

Gordon Brown's new book, Courage, reminds me of karaoke. After a few drinks, most of us can get up and sing Brown Sugar. It doesn't make us Mick Jagger. Nor does mimicking John F. Kennedy's Profiles in Courage turn Brown into JFK. Brown, who succeeded Tony Blair as the UK's prime minister last week, probably thinks it does. It's hard to think of any other reason for writing such a bland book as Courage, his study of eight men and women who embody his idea of valour. "As far back as I can remember I have been fascinated by men and women of courage,'' Brown writes. "Stories of people who t...