How Purple Became the New Colour of Politics

Purple has become the go-to colour for political gravitas. By which I mean, Gordon Brown is wearing it, on his ties. I worry about reading too much into the PM's neck furniture, because he strikes me as the kind of person who might just work his way round the entire spectrum of Tie Rack, like a very diligent person who doesn't really care. But it is not just him. Darling is also in purple. In October, Brown and Miliband were in purple on the same stage, in Brussels. The broadcaster Adam Boulton decided it was the "colour of recession". Or maybe they normally ring each other up, to check they won't clash or match, only because of the recession they can't afford to.

What is the significance of this colour, on a man? (We will deal with First Lady purple-usage later.) First, be clear that we're not talking about violet, which is a whole other story. Straight purple, politically, is a third way colour, a triangulated, red-meets-blue, have-it-all-ways, new-world-order shade that speaks of flexibility and thinking outside the box. The background imperial connotations, however, give it respectability and lineage - it's not like turning up in an orange or a yellow tie, or one with Homer Simpson eating a giant donut.

There is something about its range that makes it work well for politicians - Miliband, in his slightly brasher, shinier purple, made Brown look more burnished and experienced, and yet at the same time, underlined his own vigour. This wouldn't have worked if they'd turned up in different shades of red: they would have just looked like foxes in primary school plays, who are meant to be all the same colour, but aren't, because all their mums' tights are a different brown.

We'll get to the bottom of this only when we remember who started it, which was of course Michelle Obama, in her purple shift at the famous fist-bumping rally at the end of August. The regal/pomp/circumstance resonances spilled out thick and fast from the political-outfit-commentariat, but there was also speculation that she was referencing The Color Purple and making a point about the emancipation of African-American women, possibly a point about emancipation for the oppressed worldwide.

So maybe Gordon, David and Alistair are trying to hitch their apple-wagon to that particular star. Good luck with that, gentlemen. It's risky, but you're no strangers to risk.