Get a life, Gordon! Minister says PM needs more fun

Gordon Brown may well be proud of his workaholic reputation but not all of his ministers feel the same way.

And yesterday, perhaps believing she was acting in his best interests, Hazel Blears advised the Prime Minister to get out and have a "bit of fun".

The Communities Secretary was responding to a report that Mr Brown had been surviving on two or three hours of sleep a night and was increasingly "exhausted".

Suggestions that lights are seen in his study until 2am or 3am, only for him to be back at his desk at 5am, were dismissed by Downing Street sources.

Asked by the BBC's Andrew Marr if it was true that Mr Brown was "shattered and ratty", Miss Blears replied: "He's certainly not ratty."

But he did "work hard" and was under "stresses and strains".

Challenged on whether she thought he was working too hard, Miss Blears added: "Well, at Christmas I was delighted when he took two weeks off, had a holiday with his family.

"I think it helps all of us as politicians. You know, we're not super-human and we get tired.

"And I think it helps all of us if we have a bit of a break.

"And I think a balance in a politician's life, a bit of fun as well as a bit of hard work, is probably the best place to be."

Mr Brown's summer holiday in Dorset lasted just four hours. It was cut short when he returned to London to deal with the foot and mouth crisis.

Later, he visited his Scottish constituency with his family.

Professor Cary Cooper, head of psychology and health at Lancaster University, said Mr Brown's personality type meant he was driven and ambitious.

He added: "It's very difficult for these people to relax.

"But in the long run, when they are under a lot of pressure, they do tend to be fairly stress-prone.

"I suspect Mr Brown's Scottish Presbyterian background also means he believes that to achieve, you have to work hard.

"But no matter how robust you are, and how guilty you feel about taking time off, everyone needs a break."

Downing Street said Mr Brown was "relaxed" about Miss Blears's remarks.

（英国首相）戈登•布朗可能会以他的“工作狂”美誉为荣，可他的内阁大臣们并非都这样认为。

昨天，哈泽尔•布利尔斯可能是出于一番好意，建议首相先生多出去走走，给自己“找点乐子”。

英国社区大臣布利尔斯在回复一份报告时称，长期以来，布朗首相每天只睡两至三个小时，身体几乎“透支”。

有说法称，布朗首相书房的灯每天亮到凌晨两、三点，到了五点又开始办公，但唐宁街首相府否认了这一说法。

英国广播公司的安德鲁•玛尔问及有关布朗首相“身体透支、脾气暴躁”的说法是否属实时，布利尔斯回答说：“脾气暴躁当然不会。”

不过他工作的确很努力，而且承受着很大压力。

布利尔斯在被问及是否认为布朗工作过于投入时，她说：“令人高兴的是，圣诞期间他休了两周的假，与家人一起过节。”

“这对于我们政界的人来说很有益处。我们不是超人，我们也有累的时候。”

“而且所有人都需要休息。”

“我认为政治人物的生活也需要平衡，劳逸结合可能是最佳状态。”

去年夏天布朗首相去多西特度假仅在那待了四个小时。由于口蹄疫危机爆发，他不得不提早结束假期，赶回伦敦去处理。

之后，布朗与家人前往他的苏格兰选区访问。

兰卡斯特大学的心理与健康系主任卡里•库伯说，布朗首相的个性决定了他是个有紧迫感和有抱负的人。

他说：“让这些人放松下来很难。”

“但如果他们长期处于很大压力之下，他们确实很容易感到紧张和压力。”

“这与布朗首相的苏格兰长老会出身（布朗出生于一个苏格兰长老会牧师家庭）可能也有关系，他们所信奉的是，没有耕耘，就没有收获。”

“但无论你的精力有多么旺盛，不管你多么珍惜时间，每个人都需要休息。”

唐宁街首相府称，布朗首相对布利尔斯的言论倒是“很放松”。

Vocabulary:

may well:很可能……（例如：They may well spend the holiday apart. 他们很可能没在一起过节。）