Your verdict on Tony Blair...

[Tricky Dicky]

Very difficult to judge his whole term when it is completely overshadowed by Iraq - anything else he may or may not have done for the country will be forgotten. A good communicator, unlike his successor. Probably misguided in some big decisions - only some distance in time will tell for sure.

 

[Dandyman]

The biggest mystery with Blair IMO is how a right-wing god bothering cock like him ended up leading Labour in the first place.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

The biggest mystery with Blair IMO is how a right-wing god bothering cock like him ended up leading Labour in the first place.

I don't think that's a mystery at all. He speaks very well, is certainly intelligent, was quite young at the time, and don't forget we'd had a tory government for 18 years at that point ... if a hedgehog had been the leader of labour it would have won. His religious views were not widely publicised at the time, either, as far as I remember.

 

[clippedgull]

His religious views were not widely publicised at the time, either, as far as I remember.

No, they well kept well under wraps at the beginning!

 

[Tooting Gull]

No, they well kept well under wraps at the beginning!

It's a bizarre one, the religion. In America, if a politician as Dandyman so eloquently put it is a right-wing, god-bothering cock they win another 50million votes. Over here you're seen as a deranged zealot who makes all his decisions based on that Sunday's sermon and the Old Testament.

 

[Gritt23]

Definitely going to read his book. 5-Live were picking over it this morning, sounds like a cracking read.

I've tried political diaries / memoirs before, and I've generally found them dull and tedious. The "juicy bits" have already been over-exposed in the press. If a Sunday does a serialisation over a few weeks, then that will draw me in, but teh whole book? Naaah, it'll get far too bogged down in policy decisions.

 

[Biscuit]

Massive hit.

Blair transformed the Labour Party and lead the party to three consecutive general election victories. 10 years of sustained prosperity and economic stability - tick.

Devolution in Scotland and Wales - tick. Negotiation of the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Island - massive tick.

Not to mention the national minimum wage, 12 million pensioners with Winter Fuel Payments, Ban on Fox Hunting, I could go on...

 

[Gwylan]

I've tried political diaries / memoirs before, and I've generally found them dull and tedious. The "juicy bits" have already been over-exposed in the press. If a Sunday does a serialisation over a few weeks, then that will draw me in, but teh whole book? Naaah, it'll get far too bogged down in policy decisions.

You read the Alan Clark Diaries? They're about as far from being dull and tedious as you could imagine... and there's nothing about policy details in them.

Clark was a snobbish, right-wing Tory and was certainly not someone I'd relate to politically but he had an astute turn of phrase and refused to take himself too seriously, they're cracking reads.

 

[The Spanish]

Massive hit.

Blair transformed the Labour Party and lead the party to three consecutive general election victories. 10 years of sustained prosperity and economic stability - tick.

Devolution in Scotland and Wales - tick. Negotiation of the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Island - massive tick.

Not to mention the national minimum wage, 12 million pensioners with Winter Fuel Payments, Ban on Fox Hunting, I could go on...

so

started the break up of the UK - tick

let out loads of murderers - tick

minimum wage & winter fuel payments - very good give you those

ban on fox hunting - populist sixth form hobby horse of no real benefit to anyone apart from some manky foxes, elevated to a subject of vital importance in our infantile society - tick

 

[Tooting Gull]

You read the Alan Clark Diaries? They're about as far from being dull and tedious as you could imagine... and there's nothing about policy details in them.

Clark was a snobbish, right-wing Tory and was certainly not someone I'd relate to politically but he had an astute turn of phrase and refused to take himself too seriously, they're cracking reads.

Agree totally with that. John Nott's are also good, if not as funny. Probably the best single quality you're looking for in diaries like this, as well as having been at the hub of it, is indiscretion. On the Labour side, Oona King's are good.

 

[Stoo82]

The biggest mystery with Blair IMO is how a right-wing god bothering cock like him ended up leading Labour in the first place.

Because the Labour Party needed to become electable.

 

[bhaexpress]

Started well, finished badly. Also, not totally fair to blame Brown for losing the election.

 

[Stoo82]

Devolution in Scotland and Wales - tick. Negotiation of the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Island - massive tick.

He forgot to devolve one country though. I also think you should also give a little credit to John Major for peace in Northen Ireland.

 

[Stoo82]

Started well, finished badly. Also, not totally fair to blame Brown for losing the election.

No, your right. The country wanted Labour out in about 2001. But there was nobody else to have.

 

[Norman Baker suck my lozenge]

The country was walking tall,shoulders back,stomach in when this turd took over,
now we are on our knees stumbling,unshaven in the gutter,nice one Tone

 

[bhaexpress]

No, your right. The country wanted Labour out in about 2001. But there was nobody else to have.

Tend to go along with that and from my point of view he more or less jumped before he was pushed.

 

[Biscuit]

minimum wage & winter fuel payments - very good give you those

What about Sure Start? Free Bus travel for over 60's, the most council houses being built for twenty years, free admission to national museums and galleries, free cancer prescriptions and the Human Rights Act?

 

[Gwylan]

Agree totally with that. John Nott's are also good, if not as funny. Probably the best single quality you're looking for in diaries like this, as well as having been at the hub of it, is indiscretion. On the Labour side, Oona King's are good.

I had Oona King's on my list to read already but had never thought of looking at John Nott's - I'll check them out.

 

[withdeanwombat]

I was absolutely delighted when his party routed the Tories,and I hoped that had put an end to them.Now they are back,albeit aided and abetted by their lapddog liberals.And this,too,is Blair's fault,not so much because of his domestic policies which though starting to flag had been a vast improvement on the wasted years of Conservatism,but because of his lapdoggery to the US.The decisions which undid the New Labour era were based in the desire to be a world leader and destroyed his legacy in less than the time Iraq could have launched its wmd.

So Blair's legacy is not one based on his role in domestic politics but on his desire to be in a special relationship with George Bush's US.It coloured everyones view of him - rightly so - and means that when we think of him we think of the smarm,the half truths about our foreign policy:was he lying? Only allegedly.We'll probably never know the truth of it because we are simple citizens whose position is not to know.Our leaders know our place,game over.

Blair.At first a hit,eventually the other option.

 

[The Spanish]

What about Sure Start? Free Bus travel for over 60's, the most council houses being built for twenty years, free admission to national museums and galleries, free cancer prescriptions and the Human Rights Act?

you decided not to go on!