“The status quo is now not an option” – Brown lays out an argument for further devolution

This morning, Gordon Brown made a speech on the Scottish referendum where he pushed the devolution reforms that would follow a vote against independence, saying “a No vote does not mean no change”.

Most Labour MPs were back in Parliament today (unusually for a Friday) to vote on a bill amending the Bedroom Tax to exempt disabled people – so Brown gave his speech in Westminster. Wryly referencing the fact that he’s not seen in the House of Commons all that much these days, he started by saying he was fitting in the speech before getting “a tour guide to show me around”.

The former PM showed glimpses of the humanity that still makes him incredibly popular with Labour Party members across the board (despite invitations only being sent out last night, and only to members of the “Blairite” group Progress, the room quickly filled up). He recalled a conversation he had with his son (“When I grow up I want to be a builder, a teacher and a dad”) lead into a passionate vision for the kind of country he wanted his children to grow up in.

Another reason for Brown’s continued popularity in the Party is that he has always appealed more to the left than many of his policies should naturally have allowed. I’m less convinced by George Eaton’s take that this was the secret Socialist Gordon he has been hiding for years; instead I think he has an easy way with language that appeals to traditional Labour ideas – and this was very much pitched as a progressive future for Scotland that independence and the SNP could not deliver. Much of it was a reworking of his article published this week, in which he savages the myth of the SNP as a progressive force. The main dividing lines (and Gordon loves a dividing line) he drew in both are the SNP: have pledged to cut to corporation tax, have refused to reinstate the 50p tax, and do not support a mansion tax, or a bankers’ bonus tax.

That’s where another side of Gordon Brown comes in: the economist. At times, he went into such detail as he deconstructed the SNP’s policies that I got the distinct impression that even this Westminster Bubble audience felt a little disengaged.

He was far better, in fact, when opening up and allowing a sense of emotion to enter the debate. He was better when he talked about his children, or the sacrifice men and women from across the UK made during times of war, or the unique nature of the union we four countries share.

Back in June, Brown came out in support for a written UK constitution, and he repeated that again today. But he pushed for further devolution for Scotland and claimed that whatever the result of the vote on September 18th, the make up of the country would be fundamentally changed:

“The status quo is now not an option. A No vote does not mean no change.”

It seems that Brown will now be at the forefront of the Better Together campaign for the final fortnight, wheeled out to bash the SNP from the left and use that progressive language to win back over wavering Labour supporters – starting with the Andrew Marr Show on Monday morning.