Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/George Brown, Baron George-Brown

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[edit] George Brown, Baron George-Brown

A self-nom and something of a pair with Reginald Maudling which was featured late last year. He was a distinctive British politician from the 1960s now best remembered for being drunk, but who made a strong contribution in a relatively short time in office. This is longer and more personal than most political biographies, and I think I was lucky in finding a colour photograph which is usable. Dbiv 22:46, 23 Feb 2005 (UTC)

• Support: Interesting and well researched. I suppose the story of an inebriated George Brown, as Foreign Secretary, asking a 'lady' in a purple evening dress to dance at the Austrian Embassy, eliciting the response "I would rather not, (a) because this is the Austrian National Anthem and (b), I am the Archbishop of Vienna, cannot be sourced and put in? - No, I thought not! Giano 15:47, 24 Feb 2005 (UTC)
  • That's an issue I have debated many times. Firstly, Peter Paterson's biography makes it clear that the story is certainly not true. Secondly, it was actually first told about the Defence Minister in the same government, Lord Chalfont (who is still alive), in Private Eye in the mid-1960s and I guess transferred in the telling to George Brown who was more famous for getting drunk. However because it is so often told about Brown and because many people believe it, it might be worth a para to mention and explain its provenance. What do people think? Dbiv 17:02, 24 Feb 2005 (UTC)
    • That anecdote is quoted in Matthew Parris's book 'Read My Lips' (although transposed to Peru and noted as 'attributed'). I was going to suggest including it myself, but if it's definitely not true it would seem misplaced. However, maybe there's a place for my other favourite Brown quote, to Len Williams, on the latter's appointment as governor of Mauritius. He asked Williams if the position would involve wearing a plumed hat, and on finding that it would, said 'Well I hope your f***ing feathers fall out'.
    • Besides that issue, it is an excellent article that reads very well and gives a good picture of this fascinatingly flawed politician. I support the nomination - but wonder if there are any more pictures suitable for inclusion? It would be nice to have a couple more to break up the text. Worldtraveller 17:15, 24 Feb 2005 (UTC)
• Just as a comment, I think it needs a line at the end, something like "Baron George-Brown died on June 03, 1985, of (cause of death)". I assume 'natural causes', but which organs failed first? Also, List of Life Peerages gives his date of death as June 02. -Ashley Pomeroy 20:28, 25 Feb 2005 (UTC)
  • Thanks for the suggestion, have put it in the article. If given two dates of death I tend to prefer the earlier as the latter is normally when the death was reported. Dbiv 21:28, 25 Feb 2005 (UTC)
    • Excellent. I love to read about how people die. I therefore support this page, and note in passing that it seems to be the best page on the entire internet about Baron George-Brown, with perhaps the exception of the one in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, [1] which I have not read (it's free to use in the local library, but I can't be bothered to shave and dress today, and I'm not going out looking like this). -Ashley Pomeroy 16:50, 26 Feb 2005 (UTC)
• Support --ZayZayEM 02:24, 7 Mar 2005 (UTC)