BLAIR, his latest intervention. Should he shut up ?

[Troubleatmill]

A few years back I shared a few days with one of Blair’s speechwriters.

His insight into how vain and insecure he was about his public image was hilarious.

[Halb]

'ragequit.' That's a good word.

[Getragdogleg]

Troubleatmill said:

A few years back I shared a few days with one of Blair’s speechwriters.

His insight into how vain and insecure he was about his public image was hilarious.

That fills me with joy, he is the one person I deeply dislike and I would love him to know it.

[Mothersruin]

Getragdogleg said:

... and I would love him to know it.

He'd not care - he thinks he's a much better person than you (or I) and your opinion is only valid if it agrees with his.

[glazbagun]

El stovey said:

There is a great interview between Alistair Campbell and Tony Blair a while back. It’s a bit long but fascinating to see how Blair views his fall in popularity and accusations of being in it for the money from Campbell. It also covers brexit, the Iraq war, Corbyn etc.

I doubt many people here will last more than 10 mins before they ragequit but I found it very interesting.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Nu-J16VQho8

The angry comments alone make it worth a look.

Really enjoyed that. Couldn't help Campbell was bleeding more of his own views than digging for Blairs though.

• edit* Ooof, we've just got to Brexit. Can see people going nuclear now.

Edited by glazbagun on Saturday 3rd March 17:01

[poo at Paul's]

glazbagun said:

El stovey said:

There is a great interview between Alistair Campbell and Tony Blair a while back. It’s a bit long but fascinating to see how Blair views his fall in popularity and accusations of being in it for the money from Campbell. It also covers brexit, the Iraq war, Corbyn etc.

I doubt many people here will last more than 10 mins before they ragequit but I found it very interesting.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Nu-J16VQho8

The angry comments alone make it worth a look.

Really enjoyed that. Couldn't help Campbell was bleeding more of his own views than digging for Blairs though.

• edit* Ooof, we've just got to Brexit. Can see people going nuclear now.

Edited by glazbagun on Saturday 3rd March 17:01

I too found it interesting and urge more to watch it all the way through. If you can hang in and get to the end, follow it VERY carefully, and listen specifically to the content, you notice that they are a right pair of massive s

[anonymous-user]

poo at Paul's said:

I too found it interesting and urge more to watch it all the way through. If you can hang in and get to the end, follow it VERY carefully, and listen specifically to the content, you notice that they are a right pair of massive s

I don't need to watch a video to know that.

[Perseverant]

I've little time for TB at the best of times, but it's inevitable that at this time lots of politicians get on to the talking platform to air their views. We have a weak PM desperately holding her party together whilst it's propped up by the DUP - a set of bogtrotting bigots who hate their equally deranged oppos. Give TB some credit for the Good Friday deal at least, though it's turned out well now!
Here's an idea now - just give the North to Eire which would solve the border problem at a stroke - and bring the DUP lot to London as a sort of pretend government in exile. Job done!

[anonymous-user]

For balance, shall we look at the good things (if any) Tony Blair did?

The good Friday agreement. (Possibly stealing Major’s homework)
Helped restore peace in Kosovo (see above)
Built loads of cycle paths
Minimum wage
Let Bank of England control interest rates.
Gave tax breaks to the film (and gaming) industry and made the UK a centre of film making excellence.

The fall of the Major government was a bit miserable and grey full of infighting and sleazy behaviour and Blair smashed in with an upbeat message and market led centrist politics. it was all pretty good for most people in the late nineties as Blair and brown rode an economic wave. Blair got re-elected he was PM for 10 years. He was even the first labour prime minister to win a full second term,

Obviously it all went wrong for him in the end like some kind of Shakespeare tragedy with the whole Iraq lies and Campbell’s endless Machiavellian spin and dodgy stuff with Blair’s family properties and Brown selling the gold cheap and then the damaging raid on people’s pensions.

I can’t think of many public figures apart from maybe lance Armstrong or Jimmy Savile that have had bigger falls in popularity.

I expect for many, it was the fact that so many people bought into his new labour and Cool Britannia that the war and the fact that we’re still feeling effects from it today make him now such a toxic figure.

Before anyone calls me names, I never voted for him.

[Countdown]

El stovey said:

I can’t think of many public figures apart from maybe lance Armstrong or Jimmy Savile that have had bigger falls in popularity.

I don't think he's as hated by the general public as the views on PH might suggest. I actually think he would have won a fourth term if he'd been standing against Cameron.

[Robertj21a]

Countdown said:

I don't think he's as hated by the general public as the views on PH might suggest. I actually think he would have won a fourth term if he'd been standing against Cameron.

Really ?? - seriously ?

I don't think the views expressed on PH are any different to those of the general public - a smarmy liar.

[FN2TypeR]

Perseverant said:

I've little time for TB at the best of times, but it's inevitable that at this time lots of politicians get on to the talking platform to air their views. We have a weak PM desperately holding her party together whilst it's propped up by the DUP - a set of bogtrotting bigots who hate their equally deranged oppos. Give TB some credit for the Good Friday deal at least, though it's turned out well now!
Here's an idea now - just give the North to Eire which would solve the border problem at a stroke - and bring the DUP lot to London as a sort of pretend government in exile. Job done!

fk me, so simple; why didn't the government call you for advice earlier?

[anonymous-user]

Countdown said:

El stovey said:

I can’t think of many public figures apart from maybe lance Armstrong or Jimmy Savile that have had bigger falls in popularity.

I don't think he's as hated by the general public as the views on PH might suggest. I actually think he would have won a fourth term if he'd been standing against Cameron.

In the interview I linked to above, even he admits his image is a bit toxic. Campbell certainly says it is anyway and Blair seems to agree. I’m sure I’ve even seen ex blairite MPs describe him as toxic when he was re-emerging into politics after brexit.

I would be interested to see if he managed to set up a center left (blairite obv) Party with the blairite labour MPs would people go for it? Berlusconi seems to be back in Italy, perhaps during uncertain times there’s an apetite for once popular but controversial ex leaders?

I doubt many labour MPs would want to get behind his tainted brand these days though.

[Countdown]

Robertj21a said:

Really ?? - seriously ?

I don't think the views expressed on PH are any different to those of the general public - a smarmy liar.

I'm not sure how accurate this is.

https://yougov.co.uk/opi/browse/Tony_Blair

He's rated slightly better than Nigel Farage and slightly worse than Theresa May / David Cameron.

[anonymous-user]

Countdown said:

Robertj21a said:

Really ?? - seriously ?

I don't think the views expressed on PH are any different to those of the general public - a smarmy liar.

I'm not sure how accurate this is.

https://yougov.co.uk/opi/browse/Tony_Blair

He's rated slightly better than Nigel Farage and slightly worse than Theresa May / David Cameron.

Looks pretty bad for Tony, tbh

Maybe all politicians get similar ratings.

[glazbagun]

El stovey said:

For balance, shall we look at the good things (if any) Tony Blair did?

The good Friday agreement. (Possibly stealing Major’s homework)
Helped restore peace in Kosovo (see above)
Built loads of cycle paths
Minimum wage
Let Bank of England control interest rates.
Gave tax breaks to the film (and gaming) industry and made the UK a centre of film making excellence.

The fall of the Major government was a bit miserable and grey full of infighting and sleazy behaviour and Blair smashed in with an upbeat message and market led centrist politics. it was all pretty good for most people in the late nineties as Blair and brown rode an economic wave. Blair got re-elected he was PM for 10 years. He was even the first labour prime minister to win a full second term,

Obviously it all went wrong for him in the end like some kind of Shakespeare tragedy with the whole Iraq lies and Campbell’s endless Machiavellian spin and dodgy stuff with Blair’s family properties and Brown selling the gold cheap and then the damaging raid on people’s pensions.

I can’t think of many public figures apart from maybe lance Armstrong or Jimmy Savile that have had bigger falls in popularity.

I expect for many, it was the fact that so many people bought into his new labour and Cool Britannia that the war and the fact that we’re still feeling effects from it today make him now such a toxic figure.

To add to your list-
Increased NHS spending, reduced waiting times.
Military Intervention in Sierra Leone
Sale of the 3G licences at auction for £27BN.
Devolution (jury's still out on that one)

I think it's that typical human trait of not wanting to take responsibility for your own mistakes. I was as anti-war as they came during the Iraq invasion and wasn't on PH at the time, but talk to people now and you'd the they were all out there marching at the time- instead he got voted in twice, even as the Lib Dems stole Labour votes under Charles Kennedy.

The idea that people were "tricked" and that only now do people see what fools they were taken for is an illusion people like to tell themselves- we'll see the same from Leave voters if Brexit turns out to be an absolute disaster. People retroactively alter their own memories on how they thought something would turn out depending on how it actually did.

Edited by glazbagun on Sunday 4th March 13:24

[Robertj21a]

I don't think people feel they were tricked (though I never voted for him, so what do I know!), other than the fact that he came in as 'New Labour', with an agenda that could have just as easily been from the Conservatives. He can do a good speech, people were a bit fed up with politics anyway - and the rest is history.
Personally, even allowing for Iraq, I felt his downward spiral started with all the continual 'spin' and the realisation (a bit late in the day) that he was just a smarmy piece of work. He even managed to be married to another nasty piece of work !

All he's done more recently is to remind us how bad he can be, how he thinks he needs to 'save' us, and why few should ever trust him again.

[wc98]

El stovey said:

There is a great interview between Alistair Campbell and Tony Blair a while back. It’s a bit long but fascinating to see how Blair views his fall in popularity and accusations of being in it for the money from Campbell. It also covers brexit, the Iraq war, Corbyn etc.

I doubt many people here will last more than 10 mins before they ragequit but I found it very interesting.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Nu-J16VQho8

The angry comments alone make it worth a look.

thanks for that, very interesting. the narcissism of blair aside i was astounded at how dim campbell came across . i previously had an impression of a manipulative political genius . no wonder people like moving to london for the coin so much if someone that dim can make the career he has.

[glazbagun]

wc98 said:

El stovey said:

There is a great interview between Alistair Campbell and Tony Blair a while back. It’s a bit long but fascinating to see how Blair views his fall in popularity and accusations of being in it for the money from Campbell. It also covers brexit, the Iraq war, Corbyn etc.

I doubt many people here will last more than 10 mins before they ragequit but I found it very interesting.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Nu-J16VQho8

The angry comments alone make it worth a look.

thanks for that, very interesting. the narcissism of blair aside i was astounded at how dim campbell came across . i previously had an impression of a manipulative political genius . no wonder people like moving to london for the coin so much if someone that dim can make the career he has.

Campbell is a former alcoholic who has had a nervous breakdown and a ton of depression related problems over the years, so at 60 he may not be at peak sharpness. That doesn't mean you can't still be really good at your chosen profession, of course.

Having said that, I think that Malcolm Tucker raised the bar. That's a interview I'd pay to see!

Come to think of it, I'd like to see Russel Brand interview Blair, too.

[anonymous-user]

glazbagun said:

I think it's that typical human trait of not wanting to take responsibility for your own mistakes. I was as anti-war as they came during the Iraq invasion and wasn't on PH at the time, but talk to people now and you'd the they were all out there marching at the time- instead he got voted in twice, even as the Lib Dems stole Labour votes under Charles Kennedy.

The idea that people were "tricked" and that only now do people see what fools they were taken for is an illusion people like to tell themselves- we'll see the same from Leave voters if Brexit turns out to be an absolute disaster. People retroactively alter their own memories on how they thought something would turn out depending on how it actually did.

Edited by glazbagun on Sunday 4th March 13:24

There wasn’t an NPandE forum so political threads were rare and not as polarised. The Iraq was war well supported from what I remember.

Creating the NPandE has made it much more argumentative in here for definite. It’s like arguing now has its own arena. Before people would just say it’s a car forum and tell people to shut up.