Letter: Wrong man

There have been various reports that Gordon Brown is being touted (possibly by himself) as the next managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Is this wise?

It is now generally accepted that his decisions as Chancellor of the Exchequer, the tripartite governance of the banking sector, his refusal to accept that economies ebb and flow ("abolished boom and bust") and his idea of running a deficit annual budget from 2001 were all very wrong.

He has also been reported as being less than conciliatory and prone to not listening to other opinions, and the abilities needed for this post do not seem to coincide with his.

The reported inability to work with then prime minister Tony Blair almost certainly affected the governance of this country and world affairs. Many Labour policies were stymied by this conflict.

The IMF is an important world organisation which is involved with countries often when they are in financial distress.

The role requires tact, patience and the ability to compromise with world leaders who often find themselves in difficult situations.

Bearing in mind all the published information about Mr Brown's behaviour, it would seem the qualities needed for this job could not be further from his personality.

Also, since the present financial position of Britain is due to his economic decisions and to the way he reacted to the banking problems, it would seem that his best solution would be to retire quietly from the political scene.

Bruce D Skivington

Strath Gairloch,

Wester Ross