The Twenty-Seven Ages Of Man

‘WITH the Budget safely out of the way for another year, we return to the Budget and ask: ‘What kind of man is Gordon Brown?’

A right Jeffrey

No, we know he’s a dour Scot, a brooding political obsessive, a smiling father-of-one and a huge fan of hard house music, but what kind of man is he?

You see, Stephen Whitehead, a gender expert at Keele University, has spent the past 15 years studying masculinity and has concluded that, when it comes to their relationships with the opposite sex, men fall into one of 27 categories.

Is Brown a Murdoch – a man of ‘Napoleonic self-belief, usually justified; ruthless, untiring’ – or is he a Wayne – ‘heroic, unchanging, loyal and steadfast’?

Is he a Mr Angry – ‘moody, aggressive, but doesn’t see his actions as damaging’ – or a Preacher – ‘fundamentalist views; single-minded, fervent and intense’?

Perhaps, his wife Sarah would tell us that he is fact a Teddy Bear – ‘sensitive, vulnerable and a good listener, but not sexy’ – or a Trainspotter – ‘middle-aged, plenty of brown cardigans and obsessed with data collection’.

Or is he a Blair – ‘a normal sort of bloke; trustworthy, one of life’s good guys; plays a mean guitar’?’

Posted: 18th, March 2004 | In: Broadsheets Comment | TrackBack | Permalink