2010 Election: 2 - Meeting Gordon Brown

On Saturday the 24th April I travelled to London on an East Midlands Train into London St Pancras International Station. The 1719 service which I boarded at Bedford was not your average. When I tried to board the train in the rear unit I was agressively told by a man in a dark blue suit the car was reserved. Begrudgingly I walked down the platform and entered the train at the rear door of the penultimate carriage and found myself a seat.

Even without the initial experience when joining the train you could tell that there was something going on. There was an air of excitement. Moments after leaving Bedford station the train manager walked through my carriage calling all new passengers to present their tickets if they had joined from Bedford. I showed him my monthly ticket and that was that. He then continued along the final third of the carriage before reversing his direction walking back to the centre of the train and buffet car. I then left my seat and walked after him with the attention of asking him why rear carriage of the train was unavailable. Truthfully I did not expect him to answer the question but he replied:

Gordon Brown is in there.

He looked rather tired of my question. No doubt he had answered my enquiry countless other times. I then purchased a bottle of Fanta from the woman serving the buffet car and returned down the carriage to where I sat previously after speaking briefly to a girl I know who was travelling back to University. The rest of my journey in London was uneventful - apart from stopping first at Luton then Luton Airport Parkway before pulling into London St Pancras International as timetabled.

My mind was racing. What should I do. I waited briefly in my seat until the carriage started to empty on to the platform. I had exchanged a series of text messages with friends about what to do if I met Gordon Brown. They ranged from heckling to applying the No Agenda formula and hit Gordon Brown in the mouth. I instead chose in a moment of weakness or kindness decided not to hit a disabled man in the mouth and spoke to the Prime Minister.

As we all walked down the platform towards the barriers I stepped past a body guard who I had been flanking since I left the train and with my hand stretched out I said.

MJW: Mr Brown, best of luck for the campaign.

He took my hand, shook it, smiled and replied.

GB: Thank you.

Some how after the hand shake I was walking along the platform accompanying the Prime Minister and his wife. This moment left me both terrified and exhilarated all at once. Before I could say another word Gordon Brown then introduced Sarah who was at this point leaning around her husband as we walked so she could see me.

GB: This is m' wife Sarah.

SB: Hello.

I simply replied.

MJW: Hi Sarah.

I then gingerly asked the Prime Minister who is a tall and imposing man.

MJW: How are you finding the campaign?

GB: Well you spend a lot of your time travelling around the country on the train.

MJW: I know what that is like. I travel on the train everyday into London for work.

To which the Prime Ministry smiled at me again and said with no irony in his voice.

GB: You take the train to work.

MJW: Yes, I travel from Bedford everyday to London where I work at Ask Jeeves as Intern.

GB: Ask Jeeves?

MJW: Ask Jeeves is a search engine.

GB: You work for a search engine?

MJW: Yes, only as an intern. You see I graduated last summer from Loughborough University and I have been unable to find anything permanent so I am currently working as an intern.

The smile had left his face now and he looked very stern as I had raised the issue concerning millions of unemployed 18 to 24-year-olds looking for work during an otherwise polite conversation. I then quickly outflanked the Prime Minister before he could reply with the epithet 'Shut up you slave!' or throw a stapler at me. I reached into my pocket for my ticket and said.

MJW: I am sure the country will be a far more optimistic place after the General Election is over and I will find permanent employment.

Gordon Brown then managed a meagre smile, we shook hands and wished each other the best and I skipped through the ticket barrier and off to the escalator trying to avoid the circus around the Prime Minister of passenger and cameramen. I found the experience very interesting. I will not be voting Labour come the 6th May but I can honestly say I found Gordon Brown a pleasant and easily approachable man during my exceedingly brief encounter with him.

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