This weekend Brown did a very Blair-like "spin". Using the opportunity of a meeting in Newcastle during his "leadership tour", he ensured the Sunday papers would be reporting on his "tough stance on terrorism". And by so doing he also managed to steal the thunder of the departing Home Secretary, John Reid, who was due to announce a review this Thursday, of Blair's Terrorism Bill.

This Bill was the cause of back-bench revolt in 2005 when MPs defeated Blair in his attempt to introduce 90 days detention without charge for terror suspects. But it not such a great rebellion, since MPs voted for 28 days detention, as a "compromise". Which happens to be the longest period to hold a person without charge in the whole of the so-called "free world".

So now Brown wants to review this legislation and try to succeed, where Blair failed. He wants 90 days detention on the statute book - as well as other things, like the possibility of using evidence obtained from phone taps.

And he has been invoking the "Cold War" and the historical fight against "Communism" for good measure - just as Blair's supporters did last time round. According to preacher's son Brown, by curtailing the freedom of individuals, he will "show people that we stand for freedom and democracy and the dignity of the individual...so together we can isolate those people who are preaching extremist ideas"!

Of course, as usual, there is more behind all of this than meets the eye. Brown has been portrayed as a softer and more reasonable version of Blair. But while this might serve to feed illusions among core Labour voters, come the next election, it could lose him the support which Blair won in the reactionary Tory heartlands, as well as the City.

So for Brown, overbidding on issues such as "the fight against terror" is very much in order. Along with a good sprinkling of British nationalism - or in Brown's words "British-ness". But more importantly, the "tough on terror" stance underlines Brown's intention to remain aligned with the US, for the sake of British companies who claim their share of the market which the Blair/Bush war on terror is meant to open up.

None of this posturing by Brown comes as a surprise, of course. There was never any stake for the working class in the Labour leadership (or deputy leadership) charade. However it is instructive to see just how far Brown will go to try and get the reactionary vote.