May 10, 2007
Tony Blair’s farewell
Tony Blair’s farewell speech was a reminder of why he is such a gifted politician - and why he has to go. All the familiar Blair traits were there: the folksy introduction; the catch-in-the-voice; the self-deprecation mixed with the high moral purpose; the anecdotes mixed with the grand vision.
The trouble is that they are now so familiar that they have begun to grate. What seemed natural and beguiling in 1997 looks tired and false in 2007.
So what did I think of the speech itself? Four things struck me.
First, it was very defensive - almost pleading - in tone. Blair’s appeal for understanding - "I ask you to accept one thing - hand on heart I did what I thought was right" - was ridiculous. Of course, I accept that. I didn’t imagine that Tony Blair went to bed in Downing Street every night, chuckling evilly to himself - and asking, "now what I can do tomorrow, that’s really bad."
The point is whether he made the right decisions; not whether he thought he was making the right decisions. The test of a prime minister is his judgement, not his sincerity.
Second - another false note. Blair claimed that - "Britain today is not a follower, it is a leader." But if you had to pick one reason why Blair is going now, it would be because he followed George W.Bush too blindly and too loyally. Indeed Blair half acknowledged this, when he said that after 9/11, he took the decision that Britain must "stand shoulder to shoulder with our oldest ally." This may or may not have been the right decision. But it is almost a definition of followership rather than leadership.
Third - I really hated the bit when he declared that Britain is "the greatest nation on earth." This struck me as a very unBritish statement. My faith in my fellow countrymen was, however, restored by the fact that this declaration was greeted with lukewarm applause, rather than whoops and standing ovations.
And finally, I was struck by the two words that Blair never said - "Gordon" and "Brown". Although he tried to re-cap and summarise all the achievements of his ten years in office - and highlighted economic prosperity - Blair could not bring himself to mention the name of the chancellor. That is because Gordon Brown has more or less forced Blair out of office.
Some of Blair’s closest allies still bitterly talk of "a coup" against the prime minister. For all his gracious words about it being time to let go, Tony Blair is not leaving 10 Downing Street willingly.
He still hasn’t gone - did he specify which June? What does “of” mean? What would Wittigenstein have said about the “end” precisely? “The”, “The” - could be anything ask Jean-Paul
Come on Gideon ask the hard questions Like “Why did Leo take you to see “Cabaret” Tony so you could spend your whole life trying to be Liza Minelli?”
Posted by: gareth d | May 10th, 2007 at 11:42 pm | Report this commentI think Tony Blair is a great prime-minister. People blame him for the Iraq war. Perhaps if the UK didn’t join the USA things in Iraq would be worse. In any case, UK supported the USA, its greatest ally. Blair supported America, not George Bush, at that time there was hope things in Iraq would go well and strong leaders are always optimists.
Posted by: John | May 11th, 2007 at 12:20 am | Report this commentTony Blair is a great PM and history will remember him as such. He is much loved in India for his energy, dynamism and his understanding of the forces of globalisation. I wish leaders like Tony Blair and Bill Clinton could become ‘interim’ presidents for countries struggling to develop. They are far too talented to retire.
Finally, TB was never wishy washy. He had the courage of his convictions. God bless you Tony.
Posted by: Rahul | May 11th, 2007 at 10:12 am | Report this commentIsn’t Portugal our oldest ally?
Posted by: Peter | May 11th, 2007 at 11:58 am | Report this commentGideon’s four observations are all correct. But for all TB’s poor decisions during his term, there’s one key redeeming feature of his leadership. He’s one of the pre-eminent political leaders of his time in terms of his understanding of the dynamics of globalisation, and leading the UK (and encouraging others) in the right direction. This was all the more evident as his European counterparts have proved incapable of adapting their countries to the realitites of the modern globalised world. His leadership on climate change and Africa was also conspicuous for its uniqueness.
Was he a poodle to Bush? Well, the Yo Bush incident settled that argument. It was tragic that he should have been a follower of someone so clearly his intellectual inferior.
The difference between the them was never clearer than when dealing with the press. Bush’s speechwriters & advisors always kept him on a tight leash, sticking to preformulated messages. Blair used to give the British media 2 hours every week to ask anything they liked. Despite all their efforts to wrongfoot him, he was always on top of his brief and I never saw them manage it.
Posted by: Grudging admirer | May 11th, 2007 at 12:01 pm | Report this commentLove him or hate him, Tony Blair has misled the House, the people of this country, and probably - most tellingly of all - himself, in taking this country into a war that has led to the deaths of many thousands of innocent people. Whatever his personal credentials, and whatever his desire to convince himself - as well as others - that he made decisions for the right reasons, the conviction with which he made the case for war highlights the fundamental flaw in Blair’s armoury - vanity. He mistakenly believed that the jingoism that surrounded the Falklands conflict would be reproduced in the case of Iraq; ensuring not only many more years of Blair popularity, but his very own place in history. As the Blair obituaries continue unabated, we should take time to reflect on the pathetic sight of a political actor still struggling to manipulate the public’s perception of him. Long after the names of the dead of Iraq have been forgotten, Blair may well find his place in history. Right now, I don’t know how he can look himself in the mirror.
Posted by: Ian (London) | May 11th, 2007 at 2:35 pm | Report this comment“Indeed Blair half acknowledged this, when he said that after 9/11, he took the decision that Britain must “stand shoulder to shoulder with our oldest ally.” This may or may not have been the right decision. But it is almost a definition of followership rather than leadership.”
My goodness! How dare he declare solidarity with the United States in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. What horrendous servility! Shoulder to shoulder? That is almost as bad as if he had declared “we must walk three steps behind the United States.”
Posted by: mike | May 11th, 2007 at 4:43 pm | Report this commentTony Blair had done nothing for the European Union, NOTHING. He has acted just as an American puppet….After Blair the UK is not closer to Europe but farther awasy: the UK is out of Airbus, out of the Eurozone, out of Schengen…
Posted by: Enrique | May 29th, 2007 at 2:55 am | Report this comment