View Full Version : Tony Blair expected to announce his resignation.
It seems Tony Blair is expected to announce a date for his Resignation What are you views on him as a Prime Minister? He won three elections but will he be remembered for what he did, what he failed to do, or the mistakes he made?
It seems Tony Blair is expected to announce a date for his Resignation What are you views on him as a Prime Minister? He won three elections but will he be remembered for what he did, what he failed to do, or the mistakes he made?
Well that will please at least one regular poster won't it.
North Rhins
09-May-07, 22:44
Do you think we should copy and paste all the posts from ‘Sign the petition to prosecute blair for war crimes’ thread to save some time?
It seems Tony Blair is expected to announce a date for his Resignation What are you views on him as a Prime Minister? He won three elections but will he be remembered for what he did, what he failed to do, or the mistakes he made?
Blair has finally managed to bring peace to Northern Ireland.
Who would have thought that Paisley and McGuinness would have been in the same room, let alone shaking hands and speaking in a civil manner.
On the down side, allowing the raid on pensions by Brown is at least questionable.
It is important breaking news. He has won three elections, he has had his ups and downs, potentially his resignation could save or break the party. I Would like to hear any valid opinions on his time as leader of Britain.
No matter what good things he may have done, i think they will go down in history for being the party of sleaze and scandal.
No matter what good things he may have done, i think they will go down in history for being the party of sleaze and scandal.
I am not keen on the American system of only being in office for two terms, but it seems very difficult for any leader to sustain leadership or the status-quo over extended terms. There have been a few "western" leaders in the past (10-20+ years ago (that I am aware of)) that managed it but fewer and fewer in todays age.
j4bberw0ck
10-May-07, 01:09
He won three elections but will he be remembered for what he did, what he failed to do, or the mistakes he made?
He'll be remembered for Iraq, fittingly. That, and talking lamp-posts.
He won three elections because there wasn't a credible alternative. He's probably quite a nice guy, but unfortunately, decided to be a politician which completely cancels most positive virtues and leaves him departing from a venal, corrupt organisation desperate to hang on to their jobs.
He presided over an addition of 3,000 criminal offences to the statute books. Where on earth did he think he was? Afghanistan?
He completely bent over for Europe, even removing his own trousers first (metaphorically speaking).
He claimed to have a copy of the Koran on his bedside table and made himself a laughing stock amongst the immigrant / Muslim community.
He over-interpreted many, if not most, legislative requirements proceeding out of Europe.
He'll make millions joining Clinton on the international playboy circuit.
His first priority as Prime Minister ("education, education, education") has been a total disaster after spending billions to ensure that the country has a seemingly limitless supply of under-educated, illiterate, innumerate Epsilon semi-morons, at the same time as finding that all schools have outperformed their targets. Marvellous!
Glad he's gone, glad he won't be back, and steeling myself for worse from the Miserable Scotsman-who-wants-to-be-English who had Botox injected into his face a while back to keep the smile there.
My lasting opinion of Tony Blair will be of a man who came and leaves office with integrity coupled with a great sense of duty. He is a man who acted with passion and humility. A man who could act decisively though would be the first to admit mistakes, a trait which he has personally pioneered for all to follow in the high office of politics.
He will go down as the Premier who brought;
Scotland and Wales their devolution, lasting peace to Ireland, the minimum wage, the most stable/sustainable period of economic growth in the history of British politics, constitutional change in the House of Lords, the ban on fox hunting, shortened NHS waiting times, improved academic standards in our schools, increased Police accountability, green issues to the top of the international political agenda, a reduction of the working class and a growth of middle classes and a lot more.
He'll make millions joining Clinton on the international playboy circuit.
I think he'll get a seat on the board at Murdoch Enterprises.
He has kick-started us on a road to independence, with his foreign wars and nuclear weapons encouraging support for the SNP. Granting us devolution has let the genie out the bottle. Thank you Tony!
DeHaviLand
10-May-07, 12:35
Rheghead, I have to disagree with some of the examples you give as positives in Tony Blairs tenure of office.
Minimum wage - for far too many, it has become the maximum wage. Flawed legislation.
Fox Hunting ban - an increase in the number of foxes killed since the ban was introduced, nothing more than a misguided fight against "class".
Reduced hospital waiting times - not really, just a simple matter of changing the method whereby waiting times are calculated. And very much like Gordon Brown changing the method of calculating the rate of inflation.
Improved academic standards - Not according to most commentators, in my experience.
Or maybe you were being facetious?;)
brokencross
10-May-07, 12:58
He will go down as the Premier who brought;
Scotland and Wales their devolution, lasting peace to Ireland, the minimum wage, the most stable/sustainable period of economic growth in the history of British politics, constitutional change in the House of Lords, the ban on fox hunting, shortened NHS waiting times, improved academic standards in our schools, increased Police accountability, green issues to the top of the international political agenda, a reduction of the working class and a growth of middle classes and a lot more.
Methinks Rheghead has spouted forth from a spin doctors dictionary, from which you hear Government ministers reeling out the same blurb on every news channel.
Lasting peace to Ireland, what is it now 48 hours and counting. I wish them well.
The minimum wage didn't cost him or his Government a penny, earns him votes though.
All the alledged "family friendly" policies show no thought for small businesses and doesn't cost anything yet once again gets votes. He wouldn't have to introduce such policies if his Government didn't virtually force every mother and father out to work and farm their children into institutions during the years when they need the loving cuddles of their parents. Do you see a link to the increase in anti social behaviour and the 100% employment crusade by Blair. I do.
Also, what about:-
The highest tax burden.
Never ending cronyism.
Telling fibs to take us to war.
The attention to spinning and presentation as opposed to substance.
His contempt for Parliament and what it stands for. His presidential style has done nothing for true democracy.
He is the only person in this world who the sight and sound of, makes my skin crawl.
He allowed himself to be manipulated by his own spin doctors and then concentrated more on becoming electable and gaining 2nd and 3rd terms in office rather than sticking by the values he purported to have when he entered Parliament. He has sold himself and the country down the river.
I await a spin doctor type retort and rebuke
I agree, and I have not been overly impressed with him, but why was he re-elected so many times. There must have been (still is?) something beyond whatever it is that have left so many disillusioned with Blair and Labour.
I agree, and I have not been overly impressed with him, but why was he re-elected so many times. There must have been (still is?) something beyond whatever it is that have left so many disillusioned with Blair and Labour.
The quality of opposition?
He played a blinder in his speech today practicing the art of spin and timing to the finest degree. Got to respect the man for that I guess. His farther in law was an actor but hell he had noting on Blair. I don't feel there is a fibre in his body that believes in anything but himself.
The quality of opposition?
He played a blinder in his speech today practicing the art of spin and timing to the finest degree. Got to respect the man for that I guess. His farther in law was an actor but hell he had noting on Blair. I don't feel there is a fibre in his body that believes in anything but himself.
The Home Office's timing for releasing the news that the estimated cost of identity cards has risen by £840 million in six months wasn't bad either.
brokencross
10-May-07, 23:55
I saw that announcement had been delayed. The spin doctors have no shame.
What is more annoying is that they treat us as idiots thinking we can't see what dastardly deeds they are up to.
Blair and Co would not recognise the truth if it jumped up and bit them on the bum.
As for his speech, it must have taken weeks of rehearsals to show such realistic humility and genuine expressions of "for the good of the country".
The sad thing is the deluded man believes his own rhetoric.
oldmarine
11-May-07, 00:12
Tony Blair must have been popular to have been reelected so many times. Reminds me of Margaret Thatcher who also remained in office for a long time.
Tony Blair must have been popular to have been reelected so many times. Reminds me of Margaret Thatcher who also remained in office for a long time.
People like who they are told to like and who they vote for depends largely on what the headlines in the Sun are on polling day.
People are like sheep and the media are the sheep dogs.
The Home Office's timing for releasing the news that the estimated cost of identity cards has risen by £840 million in six months wasn't bad either.
Never forget Joanne Moore: "This is a good day to bury bad news"
A real view of the internal workings of our trusted parties. The upper echelons of course spoke in her support till she went.
Tony Blair must have been popular to have been reelected so many times. Reminds me of Margaret Thatcher who also remained in office for a long time.
Ive always considered Blair as Thatcher without the convictions.
Boozeburglar
11-May-07, 11:23
A man who could act decisively though would be the first to admit mistakes, a trait which he has personally pioneered for all to follow in the high office of politics
Good post, agree with the bulk of it.
Just one thing though...
Blair was one of the last to admit his mistake over WMDs in Iraq.
As for the ongoing fiasco in Iraq, there has not been a genuine apology made, just references to God judging him, etc. I think he is hoping that Iraq stabilises, allowing a more positive retrospective of what he engaged in.
Also, I feel he could have been a shade more decisive over Sudan and Zimbabwe, for example, and maybe actually intervened.
Glad he's gone, glad he won't be back, and steeling myself for worse from the Miserable Scotsman-who-wants-to-be-English who had Botox injected into his face a while back to keep the smile there.
Well he might be back, if Cameron gets in.
I suppose that encouraging the English to be proud of their nationality, to wave their flags; to suggest that there is more to the beautiful game than the adversarial aspect of team versus team, nation against nation; to indicate that one might enjoy the artistry and technical prowess of one of the greatest exponents ever to grace the beautiful game in spite of the consequences of the goal they score demonstrating such; I suppose that all these things make Gordon Brown a Scotsman-who-wants-to-be-English.
In the same way that any true football fans of English descent who appreciated Maradona’s skills whilst watching him scalp your boys in 86 would immediately have wished to take up residence in Buenos Aires?
Of course not.
I am glad that Brown would encourage the reclaiming of English national pride from the right wing idiots. There is an awful lot of which to be proud about England, not least the way the country as a whole has welcomed successive waves of immigrants from around the empire and now greater Europe, realising perhaps that their story is only the most recent chapter of the book in which we all have our story told.
I always support England and Scotland, whatever competition they are in, the nod going to Scotland when they are playing England.
I find it strange to see Scots supporting Germany against England, for example. Even in their mindset, is there not a hierarchy of ills done against their ancestors that would have the opponents in the Great Wars, both in scale and chronology, higher up the echelon of enemies than England?
Ultimately I will leave it to the autumn to make long term predictions on Brown’s tenure. I feel there will be more differences to Blair than most expect.
I rest easy knowing that the baton is handed over to another Scot, and that we still control the English parliament. They are, as yet, not grown up enough to cope with that burden. We learned our lesson with Thatcher.
I look forward to seeing Mr. Brown smile more, and I am sure he will. Now free of the need to counter Blair’s inane fixed grin.
Botox or not, teeth whitened or not.
;)
brokencross
11-May-07, 13:01
Heard Mr Brown's speech earlier as he sets off on his campaign to be leader.
A lot of what he said was a very thinly disguised criticism of the Blair style of leadership and governing the country and even policy decisions.
My worry over Brown is that he has been chancellor for so long, that when/if he becomes P.M. it will take a lot to get the chancellor hat off his head and for him to see the whole picture. (plus before he even starts, he has to restore public confidence after Blair has destroyed peoples trust and faith in politics and politicians)
I agree totally with you about Blair's inane fixed grin, his empty hand gestures, his furrowed brow, his devotion to sound bites, how he will be perceived in history, his staccato speeches and hollow rhetoric with patronising tones. The more I think about it the more I am looking forward to 27 June.
j4bberw0ck
11-May-07, 14:33
The Home Office's timing for releasing the news that the estimated cost of identity cards has risen by £840 million in six months wasn't bad either.
Hehehe.... just measured the thickness of a £1 coin (admittedly with a 12" plastic ruler so accuracy is not total :lol: ) and it looks like a fraction under 4mm. So, bit of silliness:
Now that the cost of the ID scheme proposals has gone through £5 billion, that would be a pile of £1 coins 20,000,000,000 mm high. Or if you prefer, 20 thousand kilometres, or 12,500 miles. Or with all the coins still on their side, it'd stretch from London to Singapore and back again. Amazing how big a number a billion is.
And this is just for the "slimmed down" version of the ID card scheme! Politicians? Waste money? Nahhh!
It seems Tony Blair is expected to announce a date for his Resignation What are you views on him as a Prime Minister? He won three elections but will he be remembered for what he did, what he failed to do, or the mistakes he made?
How much do we remember about Anthony Eden?
How much do we remember about Anthony Eden?
How about Suez - oh, Iraq......
How much do we remember about Anthony Eden?
That is a bit unfair on Anthony Eden. He was PM for only 2 years so his tenure of office had to be dominated by the big Suez event. Ironically, American historians have reassessed Eden's role and have concluded that the US should have supported UK's legitimate claim to the Suez area.
Whilst I suspect Mr Blair may have been a man of integrity he was often careless in his application of it.
My biggest regret is that despite the millions of pounds thrown at education and the health service there has been very little return, we have a generation of children who are schooled for test / exam reasults but who have little skill for every day life and who have missed out on their youth as a result.The waiting lists for NHS treatment have improved in a few sectors but have increased in others.
His dictatorial way of running the government has left alot to be desired and the kneejerk reactions to public comment has resulted in a morass of new laws that either were not thought through or were already in place but not envoked.
My biggest regret is that the electorate have been treated like a group of kindergarten children, talked down to, underestimated and generally ignored.
On Iraq I will make no comment other than that I feel he was naive in the extreme and to claim that he did what he thought was right is an insult to both the elected parliament and the people of this country as we are not a dictatorship and it will haunt him for the rest of his years.
Lizz, I fully accept/agree with your critical assessment of Tony Blair.
That was very GordonBrownish Rhegy. Are you you partaking in the changing of the guard at Number 10?
brokencross
12-May-07, 08:58
LIZZ That is a really spot on assessment of the Blair legacy
Whilst I suspect Mr Blair may have been a man of integrity he was often careless in his application of it.
My biggest regret is that despite the millions of pounds thrown at education and the health service there has been very little return, we have a generation of children who are schooled for test / exam reasults but who have little skill for every day life and who have missed out on their youth as a result.The waiting lists for NHS treatment have improved in a few sectors but have increased in others.
His dictatorial way of running the government has left alot to be desired and the kneejerk reactions to public comment has resulted in a morass of new laws that either were not throught through or were already in place but not envoked.
My biggest regret is that the electorate have been treated like a group of kindergarten children, talked down to, underestimated and generally ignored.
On Iraq I will make no comment other than that I feel he was naive in the extreme and to claim that he did what he thought was right is an insult to both the elected parliament and the people of this country as we are not a dictatorship and it will haunt him for the rest of his years.
Absolutely, Lizz! Couldn't have put it better myself, agree with you totally. Unfortunately! :( I like to think he is, or was, a man of integrity, since I did vote for him once.
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