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Gordon Brown may well be proud of his workaholic reputation but not all of his ministers feel the same way.
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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.
(Agencies) |
（英國首相）戈登?布朗可能會以他的“工作狂”美譽為榮，可他的內閣大臣們并非都這樣認為。
昨天，哈澤爾?布利爾斯可能是出于一番好意，建議首相先生多出去走走，給自己“找點樂子”。
英國社區大臣布利爾斯在回復一份報告時稱，長期以來，布朗首相每天只睡兩至三個小時，身體幾乎“透支”。
有說法稱，布朗首相書房的燈每天亮到凌晨兩、三點，到了五點又開始辦公，但唐寧街首相府否認了這一說法。
英國廣播公司的安德魯?瑪爾問及有關布朗首相“身體透支、脾氣暴躁”的說法是否屬實時，布利爾斯回答說：“脾氣暴躁當然不會。”
不過他工作的確很努力，而且承受著很大壓力。
布利爾斯在被問及是否認為布朗工作過于投入時，她說：“令人高興的是，圣誕期間他休了兩周的假，與家人一起過節。”
“這對于我們政界的人來說很有益處。我們不是超人，我們也有累的時候。”
“而且所有人都需要休息。”
“我認為政治人物的生活也需要平衡，勞逸結合可能是最佳狀態。”
去年夏天布朗首相去多西特度假僅在那待了四個小時。由于口蹄疫危機爆發，他不得不提早結束假期，趕回倫敦去處理。
之后，布朗與家人前往他的蘇格蘭選區訪問。
蘭卡斯特大學的心理與健康系主任卡里?庫伯說，布朗首相的個性決定了他是個有緊迫感和有抱負的人。
他說：“讓這些人放松下來很難。”
“但如果他們長期處于很大壓力之下，他們確實很容易感到緊張和壓力。”
“這與布朗首相的蘇格蘭長老會出身（布朗出生于一個蘇格蘭長老會牧師家庭）可能也有關系，他們所信奉的是，沒有耕耘，就沒有收獲。”
“但無論你的精力有多么旺盛，不管你多么珍惜時間，每個人都需要休息。”
唐寧街首相府稱，布朗首相對布利爾斯的言論倒是“很放松”。
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（英語點津姍姍編輯）
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