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Why Brown needs to lose his religion

Gordon Brown, true son of the manse, clearly has a thing about pulpits, writes Kenny Farquharson. When he invited Alan Greenspan, chairman of the US Federal Reserve, to Britain to make a speech, the venue the Chancellor chose was his father's old kirk, St Brycedale's in Kirkcaldy. Last year Brown issued the same invitation to Mervyn King, governor of the Bank of England. The two economists were placed in the pulpit, their fiscal lessons delivered to the congregation like holy scripture.

Inevitably, the two best speeches in Brown's political career were also delivered from pulpits. The first was his moving tribute at the funeral of Donald Dewar at Glasgow Cathedral in October 2000, when he talked about his friend's "unique bond of trust with the people". The second was his eulogy at the funeral of Robin Cook in St Giles Cathedral in August 2005, when he declared that Cook's life was "a standing reproach to those who say that power corrupts people's beliefs".

I was among the mourners on both occasions and I was struck by the ease with which Brown adopted the persona of the pastor in the pulpit. He was entirely comfortable with the role - a sermoniser, imparting wisdom and instruction, justifying his utterances with the aid of ancient texts, standing over a silent and attentive congregation. It suited him just fine.

This is just one of the reasons Brown's religiosity makes me uneasy, and why I think he faces an uphill battle to win the hearts of the British people when he becomes prime minister this week ...

Full story at Scotland on Sunday.