Closing ‘Tony Blair’ Blog: Cold Turkey Time

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[Key: *"ppm" = present prime minister]

26th December, 2007

GOODBYE … GOODBYE … WE’RE LEAVING YOU …

The brilliant comedy duo, the late and great Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, put it much better than I ever could.

[And the musical comedy genius Dudley Moore has a further message for ... well, whoever... ]

ANYONE FOR COLD TURKEY ON THIS BOXING DAY?

OK. Me.

I’ve decided it’s time to move on. I won’t pretend I won’t miss the blog, and all the lovely people with whom I have come into contact through it. But it’s taken more of my online time than I might have expected when I started it about 15 months ago in September 2006, and I really DO need to get on with other things.

The beginning of a new year seems as good a time as any to sign off.

Some of my commenters have asked me to give them notice if and when I close the site. So here it is. Last post on 31st December, 2007, or thereabouts.

I will keep the blog online for people to use as a source, for a bit anyway. So, if the spirit moves you, you can still send in a comment. I’ll still monitor comments; wouldn’t want to muddy the waters with some of the effluent that some are happy to swim in.

The site now contains a couple of hundred posts and pages, and many links to other snippets of interest about Tony Blair, good and bad – mostly good. Other places do the bad. But I won’t be adding new posts and pages on a regular basis as I have been doing.

There are also dozens of embedded videos, links to videos hosted elsewhere, audios, and political reports, including Parliamentary sessions. History and relevant opinions and thoughts and many news item links are also to be found here. It is by no means complete.

For ongoing information on the Middle East peace envoy’s progress you can check his official website.

The BBC and Sky News Channels are as good as anywhere to read “news” not views as they are obliged by the broadcasting code to balance fairly their reports. For opinion, often dressed up as ‘fact’, well, there are the unregulated newspapers, or ‘ferals’.

Avoid the Daily Mail, if you want to keep your brain unwashed. And The Independent? Well, to me its judgemental editorial stance meant that it gave up the right to be called a newspaper aeons ago. It’s a VIEWSpaper, despite its having some talented journalists writing for it. The other papers – well, you know where they stand by now.

Never let it be said that I don’t think the clunking fist … er … shaking hand …

… er Mr Brown deserves a bit of fun at Christmas, to relieve the stress. So -

The *ppm might raise a smile after watching Dudley’s Moore’s brilliant rendition of ‘Die Flabbergast’

GB/PM might be ruminating, at the end of this his first six months in his long-awaited post, that his gast has never been so flabbered. Or vice-versa.

[Picture left: 1997, General election. John Prescott & Tony Blair]

[Picture right: 2001 general election. with youngest child]

 

[Picture above: 2005 - Mr & Mrs Blair: Unprecedented, historic, 3rd election victory by Blair's Labour Party]

And in case we’ve forgotten the manner in which the previous prime minister left his party – as if we could – here are some clips from the Labour party conference of 2006. You remember that one? The one at which Blair spoke so movingly despite the knives in his back.

The one before Brown’s first conference as ‘leader’ – 2007 – when he and they airbrushed (read Daniel Finkelstein on this) the irritatingly electorally successful Blair out of their party’s history.

FOOLS! Absolute fools.

‘And it’s goodnight from him …’ The Two Ronn … Johnnies

Since these two guys seem to be on The Green opposite Parliament – this might be appropriate. Anyway, can’t find the REAL THING. (Now … I’m sure I’ve used that phrase before …)

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Tags: blog closing, Brown (Gordon Brown & his Labour Government, from June 2007), cold turkey lurkey time, Dudley Moore, Keep Tony Blair for PM blog, Peter Cook, tony blair website