It is good fortune that no less a person than Mr Blair himself will shortly tell us in a speech that Mr Cameron is not his heir. In typical Blair style he has of course already told us by leaking his own remarks in advance of bothering to tell his chosen audience.
The phrase “heir to Blair” was always two edged. To its supporters it meant another popular charismatic leader capable of making his party voter friendly enough to win after a long period in opposition – nothing wrong with that. To its critics it threatened to lumber the new Conservative Leader with Blair’s spin, his wars and his sofa style of politics.
The more reminders we can have of the deceits and the wars of the Blair era the better from the Conservative point of view. Mr Blair’s attempt to create pure red water between himself and Mr C is most helpful. Long may he intervene.
March 29, 2010
It's quite something when the PM who presided over 11 of the last 13 years of waste, lies, corruption and broken promises thinks he is the person to warn the electorate about the 'dangers' of a Tory Government.
Does he really not know how much he is detested?
March 29, 2010
It is a real conundrum to determine whether Blair or Brown is the most damaging force in this Country's sad decline.
March 29, 2010
The proper phrase is surely "air too, Blair" – puffed up like a mille feuille pastry, but in practice totally lacking in content. Even the jam tomorrow and cream for the fat cat have proved artificial.
March 29, 2010
On another site I have suggested that he should be greeted everywhere he goes by placards with the words "No Regets" over pictures of the war dead, maybe that will get home to him the depths of loathing he now brings to most people in the UK
March 29, 2010
Might I suggest also "I sent your kids not mine"
March 29, 2010
Good one!
March 29, 2010
Blair a "charismatic" leader? He never charmed me. I never liked him from the word go, such a creep. I never understood why the majority of UK voters fell for the fellow, still don't. I don't usually go for conspiracy theories, but in Blair's case, something was very likely up, either that or I just don't fit in with the majority in this here country.
March 29, 2010
You are not alone in feeling apparently detached from the rest of the country.
From the very beginning the appearance of Blair on the TV or radio caused me to immediately change channels or switch off. I detested the man and foolishly thought that things couldn’t get any worse, until Brown took the lead.
To my mind Blair and Brown are entirely without honour – the worst of all possible traits to see in anyone purporting to be the leader of our once proud nation.
March 29, 2010
I was under the impression from media reports that Mr Blair doesn't go anywhere without a lot of armed guards* these days so his impact on the election will surely be minimal since apart from anything else, Mr Brown is not famous for his love of Mr Blair. Also if the Iraq inquiry was anything to go by, any public appearance would surely attract a significant number of protestors which may blunt the impact of anything he says.
(* It is of course entirely right, that anyone who feels himself threatened should be able to avail himself of guns for his own protection, and a neat metaphor for the whole nu-labour project that such a right, enjoyed by the elite, is banned by the same elite for ordinary people).
March 29, 2010
We can also do without Blair's messianic Christrianity. "We don't do God." You've got to be joking. Blair announced his conversion to Catholicism after leaving office but I suspect that he was a closet Catholic all along. It showed in his EU policy, his Northern Ireland policy, his anti-Serb bias and the wars he chose to start. He was a lot more bellicose than Clinton.
March 29, 2010
True enough, Mr R. The problem is that people are now wary of young men in glossy suits.
Many of us have nightmares about Blair and don't want another – it's a big mistake for Mr Cameron to make any such association.
Saatchi and Saatchi have it bang on the money. Be direct. Be excoriating. Get them on the ground and keep kicking them.
March 29, 2010
Possibly the "heir to Blair" soundbite was also intended to set up cognitive dissonance in the minds of Labour voters, by reminding them that Blair was successful because he, in turn, was heir to Margaret Thatcher.
March 29, 2010
Blair and Brown = Boom and Bust.
I think this is great news for DC.
The fact that Blair wants to come back to defend the indefensible just exposes his awful vanity.
Blair and Brown are two of the poorest PM's this country has had. Brown shaves it because of his thoroughly unpleasant personality.
But let's never forget that the trashing of UK plc happened under a Labour government. So nothing new about that.
I pray the voters will not sleep walk into giving Brown another go at wrecking the economy.
JR the attack dogs need to be unleashed on this discredited duo. Go get them!
March 29, 2010
"Blair and Brown = Boom and Bust"
That is a poster if ever I saw one ~ quite brilliant
March 29, 2010
Off message, but congratulations with the new ads. The media say this is dirty war, but that is just propaganda.
It is not character assassination but policy assassination and the points are well made and fair. It is the first sign of
a willingness to fight and could well win the elections for you.
March 30, 2010
I've got to agree with this.
March 29, 2010
As a matter of interest, can anybody think of any other Prime Minister who left Parliament completely, i.e. did not return to the Commons or go on to the Lords apart from Blair? Most PMs saw it as their duty to serve their country and share their experience rather than just go out to make money. That I think makes Blair the most contemptible of politicians.
March 29, 2010
Eden?
though of course the circumstances were different, although as I write this, I ponder on failed inteventions in the middle east for both of 'em….
March 30, 2010
Eden became the Earl of Avon and I imagine sat in the Lords, although I don't know much about his post Suez career. When I was young Suez was held up for constant ridicule as Tory foreign policy blundering. Yet it does not seem to me so bad, certainly not compared to Iraq (second time around) and Aghanistan.
March 30, 2010
I had a quick look at wikipedia but it did not help save for this very interesting point
"A medical mishap would change the course of Eden’s life forever. During an operation in 1953 to remove gallstones, Eden's bile duct was damaged, allegedly making him susceptible to recurrent infections and attacks of violent pain and fevers. To overcome this weakness Eden was prescribed Benzedrine, the wonder drug of the 1950s. Regarded by doctors in the 1950s as a harmless stimulant, it belongs to the family of drugs called amphetamines. During this time amphetamines were prescribed and used in a very casual way. Among the side effects of Benzedrine are Insomnia, restlessness and mood swings, all of which Eden actually suffered during the Suez Crisis. His drug use is now commonly agreed to have been a part of the reason for the Prime Minister's ill judgment"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Eden#Retirem…
Wow, a prime minister making drug-based decisions about the UK armed forces in a conflict ~ Thank God it couldn't happen nowadays.
March 29, 2010
Personalities are all very well. What a lot of us want to see is substance not spin.
How about more manufacturing industry in this country? The present government has only bothered about an economy of Finance, Shops, Councils and Fast Food/Pubs.
March 29, 2010
Martin, There are some specific substances I would like to see Blair spinning face down in.
March 29, 2010
I suppose Blair will be charging them a lot more than the £5000 a day that Byers et al were dreaming of.
March 31, 2010
My goodness! Tony Blair is morphing into Montgomery Burns from 'The Simpsons'! 🙂 🙂 🙂
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/03/30/article…
May 4, 2010
It’s quite something when the PM who presided over 11 of the last 13 years of waste, lies, corruption and broken promises thinks he is the person to warn the electorate about the ‘dangers’ of a Tory Government.
May 7, 2010
On another site I have suggested that he should be greeted everywhere he goes by placards with the words “No Regets” over pictures of the war dead, maybe that will get home to him the depths of loathing he now brings to most people in the UK
May 27, 2010
I suppose Blair will be charging them a lot more than the £5000 a day that Byers et al were dreaming of.