Mr Blair’s fantasy re negotiation of the UK’s deal with the EU ignores Mr Cameron’s long attempt to negotiate just such a change to the EU benefits and migration policies without any success He ignores the fact that there is no machinery or legal basis for any such attempted future renegotiation.
He of course dismisses the referendum, which he does seem to be aware of. He does not seem to have grasped that when we voted to leave we voted to take back control of all matters, not just EU migration. Did he not hear any of the debates about wanting to spend our own money, which I see he just ignores. Did he grasp that we want to pass our own laws?
It is most disappointing that a man who gained the top political office by democratic means now has such a scorn for the wishes of the people who used to sustain him.
September 10, 2017
Bliar NEVER had any respect for the people who voted him in. Just like MOST politicians.
( not you JR )
September 10, 2017
I spotted he was a charlatan when – before being elected PM – he pronounced ‘a computer at every desk’ the panacea to the failed comprehensive school system. All charlatans were doing this at the time. Selling duff computer systems like snake oil.
The appropriation of Diana as ‘the People’s Princess’ was a lethal attack on conservatism.
The man is anti British and anti democracy.
September 10, 2017
I did not see Blair’s interview with Andrew Marr, but a friend reports that Blair was asked whether he had given advice to the UK about Brexit negotiations. He said that he had not; but was not then asked whether he had advised the EU on the subject. In view of the warm embrace he received from Mr Juncker on his recent visit to Brussels, I should have been interested to hear his reply, assuming we could rely on him to give an honest one.
Reports that people within the Civil Service, as well as diplomats and politicians are actively engaged in attempts to sabotage Brexit are deeply worrying, not only for the effect that such conduct might have on the outcome of the negotiations, but also for the unhealthy effect on our democracy because it will create fissures of distrust between ordinary people who have only their votes, and the powerful and influential who have the will and means to thwart them.
September 10, 2017
I agree, except that “deepen” rather than “create” would be more accurate.
September 10, 2017
I am reminded of Oscar Wilde, “Some cause happiness where ever they go; others when ever they go”.
Blair falls into the latter category.
September 10, 2017
Well, when he left Parliament they, our MP’s, gave him a standing ovation. One wonders if our kind host joined in the love in ?
Reply No
September 10, 2017
Good man !
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
September 10, 2017
‘Love in’ or were they just pleased to see him go?
September 10, 2017
No, it was real respect. He was the “politicians’ politician”, an expert in hypocrisy, deception and the selling of attractive goods which were basically faulty. Just what so many politicians would love to be.
September 11, 2017
According to Peter Hitchens, Osborne and Cameron would refer to Mr Blair as ‘The Master’.
September 10, 2017
Mr Blair’s only use for democracy was that it provided the means to gain power and for some time to keep it. He realised that at the time ‘Old’ Labour was un-electable and recast it in an apparently non-Socialist mold so that Conservatives alienated from their party by the John Major ERM fiasco would be willing to vote for it, despite it’s liking for the EU. I do not think Blair or his henchmen had any real respect for Democracy as such and of course they loved the photo opportunities provided by EU meetings and the ability it gave to appear part of something ‘bigger’. But Blair is not alone. Unfortunately the Cameron and particularly Osborne suffered from the same disease and thought the would be in power for ever if they made the Conservative party indistinguishable from ‘New’ Labour.
In my view Corbyn has done a great service by taking Labour back to its roots; all we need now are some Conservatives with the character not to rush leftwards after him.
September 10, 2017
Too true 🙁
A previous Prime minister once said “the lady is not for turning”, unfortunately our current Prime minster has taken a sharp turn to the left…I just don’t see her and her cohorts delivering a good exit from the EU 🙁
September 10, 2017
I know Mr Redwood won’t reply to this, but it has to be said – is the current front bench seriously the best our great country can produce?
Listening to the morning interviews, I genuinely hope the sensible back-benchers and the one or two good front-benchers get behind someone like Raab after 31 Mar 19 and produce a realistic, country-uniting cabinet prior to the next election. Otherwise, with the current front bench, we are headed for a Corbyn-led disaster in 2022.
September 11, 2017
Blair’s biggest influence was Trotsky-just like his neo-con pals in America.Don’t be fooled by the labels adopted.
Interesting that Stalin denounced Trotsky’s followers as “Trotsky-capitalists”(and sometimes “Trotsky-fascists”) because of the latter’s connections with the cabal of bankers when in exile in New York before the Revolution.
September 10, 2017
Indeed your comments are on the money. However, continuing in the BBC mould is the Andrew Marr patsy interviews when not one of the comments you make were put to Mr Blair. It was just straight one sided propaganda that your Government allows to continue. Why are we taxed to pay for this. The BBC must be reformed or sold off.
September 10, 2017
Marr did ask him about his decision to allow unrestricted numbers of new EU citizens freedom of movement. The redacted cabinet minutes in which this was described as ‘socially useful’ was not mentioned, unfortunately. Most people took this as meaning ‘useful for votes for Labour’. (published in the Daily Telegraph)
September 10, 2017
@ Timeaction
The BBC must be reformed or sold off.
Sold off, it has totally gone too far to ever being able to reform itself.
September 10, 2017
Over the years before the EU referendum there were various opinion polls which showed that the UK electorate includes a small eurofederalist core, maybe 3% or 5% who are want a single European government superior to our national government.
Of course Tony Blair is one of those extremists who puts his loyalty to the EU well above his loyalty to the UK, and who wishes to see his eurofederalist preference imposed on the rest of us; like many other politicians in both Houses of Parliament he perjured himself whenever he took the Oath of Allegiance.
However it is important to recognise that he and his despicable kind are not typical of those who voted to Remain in the EU, most of which 16.1 million were unfortunately misled into forming an honest but incorrect judgment by quislings like him.
September 10, 2017
J, The man turns my stomach. It’s not just about immigration but he will do his utmost to stop us leaving. I remember when he was about to leave office and reportedly said “I’ve had enough thanks very much” The iconic picture of Maggie leaving Downing St for the last will always stay with me – she wanted to stay on and lead our country but the backbench backstabber’s made sure she was ousted. I can only hope that TM doesn’t suffer the same treatment…I’ll be up all night tomorrow until the ECA division happens.
September 10, 2017
Dr Redwood – he is just showing his true colours. Blair is an EX politician who doesn’t want the EU gravy train he is a passenger on to come to a stop. His only concerns are for his own interests. No one should listen to a ‘has been’ like him who has been completely discredited over the Iraq war.
It says a lot about the BBC though in even having him on the Marr Show. Barrell and scraping are words which come to mind.
September 10, 2017
Wow – he really gets your lot worried, more so than the official opposition!
September 10, 2017
You are funny !
I love it when Blair intervenes. The man is highly toxic and the death of any cause he stands for these days.
September 10, 2017
The death of any cause except his own property portfolio, that is – of which I see he is still heavily investing in London ‘despite’ Brexit.
September 10, 2017
In fact if anyone is responsible for Brexit it is Blair.
September 10, 2017
Martin, Blair’s policies are the same as the official Opposition’s.
September 10, 2017
I have long since ignored him and suggest you do the same.
September 10, 2017
My comment is this, that there is too much talk about taking back control. Me, for my part, would like to know who is going to be able to exercise all of this control? ..the politicians and big business maybe but certainly not the people..and don’t give me the old stuff about democracy and the vote.
The real problem for Britain and more especially England for centuries now has been the extent of the ‘class’ differences that exists throughout the land. All countries have a system of class difference but no where on earth so pronounced as the English class system- and that is the real problem holding britain back- because the lower orders mainly too often defer to the better offs, toffs, upper classes, and these guys don’t always have the imagination and drive to see a more progressive safer way forward. This is why I believe that we are in this terrible fix at the moment..it all comes back to 350 on the side of a bus and whether you believed it or not..not exactly democracy
September 10, 2017
If the lower orders had listened to the rich elites they would have voted to remain.
September 10, 2017
James, The £350 million per week figure is correct as the gross bill we are charged by the EU (£18 billion/year, for 2015). We get about half of that back (spent as the EU dictates, not us) as VoteLeave said.
The example on the side of the VoteLeave bus was “Let’s fund the NHS instead”. The money we save by not sending it to the EU could indeed be used to fund the NHS, and/or to fund a UK space program, and/or to lower taxes and/or continue the same subsidies for half of it, and/or etc etc.
If all you’ve got to complain about is a slogan on the side of a bus, when Remain were pushing absurd notions such as: for every £1 we put into the EU we get back nearly £10; or an immediate austerity budget; or economic shock; or even WW3 in Europe, then you need to put things in perspective.
September 10, 2017
What he is now proposing is what should have happened during the Blair ministry’s major negotiations with the EU: back in 2003 or at the latest 2006 before we got the Lisbon Treaty. If If Blair was concerned for his legacy, he should have deepened Britain’s disengagement and realignment from the EU and took us back into EFTA on terms favourable to the federalists (similar to Norway’s arrangements). That would have preserved Britain’s relationship with the EU on terms more favourable to both. The ultra-federalists don’t want us in the inner core, at the same time they want to control us, while the British Left like the internationalist and cosmopolitan aspects of the EU and its tendency towards corporatism, labourism and multi-culturalism.
We need to leave completely. Blair and his party were too arrogant to see the benefits of an accommodation, and also lacked the insight to recognise that the British, especially English, public would in time turn on the EU, resulting in us leaving completely (which it looks like is what is going to happen).
Blair and the Left’s basic problem – they don’t understand the British people. It’s no surprise they hate us and want to replace us.
It’s too late for a Flexcit-style solution now. You’ve had your chips.
September 10, 2017
Tom Rogers – Blair did not want to change relations with the EU. He was enjoying ‘rubbing our noses in diversity’ at the time.
There were always going to be consequences to this.
Here they are.
September 10, 2017
Off-topic, tomorrow when MPs resume their debate on the EU withdrawal Bill I hope one of them will remind the others about the so-called “Abolition of Parliament Bill” that Labour introduced in 2006:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legislative_and_Regulatory_Reform_Act_2006
As well as the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, and of course the European Communities Act 1972 itself …
September 10, 2017
Blair thinks that we can “tackle the problems from within the EU”
Cameron was sent away with a pat on the head and nothing to offer us yet had to sell it to us as a good deal in true “Emperor’s new clothes” fashion. The EU doesn’t do us any favours and never has.
Isn’t this the same Tony Blair who”negotiated” away part of our hard won rebate in exchange for CAP reforms? How many of those promised reforms have been implemented? None !!
Isn’t this the same Tony Blair who as “Middle East peace envoy” has overseen more bloodshed and instability in the Middle East than we have ever seen before?
Fortunately we don’t need to worry about this self serving things as he remains in complete denial of the fact that despite a rather full playing field he remains the most despised politician presently in the UK
September 10, 2017
I suspect that he was fronting for the EU, who of course have form for ignoring the results of democratic referendum and eventually, after massing their supporters, cause another to be held to produce the result they require (e.g. France, Ireland etc).
We already see signs of mass rallies to encourage a second referendum, yet hear little or nothing from the government setting out the real benefits of leaving (as some aptly call it) ‘the evil empire’ aka the EU. The message should be spread far and wide to all – the EU does not believe in or do democracy and that is why it is imperative that we leave it and regain our own, sovereign independence so treacherously given away by successive governments since 1972.
September 10, 2017
Yes, he could be a covert mouthpiece for Juncker. Have they finally realised that we will leave the EU, and leave a big hole in their finances?
September 10, 2017
The EU side knows that the UK has no chance of making the trade deals so widely promised with other countries worldwide so it’s playing hard ball..eventually an agreement will be workrd out where we continue on inside the customs union.. EU migrants will continue to come as they please..and for all of that we will have tariff free access to the EU market. But we will not have a vote on any EU mattets. It could end up that both Northern Ireland and Gibraltar will have to remain inside of the EU bloc. What a mess
September 10, 2017
They know that, do they? Or do you just hope that will prove to be the case?
September 10, 2017
Larry, Alternatively, we could actually leave the EU which is what we voted for.
September 10, 2017
I am relieved that you are not in charge of negotiating Brexit, larryB.
September 10, 2017
Mr. Blair is the ultimate EU supporter who believes that our final destination should be that the EU governs the UK and takes complete control of our elections and referendums (ignore them), money, laws, borders, assets, trading relationships, foreign and energy policies and the military etc..
Any EU negotiating concessions he would be attempting to use to con the people of the UK to not leave the “ever closer union” would be simply be a trick.
September 10, 2017
I put in a official complaint on the BBC site about this Andrew Marr interview.
Mr Marr gave some 20 minutes of airtime to Blair on a clearly controversial political issue, without allowing ANY time for someone like Mr. Redwood to expose Blair’s worthless scheme.
The BBC is listing heavily to the left and has huge anti-Brexit bias, I hope it eventually sinks it.
September 10, 2017
Good luck with your complaint. They have a “procedure” which is well designed to thwart even the most obviously justified criticism. You need to be prepared for a series of appeals on a timescale which makes it easy form them to filibuster their way out.
September 10, 2017
There is a huge problem which the government seems to have no intention of solving, and that is the complete lack of an effective rebuttal mechanism to deal with all the false claims of the Remainers, nor is there, even more importantly, a well organised unit for promoting the huge advantages of leaving the EU. This inexplicable complacency by government may well be the cause of its downfall. Something has to be done urgently. (The recent local elections are revealing where the Cons lost in 5 of 9 seats, some with very striking swings away from the Cons).
Mr Redwood, can you impress upon colleagues the seriousness of the situation out in the country? I fear that some Conservatives in government seem dangerously self satisfied.
September 10, 2017
I wish JR would do that. He must see how the Remoaners are being allowed to get away with propagating total tripe and how this must eventually undermine the government in general and its EU negotiating position in particular.
September 10, 2017
Let us not forget that he was very keen on joining the Euro, indeed the DTI set up a programme to support and promote it to SMEs and as far as his blatant disregard for the referendum vote is concerned, he disregarded the biggest public demonstration ever against the Iraq war and dissembled to Parliament to get the vote he needed. I don’t think I can remember another politician so detested across the whole political divide.
As an example Even Andrew Marr who would have once deferred to him was quite abrasive.
September 10, 2017
JR, This is a repeat posting of the one I submitted to your first offering of the day immediately after I had witnessed Blair’s TV performance. If you believe in neatness and that some things are worth repeating, the previous posting belongs naturally in this section. – DP
____________________________________________________________
Have just seen Anthony of Iraq on TV rubbishing Brexit and Brexiteers, pressing for a second referendum etc., etc.
One could write a book to refute his arguments, but that would take too long. So, I offer a simple rule of thumb, by which to assess Anthony’s words.
“You can always tell when he is lying – he opens his mouth!”
September 10, 2017
I keep complaining to the BBC about the bias on the Marr interviews but they have no effect, perhaps Bliar just needs to feel wanted.
In the meantime my poor old telly has to suffer obscenities until I can get to the TV controller.
September 10, 2017
Blair’s interventions reassure me that I was right to vote Leave.
(I did not do so thoughtlessly or lightly.)
September 10, 2017
Tony Blair’s intervention into all this is a BREXTIERS dream come true. He is so loathed, even by members of his own party, that anything he says usually is of more help than hindrance.
One thing I have always noticed is that those like him only deliver in monologue. That is, they never enter into debates on the subject with those of the opposing view or, interviewers who would ask very searching questions on their positions. Tony Blair does not command his brief or hold any real sway. He can only simply talk for ‘others’ who would rather be left unknown in the shadows.
Fear him not !
September 10, 2017
Yes, Blair heaped faint praise of mass proportion on Corbyn today. That won’t have gone unnoticed in traditional Labour ranks. – Useful ammo for mass de-selection of Blairites!
I agree, Blair now has a reverse Midas Touch.
September 10, 2017
Taking back control of our money Yes?- so is this to 350 Mill per week we were promised as extra for the NHS I wonder? and Yes- Blair told porkies- huge ones in fact especially over the WMD in Iraq that resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths- but Yes others still in situ also told huge porkies about Brexit- remember 350 on the back of the bus and also all of that talk about taking back control of migration our money and the fisheries etc etc.
Well it was all pie in the sky stuff I’m afraid- we’re gonna have to settle for whatever deal we can get with the EU – there are no new global trade deals pending out there- this is it- ‘as good as it gets’
Reply On the contrary we must take back control, of our money and laws, and spend the cash on our priorities.
September 10, 2017
The biggest lie in the referendum was told by Remain and this was that the EU is in a steady state. (It is in a terrible state of instability and flux, in fact.)
Not one Remainer argued on the basis of what a great and exciting future the EU offered – primarily because there isn’t one.
All they had to pedal was Project Fear.
Their’s was negative campaigning from start to finish and people took more notice of that than a silly Battle Bus slogan.
September 10, 2017
charlesD -” so is this to 350 Mill per week we were promised as extra for the NHS I wonder?”
There was no promise – read the bus poster again.
September 11, 2017
Dennis. In case you hadn’t noticed, we haven’t left yet. We are still doling out this money that could be spent at home to the EU. I resent having to pay them a penny over and above what we are legally bound to.
September 10, 2017
Another pseudonymous eurofederalist troll …
September 10, 2017
Blair goes off to the EU last week and gets all kissy-kissy with Junker then comes back with this double-dealing traitorous outburst.
The man’s arrogance knows no limits. I resent his constant interventions. Clearly he no democrat, nor has he any respect for this country and it’s people.
He was a wrong ‘un in my opinion from the start.
September 10, 2017
All this stuff about Tony Blair: remember he was the (democratically) elected man for his time. Re Iraq, its easy to forget what a tyrant Saddam was, and if you were an Israeli, with scud missiles reigning down on your loved ones, you might be grateful for the intervention by the American led coalition. That does not mean everything was right then, nor his passion for the EU now, which (I am told) is certainly no friend of Israel. However, I agree Mr Blair’s intervention is misplaced and counterproductive, albeit he is entitled to his views.
September 10, 2017
Mr Blair is openly and consistently hostile to his own party’s vestiges of democracy and that of our electoral/voting system. It is a point of view and one which he shares with the late Saddam Hussein
September 10, 2017
A local bi-election Labour leaflet in a ward close to mine just distributed says much and an eerie Nothingness about the state of the Labour Party. Without exaggeration it is bland. No exotic ultra expensive promises. Naturally no mention of Corbyn.But no mention of the EU, Brexit. No mention, believe it or not, of the NHS!!!!!! Just “protecting services from the Tories”
My guess, as and I have never ever seen such a nothing-leaflet from any party, is that the local Labour outfit is frightened to death of presenting ANYTHING to Labour HQ with a hope of it being authorised as party policy. Labour, prior to its National Conference soon, is actually stuck for words. Chaos!
September 10, 2017
I just don’t like that word ‘control’ it has a bad connotation- it is used too much and sound to me very like “i am the controller so better watch out and do as I say or else”. So then when we consider control are we thinking of political control? the government for instance, the police, the army? or are we just thinking about collective responsibility exercised by responsible individuals on our behalf in a stable and enlightened enviornment? Or is it a type of control to keep everyone in line? Control by itself just doesn’t sit right because it is open to abuse- by people and by politicians who can’t be trusted either because they often get it confused with power. So then what difference does it make to the little man in the street whether the control is UK or EU?
September 10, 2017
Well Blair can’t need the money via interviews. Surely he does not figure on a comeback as Leader? Otherwise it is hard knowing his motive. He stands more chance of being Leader of a new party challenging Corbyn’s Party ( let us not call it the Labour Party anymore ). It would be an awful gamble for existing MPs resigning and joining the Blair Party, maybe. It would depend on just how many and who they were. ‘Afraid a “Gang of Four” was several MPs too few to swing it. But suppose 50% of Labour MPs and Ms Soubry and Ms Morgan and one or two others were to join. One can envisage the latter saying with wide open innocent eyes they have ALWAYS supported Labour values without blinking. Vince Cable might join as being a joiner would suit him admirably.
September 10, 2017
Surely one of Tony Blair’s EU insider friends could explain to him that this sort of deal is just not available. Even though I never liked him, Blair used to be a great politician, but he is not the man he used to be and should now retire.
September 11, 2017
ChrisShalford
Blair has become blinded by the phrase “Show me the money”.
September 10, 2017
I stopped voting Labour when Tony Blair being their leader. He was an obvious charleton whose 2005 manifesto lie for a referendum on the EU Constitution (which he reneged in immediately after winning) was a stain on British democracy. I am glad to say however I never voted for Philip Hammond who was my MP in the 2001 and 2005 elections, who is a bigger danger to Brexit than Blair now. I note that since Hammond’s recent trip to Ireland the Irish government have been pushing for the UK to stay in the customs union which would prevent new FTAs covering 25% of British exports which if enacted would be a bulwark against any future attempts to rejoin the EU.
September 10, 2017
I think the warnings by Varoufakis are significant:
http://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/852417/brexit-negotiations-michel-barnier-theresa-may-Yanis-Varoufakis
“…..Writing in the Sunday Times, he said this showed Brussels was going out of its way to hurt Britain and scupper negotiations for a mutually beneficial deal.
He said: “This is what one demands if one seeks to ruin a negotiation in advance.
“Under the guise of negotiations it [is forcing] May and her team to expend all their energies negotiating for the right to negotiate.”
This seems to be exactly what is happening and so much energy is being diverted away from the crux of the matter. Of course we have a right to negotiate. The UK should not stand for the EU nonsense. We have a position of power, and right is on our side.
Appeasement and jumping through hoops will not win us Brexit.
September 10, 2017
Well one thing Blair is correct about is that immigration is on its own seen as one of the biggest problems this country faces, and on its own probably a bigger problem than the EU dictat from Brussels, the money wasting, and all the other nonsense we know about.
What he has not spotted is that messing around and just reducing a little the unskilled import of workers from the EU is not going to be enough. And having said that neither have most of the political class including the government.
We need a much bigger radical overhaul of the immigration system, including the stupid way intra company transfer visas are abused on a massive scale, the way off shoring is allowed to work, the way we have handed out indefinite leave to remain to many for simply working here on work visas a while, and so on.
So yea I hate Blair, but at least he has twigged that immigration is a massive problem, but he aint seen the half of it, or coming up with anything remotely decent to improve the situation.
It amazes me that the political class simply dont dare face up to facts on this topic.
Its like the emperor’s new clothes most of us can see the reality, yet nobody in the press or politics is prepared to say it. Same as the NHS a national religion where any common sense is suppressed.
We need to do a lot better.
Blair though should be ashamed and keep his head down he is an absolute disgrace.
September 11, 2017
Blair and Corbyn are two sides of the same coin – both have no integrity and shift positions/lie constantly – but this is what so many voted for – One has to ask why these voters are so gullible.
I always suspected blair was trying to “re-engineer” our society, and he did it to the degree that we are more susceptible to following the path laid down by socialists – no longer do enough people, especially the young, have any concept of the damage done by the likes of blair and corbyn. The unfortunate truth is that blair made socialism attractive
September 11, 2017
Blair, the Prime Minister who promised so much but gave so little. He took us to war under false pretences where thousands were killed, £Billions spent and multi-National families decimated. Yet, he becomes a multi millionaire after the fact and gives nothing back. Where is the justice?