Ex-Prime Minister Gordon Brown reveals how he was terrified he was going totally blind while in No10 Downing Street
During his time as PM, the ex-Labour Premier struggled with his sight as the retina in his good eye became damaged
GORDON Brown has revealed how he woke up as PM terrified he was going totally blind.
The retina in his one good eye was torn in two places, which led to a battle to save his sight.
The ex-Labour Premier, who hid his agony from Cabinet colleagues, says he is “lucky beyond words” he can still see.
The notoriously dour Scot, 66, also reveals in his new memoir that he was too “reserved” to be a great leader.
His book My Life, Our Time describes how his big failing was an inability to “lighten up” and adapt to the Twitter age.
He tells how he grew up in an era when “reticence was the rule” so was not an “ideal fit” as politicians took to baring their souls online.
He writes: “During my time as an MP I never mastered the capacity to leave a good impression or sculpt my public image in 140 characters.”
Mr Brown goes on: “In a far more touchy-feely era, our leaders speak of public issues in intensely personal ways and assume they can win votes simply by telling their electors they ‘feel their pain’.
“A sense of personal reserve can limit the appeal and rapport of a leader.”
