Tony Blair: Any chance of a return?

[Hector]

Watched Tony Blair talking to Zaineb Bedawi a short while back.

He came across as so reasonable and competent. So much better than he was when he was in power and streets ahead of most of the politicians who are around today.

If he made a comeback, would he stand a chance?

[sandGroundZero]

[Tony Blair] came across as so reasonable and competent …and streets ahead of most of the politicians who are around today.

Hector's post #1

It is one thing for retired Blair to come across as "reasonable and competent" these many years later; quite different from current parliamentarians. Especially so, when he is being interviewed by people who broadly believe that political institutions are functioning passably well — it's just that recent practitioners have tended to become ideologically inflexible; that is, they've strayed from the mythical Middle Way.

The reality is the institutions have been downright inadequate. (As I've asserted elsewhere in this forum) our political institutions have evolved to contain democracy rather than to allow it to flourish.

Tony Blair failed his opportunity to reform. His conceptions of well ordered institutions are aligned with the demands of a socioeconomic elite.

.

[said]

It is one thing for retired Blair to come across as "reasonable and competent" these many years later; quite different from current parliamentarians. Especially so, when he is being interviewed by people who broadly believe that political institutions are functioning passably well — it's just that recent practitioners have tended to become ideologically inflexible; that is, they've strayed from the mythical Middle Way.

The reality is the institutions have been downright inadequate. (As I've asserted elsewhere in this forum) our political institutions have evolved to contain democracy rather than to allow it to flourish.

Tony Blair failed his opportunity to reform. His conceptions of well ordered institutions are aligned with the demands of a socioeconomic elite.

.

Blair is a miserable failure! He was when in office and even more so now. His considerations are for his very narrow minded self preservation. His ideas are more aligned to those of the Neanderthal age - the World is moving on and he just does not have a clue.

[Hector]

Blair is a miserable failure! He was when in office and even more so now. His considerations are for his very narrow minded self preservation. His ideas are more aligned to those of the Neanderthal age - the World is moving on and he just does not have a clue.

So, can we put you down as a 'no' then, Said?

[ausard2]

He's just taken his meds.
The mans got more passages than any other person on the planet, even Andy Burnham.
To have spread the amount of s...
he's passed over the years.

[said]

So, can we put you down as a 'no' then, Said?

That is a reasonable and fair conclusion, I believe.

[Toodles McGinty]

Blair comeback? No thanks.

There's a lot that he got right, but a fair bit he got wrong. Not least of all Iraq.

If we think our country will be a puppet for Trump to play with after Brexit, we only need to look back to 2003 to see how that goes. Death, destruction, and no real difference to the world at the end of it.

It is easy to be wise after the event, which is probably why Blair comes across as knowledgeable and competent now.

Don't get me wrong, he is streets ahead of Johnson, Raab, Gove et al. But that isn't hard. And I'm not saying he couldn't have contributed to helping out of our current crisis if called on, along with other experienced statesmen of all political colours. But I'd rather look to the future than back to the past.

[Hector]

Blair comeback? No thanks.

There's a lot that he got right, but a fair bit he got wrong. Not least of all Iraq.

If we think our country will be a puppet for Trump to play with after Brexit, we only need to look back to 2003 to see how that goes. Death, destruction, and no real difference to the world at the end of it.

It is easy to be wise after the event, which is probably why Blair comes across as knowledgeable and competent now.

Don't get me wrong, he is streets ahead of Johnson, Raab, Gove et al. But that isn't hard. And I'm not saying he couldn't have contributed to helping out of our current crisis if called on, along with other experienced statesmen of all political colours. But I'd rather look to the future than back to the past.

Well stated. That sums it up.

[local]

Blair is inextricably linked to Iraq by the short thinkers, who it would appear have left Saddam in place.

They conveniently forget he had and used weapons of mass destruction.

They wanted an i dotted and t crossed conflict or left him in charge.

Personally my respect for him grew when he said he would do the same again.

His later attempts to subvert democracy left him in the wilderness and on the wrong side of the country.

[said]

[QUOTE=Toodles McGinty;6729390]Blair comeback? No thanks.




I will give Blair his due, he is an accomplished liar and a cunning manipulator for his own personal gratification.

He even organised a Birthday party for one of his children. Because his courtyard could not accommodate many vehicles, he organised a private bus to pick up the party guests - then audaciously charged the cost to the parents. For a multi-millionaire, he is really tight fisted, as well.

During his time in office, young people under the age of forty found it almost impossible to get on the housing ladder due to buy it now landlords. Blair jumped on that cash cow bandwagon as a landlord. Blair now has a portfolio of 10 houses and 27 flats with a net worth of £27 million.

Blair charges £200,000 for one single speech and his net worth is around £130 million. The annual pay for a Prime Minister is around £150,000 per year??

To compare - Johnson's net worth is around £4 million! Johnson was born into aristocracy. Blair's grandfather was the illegitimate child of two entertainers, who was adopted by James Blair, a shipyard worker and his wife. Blair's father was Leo Blair, he and his wife lived above the grocers shop that she managed. Leo studied law and became a lecturer of law in Australia. The family returned to the UK where Blair attended Fettes School in Edingburgh, where his teachers were unimpressed with Blair and were glad to see the back of him. He attended Oxford University and gained a Second in the theory of Law.
His present wife is Cherie Blair nee Booth, whose father starred with Alf Garnett on television - his name was Tony Booth.

Streets ahead of Johnson? I think not!

[Little Londoner]

[QUOTE=said;6729431]

Blair comeback? No thanks

Streets ahead of Johnson? I think not!

Clyde the Orang-utan was streets ahead of Johnson, remember one thing the only reason Johnson is PM is that he promised he would get the Country out of the EU.
It isn't his charisma or political prowess that got him there as the current situation shows Cumming is running Boris.

[grassroots]

Another who to the people . Bin him .

[sandGroundZero]

Comparing the personal qualities of individual politicians while overlooking the glaring deficiencies of the institutions is tantamount to conceding the game to 'vested interests'.

Tony Blair and all the other MPs, wannabe MPs, Lords, judges, local Councillors and the rest of us tend to share the proposition that Parliament is representative of the population. That is arguably false.

As it stands our system effectively limits our choices for candidates to represent us in Parliament. The selection process itself filters out most citizens. Personality traits like brashness and self-importance and extroversion are favoured. Once inducted into the political system Councillors, MPs and the rest are mesmerized and their sense of self-importance magnified. They become easy prey for seducers with their own agenda.

In short, it matters little Tony Blair or Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson because they are systematically, irredeemably removed and remote from voters' concerns.

[Toodles McGinty]

[QUOTE=said;6729431]

Blair comeback? No thanks.

I will give Blair his due, he is an accomplished liar and a cunning manipulator for his own personal gratification.

He even organised a Birthday party for one of his children. Because his courtyard could not accommodate many vehicles, he organised a private bus to pick up the party guests - then audaciously charged the cost to the parents. For a multi-millionaire, he is really tight fisted, as well.

During his time in office, young people under the age of forty found it almost impossible to get on the housing ladder due to buy it now landlords. Blair jumped on that cash cow bandwagon as a landlord. Blair now has a portfolio of 10 houses and 27 flats with a net worth of £27 million.

Blair charges £200,000 for one single speech and his net worth is around £130 million. The annual pay for a Prime Minister is around £150,000 per year??

To compare - Johnson's net worth is around £4 million! Johnson was born into aristocracy. Blair's grandfather was the illegitimate child of two entertainers, who was adopted by James Blair, a shipyard worker and his wife. Blair's father was Leo Blair, he and his wife lived above the grocers shop that she managed. Leo studied law and became a lecturer of law in Australia. The family returned to the UK where Blair attended Fettes School in Edingburgh, where his teachers were unimpressed with Blair and were glad to see the back of him. He attended Oxford University and gained a Second in the theory of Law.
His present wife is Cherie Blair nee Booth, whose father starred with Alf Garnett on television - his name was Tony Booth.

Streets ahead of Johnson? I think not!

So in your potted biography, he's tight fisted and a self made man?

And suddenly you recognise a liar? That's something, I suppose.

[Hamble]

I need more information.

Return as what?