Gordon Brown claims today that the country is turning away from a celebrity culture and insists his seriousness is in tune with a new spirit of the times. In an interview with the Guardian, ahead of the publication of his book on courage, the chancellor says he does not believe the public are in love with trivia, and would prefer proper debate on important issues.
Asked about the contrast between his writing and the prime minister doing Catherine Tate impersonations on Red Nose day, he replies: "I think we're moving from this period when, if you like, celebrity matters, when people have become famous for being famous. I think you can see that in other countries too - people are moving away from that to what lies behind the character and the personality."
The chancellor, sometimes deemed ill-suited to the modern media age, says he is not criticising anyone, but has greater faith in the essential decency of the British people, and their willingness to respond to those who talk about the "big and serious issues in a way that does justice to them".
His remarks suggest he is going to dispense with attempts to massage his stern image ahead of his contest with the Conservative leader, David Cameron.
He signals his disapproval of aspects of Britain's celebrity culture: "It is a remarkable culture where people appear on television and are famous simply for the act of appearing on television."
He adds: "People are wanting the concerns that they have discussed in a rounded way. So I'm not sure that the public are in love with trivia."
During his interview, Mr Brown argues there is a new thirst for serious discussion exemplified by the flourishing of literary festivals in Britain, the growth of book clubs and the seriousness of the debate about the presidency in America.
Mr Brown neither welcomes nor discourages a challenge for the leadership from the environment secretary, David Miliband, simply saying it is up to him. But he adds: "There's got to be an exchange of ideas about the future."
He denies he is going through a damaging political period in the wake of the budget, criticisms of his "Stalinist style" by the former head of the civil service, Sir Andrew Turnbull, and allegations that he over-rode civil service advice over dividend tax credits on pensions.
He said he had been in worse periods, did not go out of his way not to be liked, but was capable of riding out the slings and arrows of his critics. "I don't think it really matters in the long run, does it? I mean there's the petty and the partisan and the very personal stuff but at the end of the day you've got to be judged on what you either do or don't do in the longer term".
Nevertheless, he also hinted that he had thought at stages of pursuing a life of public service outside politics. "I think at all points you've got to question if what you're doing is yielding results and whether it's the right time to move on and do something else."
He acknowledges it is possible for the SNP to pick up lots of votes in the forthcoming elections, but when the issue of a separate Scottish state is joined "people have said that's not what we want to do".
He added that as an independent nation inside the EU, Scotland would not receive the same level of subsidies that lifted the Irish economy, since Scotland is relatively too wealthy to qualify for assistance.
"The most recent opinion polls show that independence is less popular than a few years ago ... people are finding every day that a border between Scotland and England means almost nothing ... it makes very little sense for the future."