Tag: Blair

The Darkling Plain of Cold War II

A spectre is haunting Europe; the spectre of Cold War II!

Leaked Blair Memo

Blair slams 'vacuous' Brown in leaked note

The Guardain

· PM accused of 'lamentable confusion'
· Memo escalates Labour's civil war

"Tony Blair accused Gordon Brown of generating 'hubris and vacuity' in a devastating private memo analysing his mistakes, which last night threatened to blow a hole in the heart of government.

The former prime minister believed his successor had presided over a 'lamentable confusion of tactics and strategy', attacking Blair's record instead of building on it and failing to spell out an agenda for the future, according to the scathing note penned after last September's chaotic Labour party conference. Such tactics would not win the next election, he concluded.
The note leaked to the Mail on Sunday newspaper now threatens to trigger open warfare within New Labour, with its emergence so soon after David Miliband's broadside against the Prime Minister which was seen as part of an orchestrated plot to destabilise Brown by those loyal to his predecessor.

Brown and Blair are bullies and cowards, say their colleagues

Labour MP, Bob Marshall-Andrews, is an Honorary Associate of the National Secular Society and a Distinguished Supporter of the British Humanist Association, but despite this, I like his maverick style. He has some honour and sense of fairness: traits not normally associated with many of his colleagues of late.

On his official website at epolitix.com, we are reminded of the unceremonious ejection of Walter Wolfgang from the 2005 Labour Conference with an article entitled, "Our PM Is Nothing But A Bully - Just Ask Old Walter."

The frail 82-year old Mr Wolfgang, who has devoted his life to the Labour Party, had the audacity to propose that Jack Straw was being less than honest about Iraq.

Mr Marshall-Andrews writes: 'For this offence Mr Wolfgang is seized by a massive, apparently anonymous "steward", physically manhandled from his own conference and detained by police as a suspected terrorist. A nearby delegate, attempting to intervene, is himself assaulted by another massive example of New Labour's finest. Hours later, Blair delivers an apology wholly typical of the man. "I'm sorry," he says, "but I wasn't there."'


My vision for the future

A Labourhome member writes

New Labour is dead in the water; its electoral credibility has been shattered and it's time we took a long hard look in the mirror, remember what we believe in, what we joined this great party for and look to the future. Gordon is the past, and he needs to go sooner rather than later if we are to remain a force in British politics. Here's my vision for the future, not for now, not necessarily for 2010 but for the long term health of the party.

The invisible hand of Blair?

I was pondering this on my blog...Did blair engineer the 10p tax fiasco, knowing fine well that Brown would have to deal with it and would probably bugger it up?

We should welcome debate says Compass Chair Neal Lawson

The statement launched by Progress today is to be welcomed. Not because they are right but because it helps spark a debate. So far its largely Compass saying that Brown needs to up his game. Now there is contestability over which direction and the more free market elements of Labour’s big tent will presumably welcome an injection of political competition.

Blair Converts

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7157409.stm

I wonder what the Palestinians and Israelis think of their envoy now?

Brown so far - the verdict

Following Brown's grilling by the Commons' liaison committee, now seems an appropriate time to briefly assess how he's doing...

Middle East: Power games and mission impossible

Richard Bridger predicts that Tony Blair will fail in his Middle East task, but not necessarily for obvious reasons

Is Brown reversing Blair's reforms?

The think-thank Reform has a interesting report setting out how in the 1st month of the Brown era, a reverse gear has been found on the public sector reforms we saw during the Blair era.  Many I guess will welcome this, but as the Reform report point's out the 'inital decisions will impose an upwards pressure on public sector costs'.

Blair's legacy to Labour: debt

The Electoral Commission published the 2006 Statement of Accounts for the major political parties yesterday. Labour's can be downloaded here. They show the outgoing Leader left the Party with debts of £24.86 million.

Tony's Legacy?

US reporting vs UK Reporting

Blair questioned for third time...

in cash for honours inquiry, but no reports as to whether it was as a witness (as in both previous interviews) or suspect.

Great Political Myths

The Guardian's excellent Parliamentary scketchwriter Simon Hoggart has a new series on great political myths on Radio 4's Westminister Hour.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/the_westminster_hour/6234940.stm

In the first part he shows that President Bush did not say 'yo Blair' at the G8 in Russia but in fact said 'yeah Blair'.  He also demolishes some myth's about Dennis Healy and Jim Callaghan.  Well worth a listen!

Brown Intervenes in EU Summit to Protect Neo Liberalism

I just don't beleive it.

Blair is right about the press

In his recent Reuters speech Tony Blair argued that "attacking motive is far more potent than attacking judgment; it is not enough for someone to make an error, it has to be venal." He is right. In today's media comment and reporting have merged into the same thing.

Talking about the 24 hour news agenda Blair stated that "things harden within minutes. You can't let speculation stay out there longer than an instant." In other words, make an error within the first few minutes of a story breaking and what was a mere 'problem' can fast become a major crisis.

As Michael White has argued in today's Guardian, politicians are accountable but journalists are...



Rory Bremner and a random poll

Do you watch Bremner, Bird and Fortune?
If so who do you think he impersonates best?
Who is the Labour politician he impersonates best in your opinion?


Remember one of the most brave men in Labour politics

I have just seen this video on youtube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heWJuAPO9zw