Gordon Brown’s undertaking some community work as part of his holiday. We aren’t supposed to talk about it, because he doesn’t want it to be seen as a publicity stunt:
Downing Street was coy about Brown’s plans in Scotland. Initially officials were reluctant to respond about the idea of him undertaking community work. For more than 24 hours they refused to be drawn on the subject at all. Eventually, No 10 conceded that it could understand if the Guardian wanted to run with the story.
Sources said Brown was not keen to have any publicity for what he was going to do since it might be misread as a publicity stunt. They instead insisted he had a genuine commitment to community work and wanted even as prime minister to stay close to his constituents.
Personally, I think he should just go on holiday. Even if this is genuine, it won’t be seen as such.
Still, at least we are spared publicity shots of our leader attempting to prove his manhood. The Daily Mail publishes photographs of Vladimir Putin’s annual male bonding holiday, where the great man is depicted swimming in a river, horse riding, sitting rather self-consciously in a tree, and breaking a twig over his knee.
