Sarah Brown Speaks!

Being the spouse of a world leader can, if you so wish, give you a pulpit from which to speak/preach about what interests you. It can lead to some great ideas, such as the Betty Ford Center. And it can also lead to some of the most surreal alliances in the history of politics, such as Nancy Reagan and the cast of Grange Hill just saying no. A lot of depends on the good taste of the spouse in question. And some - wisely or otherwise - decide that silence is the best way forward. Until this point, Sarah Brown has chosen that course of action. She's been silent; appearing in photos at her husband's side but doing little else (in the public eye) other than that.

Until now. In Italy, she has taken a stand against something she is absolutely opposed to:

Sarah Brown has twice declined to eat veal during her visit to Italy for the G8 summit, it was disclosed today... the prime minister's wife has long-standing objections to the meat, which is regarded as cruel by many British animal lovers because of the conditions in which calves are reared.

I have to say, I'm so pleased to read that Sarah Brown has taken this stand. It has reminded me that I haven't had veal in ages! Something that I will have to rectify, very soon...