Language and Power - Gordon Brown's Speech

Wareing (1999) theorised that there are 3 classifications of power: 

-Political (police, government, law etc.)
-Personal (occupational roles e.g. headteacher > teacher > student)
-Social Group (social vairables e.g. race, gender, age, class)

The classification most evident in Brown's speech is political, typically because he is a politician and holds political power.

He also said that there are 2 types of power:

-Influential Power (media, advertisement, politics, culture etc.) 
-Instrumental Power (education, business, law, management etc.)

The type of power used in Brown's speech is influential because he cannot enforce consequences upon us for dismissing his promises or beliefs. He is enforcing authority with his language to an extent, but he is primarily persuading his audience of his ability. 

Fairclough (2001) had the ideology that there is power both behind and within discourse.

-Power in discourse is the way that power is manifested in a situation through the use of language features. 
(e.g. stative verbs - "I want the best of chances for everyone")

-Power behind discourse focuses on social and ideological reasons for the enforcement of power in a text.
(e.g. context such as who, what, where, when, why)

In Brown's speech its important to consider his status as new prime minister and his audience that is the whole of Britain (specifically those with concerns or interest in the country's economy and well-being). You also have to consider the fact that the speech is given outside of Downing Street and that the speech will be televised.