Owen Jones: It's time to demolish the myth about Tony Blair

[LeftishBrit]

You will struggle to find more devout supporters of Tony Blair than those at the top of the Conservative leadership. "I can't hold it back any more; I love Tony!" Michael Gove once exclaimed. David Cameron famously described himself as "the heir to Blair", and senior Tories refer to him as "The Master". "His influence is very firmly felt," a senior Tory told The Times. "He's like the footballer Cristiano Ronaldo – gone but still greatly admired." Screaming teenagers at Take That concerts in the mid-1990s come to mind.

As Blair took to the Leveson Inquiry this week, his admirers went a bit weak at the knees. Blair is certainly an exceptional public performer: indeed, he is something of a natural. When he was at the public school Fettes, teachers described him as "a complete pain in the backside", but he excelled at acting. Along with Cameron, he is rare among British Prime Ministers for his polished charisma; although, unlike the current Tory occupant of No 10, he never looks like an artery risks bursting when he is under fire.

But the Tories really love Blair not because of his undoubted political skills, but because they think he was "one of us", albeit trapped by the Labour Party. In his first joust with Blair after taking over as Conservative leader, Cameron offered to support him against his own party over his policy of marketising comprehensive education. "With our support, the Prime Minister knows there is no danger of losing these education reforms in a Parliamentary vote," Cameron crooned, mocking Labour backbenchers. "So he can afford to be as bold as he wants to be." And, in reality, Labour's current opposition to what the Coalition is doing is hobbled by the fact that Blair laid the foundation for so much of it.

Take the privatisation of the NHS. Under Blair, private sector involvement began to flourish and a commercial directorate was set up in the Department of Health. Gove is now expanding Blair's Academy schools programme, and free schools are a logical extension of them. The Coalition trebled the tuition fees that Blair introduced. Across public services, Blair expanded the role of the private sector – though not as fast as he would have liked, thanks to internal party opposition. But Cameron is taking this "reform" (the Blairite and Tory code word for "privatisation&quot ever further. "Public sector reform" has come up in the many conversations Blair has apparently had with Cameron, and I'm sure the ex-PM has had much advice to offer.


(More at link)




http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/owen-jones-its-time-to-demolish-the-myth-about-tony-blair-7808282.html

[dipsydoodle]

1. I cannot stand that big headed little prick

anymore than I could stand Blair.

[pennylane100]

2. I remember when he was in the opposition party.

He used to face John Majors in the weekly questions in parliament. I paid attention because he seemed so electable. I wonder if he was always a lying cunning bastard or did he become one when he become prime minister. He seemed so credible and I could not paid much attention to him until he became the first poodle.

[non sociopath skin]

4. Do you mean Owen Jones?

The Skin

[dipsydoodle]

5. Yes

.

[non sociopath skin]

6. I'd be mildly interested in why

I have to say that I enjoyed "Chavs" a lot more than the Iraq War.

The Skin

[dipsydoodle]

7. His voice has yet to break and he talks over people.

Aside from that I find that whilst a lot of his criticisms may be valid he never seems to provide constructive alternatives.

[non sociopath skin]

8. To be honest, I'm not a great TV watcher ...

... so I've not seen Jones a lot. I did enjoy "Chavs" though and I didn't think - bearing in mind that he's a journalist rather than a politician - he lacks constructiveness.

Orwell didn't have a lot of political alternatives, either. Didn't hurt his writing a bit.

The Skin

[T_i_B]

9. He's also on radio quite a bit (Jeremy Vine show etc)

And his voice is not all that dissimilar to my own so I'm not one to moan about that.

As to him not being a politician, he was parliamentary bag-carrier to John McDonnell so he is something of a Westminster insider, even if his views are quite different to the rest of them.

[non sociopath skin]

10. Well, if ....

.... he is something of a Westminster insider, even if his views are quite different to the rest of them .....

... for this relief, much thanks!

The Skin

[fedsron2us]

3. He is a psychotic, money grubbing liar and war criminal.

A pig man politician for the corporate pig men

No surprises that Cameron and.so many leading Tories love him. What is so desperately sad is that the Labour party can't seem to shake him off either. He is the number one reason I quit as a member and I shall not return until he has been completely exorcised.