Tweet
PM: Brit spirit will beat recession
The recession is a test of character that the British people must pass, Gordon Brown will say in his New Year's message next week.
The public needs to display the same spirit as during the second world war and "rise to the challenge" of the crisis, the PM is to insist.
Mr Brown is expected to deliver the pep talk as part of a defiantly optimistic seasonal missive.
He will demand that people work together to "build a better tomorrow today", and hail US President-elect Barack Obama as a catalyst for tackling global issues.
Mr Brown is to say: "I am confident that we can steer Britain safely into the future.
"Today the issues may be different, more complex, more global. And yet the qualities we need to meet them the British people have demonstrated in abundance before.
"So that we will eventually look back on the winter of 2008 as another great challenge that was thrown Britain's way, and that Britain met. Because we had the right values, the right policies, the right character to meet it.
"That's why I don't believe Britain is broken - I believe it is the best country in the world. I believe the British people will show those who talk them down exactly what they are made of in 2009 - as we build tomorrow today."
The premier will also lash out at the Tories, referring to his oft-repeated criticism of David Cameron by insisting the British are "not a do-nothing people".
The PM will highlight the danger of climate change, saying that President Obama will play a crucial role in tackling the problem.
The recession is a test of character that the British people must pass, Gordon Brown will say in his New Year's message next week.
The public needs to display the same spirit as during the second world war and "rise to the challenge" of the crisis, the PM is to insist.
Mr Brown is expected to deliver the pep talk as part of a defiantly optimistic seasonal missive.
He will demand that people work together to "build a better tomorrow today", and hail US President-elect Barack Obama as a catalyst for tackling global issues.
Mr Brown is to say: "I am confident that we can steer Britain safely into the future.
"Today the issues may be different, more complex, more global. And yet the qualities we need to meet them the British people have demonstrated in abundance before.
"So that we will eventually look back on the winter of 2008 as another great challenge that was thrown Britain's way, and that Britain met. Because we had the right values, the right policies, the right character to meet it.
"That's why I don't believe Britain is broken - I believe it is the best country in the world. I believe the British people will show those who talk them down exactly what they are made of in 2009 - as we build tomorrow today."
The premier will also lash out at the Tories, referring to his oft-repeated criticism of David Cameron by insisting the British are "not a do-nothing people".
The PM will highlight the danger of climate change, saying that President Obama will play a crucial role in tackling the problem.
Comment