Gordon Brown touched most of the right chords yesterday in opening his so far uncontested campaign to become the next leader of Britain's Labour Party and the country's next Prime Minister.

In an implied criticism of his outgoing boss, Tony Blair, who will step down towards the end of next month, Mr. Brown conceded that mistakes have been made in the war in Iraq and indicated that a government led by him would make adjustments. A greater focus would be on political reconciliation, suggesting that he does not hold out hope for a military solution to the crisis.

It is not that Blair ever argued that a clear military victory by the Anglo/American coalition would end the sectarian bloodshed in Iraq. He too has talked of the need for reconciliation. By making the point in the manner he did, Brown clearly counter-posed himself against Blair, who has insisted in seeing through to the bitter end a war against which there is so much opposition. Indeed, Labour generally has paid the price for what many see as Blair's uncritical backing of America's George Bush in Iraq.

Mr. Brown sought to draw a sharp contrast with Mr. Blair in another way, suggesting that he would bring to an end personality-driven leadership and be guided by policies of substance, rather than fluff.

"I do not believe politics is about celebrity," he said. "I have never believed that presentation can be a substitute for policy."

And if that was not crunching enough, he went on:"Government must be more open and accountable to Parliament, for example, in decisions about peace and war, in public appointments and in a new ministerial code of conduct."

With Labour's poor showing in recent municipal and regional elections and its laggardly performance in opinion polls, Gordon Brown has perhaps two years before a general election to convince British voters that he is a man worth trusting, and that his party should get a fourth consecutive term in office. He well might.

Friday's speech would have reached out to two segments of the British population: the mainstream middle who may feel that Mr. Blair has pandered to personality and spin and betrayed a promise of open inclusive government; and, Muslims, who may feel that they and their religion have been made to suffer for the sins of al-Qaida and a handful of radical Islamists.

Over time, though, Mr. Brown will have to develop a fuller and more coherent message to other segments of the U.K. population, including that portion in which we have an interest - black Britons. Indeed, he would be unwise to ignore or not pay significant attention to these people of African and Caribbean descent.

British blacks have historically voted overwhelmingly for Labour, much like blacks in America vote Democrat. British blacks, apparent from this distance, tended to like Tony Blair.

We sense, though, that black Britons believe that they are taken for granted by Labour and that that party could face a rebellion in this constituency if the Liberal Democrats especially, and Tories can aim credibly crafted messages at them. If this is true, Mr. Brown needs to pay attention and blacks in the Labour Party may have a few chits to play with in a Brown government.

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