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Blair memoirs quotes

theyounghistorian77

New Member
arg-fallbackName="theyounghistorian77"/>
im deciding whether to buy the Blair memoirs, Here are some of the main quotes i gathered, What do you think?

Jon Cruddas: "reheated Bennism"

"Jon made quite a name for himself. It was clever political positioning. To his overall political analysis - New Labour had deserted the working class and thus our base - he added a programme for the party. It was clothed in some modernist language, but was ultimately an attempt to build a left coalition out of Guardian intellectuals and trade union activists. However beguiling - and he was smart enough to make it beguiling - it was, in effect, reheated and updated Bennism from the 1980s."

Douglas Alexander: "not a free-range thinker"

"Douglas was and is a very clever guy indeed. I had tried to wean him off membership of Gordon's inner circle; but to no avail. It was a real shame ... But the Gordon curse was to make these people co-conspirators, not free-range thinkers. He and Ed Balls and others were like I had been back in the 1980s, until slowly the scales fell from my eyes and I realised ir was more like a cult than a kirk."

Ed Balls: "muddled"

"He has guts and he can take decisions. But he suffers from the bane of all left-leaning intellectuals. As I have remarked elsewhere, these guys never 'get' aspiration ... He added a truly muddled and ultimately very damaging party critique. This was the view - I fear tutored by Gordon's inclination in dealing with the party - that I deliberately chose confrontations with the party in order to demonstrate my independent credentials with the public."

On the left wing opponents of Blairite reform

"recalcitrant union leaders, bolshie MPs, lefty activists and assorted intellectuals whose main contribution was to explain why nothing should change in the name of being real radicals".

John Prescott (Blair's condescension is withering):

" At Cabinet, he would occassionally sit like a grumbling volcano ready to erupt at any moment. The proximate cause of the eruption would more often than not be one of the women intervening. Patricia Hewitt was certain to get him moving ... John would make some slightly off-colour remark if he was in a sour mood. I would then bring her back in again, just for the sheer entertainment of watching him finally explode ... He genuinely made me laugh. It was a bit like 'How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?' In The Sound of Music, though the similarlity ends there..."

"Perhaps his most alarming trait was his habit of starting a conversation in the middle - no beginning, no context, no explanation of what the problem was. I remember a time when it looking as if I was going to bring the LibDems into the cabinet ... In storms John. 'Where's fookin' Menzies?' he begins. It wasn't a promising start..."

And John Smith, of course, "was not a true radical".

Oddest of all, Blair has a premonition of Smith's death apparently

"Of course, I had no knoweldge that John would die prematurely. Except that, in a strange way, I began to think he might... I said to (Cherie): 'If John dies, I will be leader, not Gordon. And somehow, I think this will happen. I just think it will.' Is that a premonition? Not in a strict sense; but it was strange all the same. On Saturday afternoon we went to see Schindler's List..."

In many areas, the Conservatives should over-ride the Liberal Democrats

"In many areas of domestic policy, the Tories will be at their best when they are allowed to get on with it -- as with reforms in education. They will be at their worst when policy represents an uneasy compromise between the Old Labour instincts of the Lib Dems and the hard decisions the Tories will instinctively want to take."

That Blair deficit quote in full

"If governments don't tackle deficits, the bill is footed by taxpayers, who fear that big deficits mean big taxes, both of which reduce confidence, investment and purchasing power...We should have taken a New Labour way out of the economic crisis: kept direct taxes competitive, had a gradual rise in VAT and other indirect taxes to close the deficit, and used the crisis to push further and faster on reform."

On David Miliband

He now has "clear leadership qualities". But Blair also says: "Two years later he would be a different calibre of politician, with clear leadership qualities." (He says Miliband asked his advice about a leadership challenge in May 2007. "I think you might win, not obviously, but very possibly," Blair replied.)

On George W Bush

"In a bizarre sense...A true idealist" and "a man of genuine integrity".

http://conservativehome.blogs.com/leftwatch/2010/09/blairmania-more-blair-quotes-on-the-coalition-the-deficit-george-bush-john-prescott-ed-ballsand-his-.html

http://www.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/6242123/blairs-contempt-for-the-left.thtml

see also

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/blog/2010/sep/01/tonyblair-past

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/sep/01/tony-blair-economy-labour-leadership
[url=http://forums.leagueofreason.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=10&p=73455#p73455 said:
me elsewhere[/url]"]Re Labour Party: Despite calling themselves "democratic socialists", they have pretty much rejected socialism and moved to the right, and have adopted many Thatcherite policies, such as the continuing privatizations in Education, the NHS, The proposial to privitize Post offices etc . The Changing of Clause IV of the labour Constitution in 1995 signified a change to the Right. In fact, Political parties in the UK are now considered so close that the elections are now seen as a battle/referendum on competences rather than political ideology.

also see
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2003/aug/06/society.labour

"The better, and in my opinion the correct, modern model of regulation -- the risk based approach - is based on trust in the responsible company, the engaged employee and the educated consumer, leading government to focus its attention where it should: no inspection without justification, no form filling without justification, and no information requirements without justification, not just a light touch but a limited touch." - Gordon Brown. CBI Conference 2005

Even the retards at conservepedia have admitted that "It was once a bastion of socialism but has largely abandoned socialism in practice and in rhetoric" and on the page of the Conservative Party, it says that "By 1997 the Labour Party had finally embraced the more conservative direction for the country and abandoned many of its socialist economic policies of the past." Overall, the party has become one of the Centre Right with the Conservatives More right wing still. Tthe Liberal Democrats occupying a space just left of Labour (Very centrist, although socialy, they're far removed from both and are more inclined towards a more libertarian line than an authoritarian one.)

These quotes certainly put what i said about Labour in the Authoritarianism and Atheism thread into perspective doesn't it?

from the Andrew Marr interview.

"A lot of people would say, well, it's absolutely clear, your vision is actually of a mostly conservative politician, and your journey has been from somebody who thought he was a Labour politician to someone whose realised actually he's not."

Blair denied that; he said he was progressive. He listed various policies, like the minimum wage, devolution and equality for gay people. Marr said David Cameron would support these too. Blair replied: "Why should we then say we're like him, rather than he's trying to get on our territory?"
 
arg-fallbackName="Aught3"/>
I's not that interested in reading politicians' biographies but this book seems as thought it contains some interesting insights. I might have to pick up a copy.
 
arg-fallbackName="MRaverz"/>
I still can't be sure if I like Blair or not, it's that damned illegal war he dragged us into. :|
 
arg-fallbackName="Your Funny Uncle"/>
MRaverz said:
I still can't be sure if I like Blair or not, it's that damned illegal war he dragged us into. :|
Hmmm...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/4938541/Tony-Blair-warns-that-Christians-must-speak-out-in-aggressively-secularist-age.html

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article6864775.ece

Oh and with respect to the Iraq war... Cognitive dissonance, anyone?
 
arg-fallbackName="Prolescum"/>
Your Funny Uncle said:
MRaverz said:
I still can't be sure if I like Blair or not, it's that damned illegal war he dragged us into. :|
Hmmm...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/4938541/Tony-Blair-warns-that-Christians-must-speak-out-in-aggressively-secularist-age.html

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article6864775.ece

Oh and with respect to the Iraq war... Cognitive dissonance, anyone?

Lol wouldn't the US constitution come under the banner of aggressively secular by Blair's definition? I'm pretty certain he wouldn't be against that, at least not in public. What an odd fellow he is.
He also criticised the "ludicrous decisions" that have led to worshippers punished for expressing their beliefs, such as Caroline Petrie, the community nurse who was suspended for two months after offering to pray for an elderly patient

Not trying to be funny (well, a bit), but I can see why praying for an elderly patient could be construed as offensive if you're a nurse...
 
arg-fallbackName="dr_esteban"/>
\war or not he is still a wanker

There is just no need to attack Brown and others in this way. Taking Labour so far to the right wasted a chance for some decent change in the UK.
 
arg-fallbackName="theyounghistorian77"/>
on Condoleezza Rice. "She is a classic example of the absurdity of people with experience and capacity at the highest level not having big political jobs after retirement from office," he writes. "But that's another story!"

In the andrew Marr interview

"¢ Blair seems to acknowledge that he's backing David Miliband in the Labour leadership contest. When Marr says it's "fairly obvious" who Blair is backing, Blair replies: "I know, and it may be fairly obvious, and I'm not saying it isn't, but I'm not [revealing who I'm supporting]. Blair also says Miliband is "very much his own man".

"¢ Blair declines to criticise the coalition government. Asked what he makes of it, he replies: "Too early to tell." He also says he does not want to criticise David Cameron.

I don't want to cause trouble for David Cameron, actually ...I know how difficult it is [being prime minister] and I have a sympathy and respect for anyone doing it.

"¢ Blair insists the West has to be willing to go to war with Iran. "It is wholly unacceptable for Iran to have nuclear weapons," Blair says. "I think we've got to be prepared to confront them ... if necessarily, militarily."

"¢ He says the role of ideology in modern politics is exaggerated.

The big lesson that I learnt in that first term was that actually today's politics is a lot more to do with structural change, project management and delivery than it is to do with ideological fixations, left versus right, or the notion that you can, by edict from government, change things.

"¢ He admits that he did not fully understand hunting when Labour first proposed a ban.

"It was only when I got into the thing in a lot - in the detail, frankly, I should have done before, - that I started to understand that this was more complicated than a bunch of toffs running around hunting foxes."

"¢ He says Labour should have not used sleaze as a campaign issue before the 1997 election. It later backfired on Labour, he concedes. "There are certain bandwagons it's best to say no to."

"¢ He says union leaders asked for more from the government than high-value donors.

"I had far more trouble, if I may say this to you, with union leaders demanding something back than I ever did with high value donors."

Reaction from the tories

"[Blair] actually repudiates the Labour economic policy, the policy followed by Gordon Brown and the policies set out by the five Labour leadership contenders. We believe that the recovery should be led by the private sector, Tony Blair does. We believe that direct taxes should be competitive, that any increase in taxation should be through VAT, Tony Blair agrees with us.

Tony Blair agrees, as we do, that public spending needs to be brought under control. He recognises actually that if the deficit remains high, that saps confidence and people think there are higher taxes round the corner. He has endorsed our view that we need to take action now to tackle the deficit and get the economy going. He is backing our view and coming out against his successor." - Tory Treasury minister Mark Hoban

No wonder Hoban said that, when we have quotes like this

"If Labour simply defaults to a "Tory cutters, Lib Dem collaborators" mantra, it may well benefit in the short term; however, it will lose any possibility of being an alternative government. Instead, it has to stand up for its record in the many areas it can do so, but also explain where the criticism of the 13 years [of Labour rule] is valid. It should criticise the composition but not the thrust of the deficit reductions. This is incredibly difficult." adding that "We should also accept that from 2005 onwards Labour was insufficiently vigorous in limiting or eliminating the potential structural deficit ... Labour has no option but to be credible in its own right. That means, as I say, having a coherent position on the deficit."

The British public elected what they want to be a Tory version of a centrist government, Blair claims.

"Tellingly, we lost business. This was crucial. When the Tories brought out 30 or so chief executives who were against the national insurance rise, I knew the game was up ... Labour's case in 2010 was that the Tories would put the recovery at risk. If 30 chief executives, employing thousands of people in companies worth billions of pounds, say it's Labour that will put the economy at risk, who does the voter believe? Answer: the chief executives. Once you lose them, you lose more than a few votes. You lose your economic credibility. And a sprinkling of academic economists, however distinguished, won't make up the difference.

What the public ended up doing, in that remarkable way they have, is elect the government they wanted. They were unsure of the Tories, so they put a strong Lib Dem showing alongside and urged them to get together. They elected what they want to be a Tory version of a centrist government (whether they get that is another matter!) ... The danger for Labour now is that we drift off, or even move decisively off, to the left. If we do, we will lose even bigger next time."

About Cameron himself, Blair says little, but he records his view of him in 2007, two years after Cameron succeeded Michael Howard as Tory party leader.

"David Cameron was clever and people-friendly, and I thought he had some real steel to him, but he had not gone through the arduous but ultimately highly educative apprenticeship I had gone through in the 1980s and early 1990s."

On the Tories' weak points, he says: "Where the Tories will be vulnerable is where they always are vulnerable: their policies will be skewed towards those at the top, fashioned too much by the preoccupations of the elite (which is why they despised action on antisocial behaviour), and too conservative, particularly in foreign policy."


But even so, This stuff gets better and better and i think proves my point about politics in the UK. (see above.)
 
arg-fallbackName="MRaverz"/>
Your Funny Uncle said:
MRaverz said:
I still can't be sure if I like Blair or not, it's that damned illegal war he dragged us into. :|
Hmmm...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/4938541/Tony-Blair-warns-that-Christians-must-speak-out-in-aggressively-secularist-age.html

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article6864775.ece

Oh and with respect to the Iraq war... Cognitive dissonance, anyone?
Well I'm certainly not voting for Blair. ;)
 
arg-fallbackName="AndromedasWake"/>
Those following this topic may get a slight chuckle out of this:
Hundreds of people have joined a group on the social networking site Facebook calling for his memoirs, entitled, A Journey, to be placed in the crime section of all bookstores.

The group urges shoppers to surreptitiously move all copies of the book, which was released on Wednesday, in protest at the former Prime Minister's record on Iraq.

A number of bookstores have already reported finding Mr Blair's book in "inappropriate sections" including fantasy and true crime.

The Facebook group called "Subversively move Tony Blair's memoirs to the crime section in book shops" claims it wants to "make bookshops think twice about where they categorise our generation's greatest war criminal".

Within hours of being launched dozens of users had logged onto the site with many posting photographs of the book on the wrong shelf.
 
arg-fallbackName="Aught3"/>
I got a chuckle out of this:
The Facebook group called "Subversively move Tony Blair's memoirs to the crime section in book shops" claims it wants to "make bookshops think twice about where they categorise our generation's greatest war criminal".
Our generation's greatest war criminal? Worst than Charles Taylor, Milosevic, and Mugabe? Hell - on a list of great war criminals, I'd even put Saddam Hussein before Tony Blair.
 
arg-fallbackName="pdka2004"/>
The guy really is a prick, its not an act. However I would not take what he writes too seriously (if indeed he wrote anything at all - ghostwriter?). There is a certain amount of controversy over some passages which appear to have been lifted straight from draughts of the movie "The Queen"

True Story, my uncle used to teach him at school. His first words when TB became PM were "I can't believe that conniving little shit got the job"
 
arg-fallbackName="theyounghistorian77"/>
pdka2004 said:
The guy really is a prick, its not an act. However I would not take what he writes too seriously (if indeed he wrote anything at all - ghostwriter?). There is a certain amount of controversy over some passages which appear to have been lifted straight from draughts of the movie "The Queen"

True Story, my uncle used to teach him at school. His first words when TB became PM were "I can't believe that conniving little shit got the job"

The Chorister School - Durham
Fettes College - Edinburgh
St John's College - Oxford

Those are some prestigious Schools. Pics or it never happened
 
arg-fallbackName="pdka2004"/>
It was at Fettes. I am not giving pics or further details as my uncle moved from there to much more prestigious establishments, with which he is still heavily involved, and to do so may leave clues to his identity
 
arg-fallbackName="theyounghistorian77"/>
pdka2004 said:
It was at Fettes. I am not giving pics or further details as my uncle moved from there to much more prestigious establishments, with which he is still heavily involved, and to do so may leave clues to his identity

hmmm :arrow: Still skeptical of that claim
 
arg-fallbackName="MRaverz"/>
theyounghistorian77 said:
pdka2004 said:
It was at Fettes. I am not giving pics or further details as my uncle moved from there to much more prestigious establishments, with which he is still heavily involved, and to do so may leave clues to his identity

hmmm :arrow: Still skeptical of that claim
Seconding that scepticism.
 
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