Good To Be Grim.(International Edition; WORLD AFFAIRS)(Gordon Brown)

Byline: William Underhill

In tough economic times, Gordon Brown's Scottish roots are a blessing.

Over the past 11 years of Labour rule, English commentators have regularly griped about the emergence of a "Scottish mafia" that has allegedly overtaken government. Tony Blair packed his inner circle with Scots. Gordon Brown, a Scot, has a fellow Scot in the post of chancellor, and a Scot serves as speaker of the House of Commons. Among the English grievances: the Scots take more per head from the United Kingdom's coffers than their 50 million neighbors south of the border. Worse, under Scotland's self-rule arrangements, Scottish M.P.s in London can vote on issues that affect English taxpayers while Scottish affairs are largely in the hands of their own representative back in Edinburgh. Even as late as this summer, grousers in Brown's own Labour Party were pointing to his Scottish background as a partial explanation for his party's plunging support, particularly in the affluent south.

But no one's complaining anymore. In times of crisis, the stereotypical Scottish qualities--especially an unsmiling air of moral purpose--now enhance the prime minister's appeal. In the past two months, Brown's approval ratings have climbed 10 or more points to their highest levels since he moved into 10 Downing Street in June 2007. Meantime, his soft-spoken Scottish chancellor, Alistair Darling--twice voted the most boring politician in Britain--wins plaudits for his performance, giving credence to the idea that in a struggling economy grim is good.

Yes, the English have produced dour prime ministers of their own, but Brown is special. He's not just Scottish, he's a "son of the manse"--the child of a Presbyterian minister--a type supposed to embody national virtues of sober rectitude. "The qualities that Brown has could be found in any minister, but if you are the son of the manse, look dour and miserable and have some Scrooge-like characteristics, it is irresistible to link them to being Scottish," says Malcolm Rifkind, a Conservative M.P. raised in Scotland.

Accurate or not, such prejudices about accent and the geography of one's upbringing run deep in the United Kingdom. Shakespeare, an Englishman, routinely ridiculed his Welsh characters as pedantic windbags. Pollsters say one reason why former Labour leader Neil Kinnock failed to reach 10 Downing Street in the early 1990s was a Welsh accent linked with a weakness for blather. ...