Tony Blair

FT – BROWN still backing Blair – not Miliband

Comment at end

31st October, 2009

OUCH!

But which David is being hoist with his own petard, I wonder?

MILIBAND?

North-East News congratulates David Miliband on his candidacy for the EU High Commissioner Job

OR CAMERON?

The Tap blogspot, proclaims its wounded hero, the other David, is under attack by EU bigwigs over standing up for… er… something or other. Oh yes, the Czechs against the Lisbon Treaty. Erm… yes… I hear what you’re saying. You thought that battle was all over, didn’t you? It may be now.

Reading today’s blogs and papers you get the impression that it is also all over for Mr ‘President’ Blair (bar the solemn burial formalities.) Germany’s News in English says this:

France and Germany will join forces to choose a new-look European Union’s first big boss, President Nicolas Sarkozy said Friday, sweeping Tony Blair towards the Brussels exit.

: A commenter at Germany’s News in English says – ‘Love that photo! Sarkozy: “First I grab zee little Limey by zee neck, like so…” Merkel: “Ja, I like da vay you tink! Let us go get heem.”‘

One of their commenters has some fun here with a caption. The commenters may smile bientot on zee other side of zee faces, mes amis.

Just a thought …

IS THE “DUMPING BLAIR” MESSAGE A GAME OF DOUBLE BLUFF?

A diversionary tactic, to call off the dogs of anti-Blair, aka the press? Or even a shot across the Blair bows, to warn ‘Mr Flash’ to remember his place in life if he does become the chosen one? Neither Merkel nor Sarkozy has said anything about who they WILL support except …

Sarkozy, who said Lisbon could now enter force as early as December 1, would not reveal the identity of his and Merkel’s preferred choice, but said Europe’s George Washington, in reference to the founding US father, would need to be both “charismatic” and a “consensus-builder.”

That clearly does NOT rule out Tony Blair. In fact almost uniquely it rules IN the Northern Ireland peace-maker whose Nobel prize for that ten year effort is presumably stuck in the post.

Opinion polls on EU jobs: better for Blair than for Miliband

Most Britons are opposed to ex-prime minister Tony Blair or Foreign Secretary David Miliband taking any of the top new EU jobs created by the Lisbon Treaty, an opinion poll out Sunday said.

Some 53 percent of voters did not want Blair to become EU president compared to 36 percent who did. A total of 48 percent did not back Miliband for the EU’s top foreign policy job, compared to 29 percent supporting him.

A YouGov survey for The Daily Telegraph on Friday found just 31 percent of people wanted to see Blair — who led Britain from 1997 to 2007 and took the country into the Iraq war — take on the new job of president of the European Council.

THE TWO DAVIDS – MILIBAND & CAMERON

Neither David is actually ‘a boy’. They are both around a dozen years younger than Tony Blair. Neither of them has anything like his breadth of political experience.

A help or a handicap? Time will tell. I know what I think.

David Miliband is 44, 12 years younger than Tony Blair. A close colleague of Blair’s he was seen as being groomed to challenge Gordon Brown to the leadership during the year prior to Blair’s departure from Number 10. Miliband bottled out. He couldn’t stand the heat, it seems, so kept out of the kitchen. And now, if reports are right he may be preparing himself for an even hotter working place.

David Cameron is 43, the age Tony Blair was when he became PM in 1997. Blair managed to see off Cameron’s predecesors – Major/Howard/Hague/Ian Duncan-Smith. Cameron has not had to put himself up against Blair at the ballot box. If he did, I think he would be beaten. But there is one record of Blair’s that Cameron might well beat. Blair’s “youngest PM since 1812″ record. Cameron will still be 43 by next summer (born 9 October 1966) when the general election will be held. Blair was only days short of 44 when he became PM in 1997.

Tony Blair (born 6 May 1953)

Main article: Premiership of Tony Blair

Blair became the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on 2 May 1997, serving concurrently as First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Labour Party. The 43-year old Blair became the youngest person to become Prime Minister since Lord Liverpool in 1812, at the age of 42.^[35] With victories in 1997, 2001, and 2005, Blair was the Labour Party’s longest-serving prime minister, the only person to lead the party to three consecutive general election victories.

Tags:David Cameron, David Miliband, merkel, Sarkozy, Tony Blair
Posted in 1. Tony Blair, David Cameron, opposition Conservative Party Leader, David Miliband, Foreign Secretary in Gordon Brown's government, from June 2007 | 1 Comment »

Cameron upsets top EU countries over letter to Klaus. Good move David.

October 31, 2009

Cameron’s Tony Blair mask slipping. He’s now shopping for a new one for Hallowe’en

Comment at end

UPDATE, 30th July 2010: Clearly Cameron has yet to work out who his and our friends are in this world. Praises Turkey/Criticises Israel/Distances other EU members/Criticises Pakistan/Crawls to Obama/Re-writes history. And then he spins, spins and spins for justifications of these positions. And this, THIS is the British PM?!!

31st October, 2009

mobile-phone Dring… dring…

David Cameron: “Hello, is that you , Tony? David here, the soon-to-be PM. Look I’ve been thinking. I’m perfectly happy to back you as EU President. In fact I don’t know what William was thinking the other day, getting so hot under the collar about one thing and another. Of COURSE you’d be great for us, great for the country, Europe and the world, even.”

Tony Blair: “Sorry, David. Thanks, but no thanks. I’d love to help … I mean … I’d love your help, but right now I need to increase my chances of winning, not reduce them.”

Europe leaders incensed by David Cameron’s letter (source)

Sarkozy, Merkel and Zapatero criticise Tories for attempt to delay treaty

Leaders of three of the most powerful countries in Europe have strongly criticised David Cameron at the EU summit over Conservative plans to scupper the Lisbon treaty.

Nicolas Sarkozy, Angela Merkel and José Luiz Rodríguez Zapatero are understood to have privately criticised the Tory leader after he sent a handwritten letter to the Czech president Vaclav Klaus, who is refusing to sign the treaty. The letter was seen as an attempt to influence the Czech Republic, the only country not to have ratified the treaty.

Senior British sources familiar with thinking at the highest levels of the EU say that the leaders of France, Germany and Spain all raised questions about the Cameron letter.

It is understood that Cameron encouraged Klaus to delay the ratification of the treaty by setting out Tory policy to hold a referendum in Britain on the treaty if it has not been ratified by all member states.

The sources have told the Guardian that:

• Sarkozy was overheard telling Gordon Brown that he was incensed by Cameron’s letter, which the French saw as an attempt to wreck the Lisbon treaty.

• Merkel was also said to be upset by Cameron’s letter. The German chancellor is understood to have echoed concerns of senior figures in her CDU party, such as the former European parliament president Hans Gert Poettering, that Cameron’s behaviour had been untrustworthy.

• Zapatero – who addressed the recent Labour party conference and will have to negotiate directly with Cameron if he wins the election because Spain holds the EU’s rotating presidency until July 2010 – made clear to diplomats that he regarded Cameron’s letter as damaging and an attempt to scupper the treaty.

The interventions by the EU leaders come as the Tories plan to abandon their two-year campaign to hold a referendum on the Lisbon treaty. Senior Tories told the Guardian that Cameron will set out his thinking in the coming weeks if, as expected, the Czech president finally ratifies the treaty.

It is understood that Cameron will drop his pledge to hold a referendum on the treaty on the grounds that it is impossible to open a treaty that has entered EU law. A Tory government would instead focus on repatriating social and employment laws, in effect restoring the British opt-out from the social chapter. This has been sprinkled around various EU treaties since Tony Blair ended the opt-out in 1997, meaning that its measures could only be restored to Britain with the agreement of all member states.

Brown yesterday used his appearance at the summit, where he held a series of formal and informal one-to-one meetings with EU leaders, to launch a strong attack on the Tories’ approach to Europe. Speaking of the Tory decision to abandon the main centre-right EPP grouping in the European parliament in favour of a smaller group consisting mainly of fringe parties from the hard right in eastern Europe, the prime minister said: “The Conservative party are standing apart from the mainstream in Europe.

“They are part of a very small group of minorities – of 23 people apart from the Conservative party. They are standing on the fringes of Europe. That is a huge mistake for British interests.”

A Tory spokeswoman said: “We have never concealed the fact that we sent the letter … David Cameron has made no secret of its contents. It sets out his public opinion in a private letter.”

‘With the Czech Republic the last EU nation needed to sign the treaty, Mr Cameron’s initiative was seen as an attempt to embolden Mr Klaus to hold firm against ratification.

Mr Sarkozy was also allegedly overheard telling Gordon Brown he was incensed by the letter.

Mrs Merkel and Mr Zapataro apparently made similar remarks, also in private.’

ETCETERA

If you only ever assumed it was just the coarse, vile sorts at such sites as The Mail/Guardian etc who really need to learn some basic human decency and acceptable behaviour take a look at this at The Telegraph. I’ve always found Ben Brogan a well-balanced Tory supporter and a decent writer. But where does he get his commenters?

Tags:Angela Merkel, Czech President Vaclav Klaus, David Cameron criticised, EU summit, José Luiz Rodríguez Zapatero, letter from Tories to Klaus, Lisbon treaty, Nicolas Sarkozy, Tony Blair
Posted in 1. Tony Blair, British Conservative Party, Europe/EU/Lisbon Treaty/Full-time President, Nicolas Sarkozy, French President | Leave a Comment »

The “secret’s” out – Tony Blair wants the EU presidency

October 30, 2009

Watch Mandelson video of Mandelson on Tony Blair

Comment at end

30th October, 2009

It’s been one of the oddest campaigns ever. The favourite hasn’t declared, and in the meantime also-rans have been running around trying to garner support. But now, finally, Mr Blair has let it be known to some of his oldest and most trusted colleagues that he DOES want the job. Just in case anyone was under any misapprehensions.

Britain’s Business Secretary has spoken out in favour of Tony Blair becoming the first president of the European Council.

In an interview for HARDtalk he told Stephen Sackur that the former British Prime Minister was an ideal candidate, saying that the job needed someone with a ‘strong brain and personality’ to shape and define the new role.

Watch the full interview with Peter Mandelson on HARDtalk on Monday 2nd November 2009.

BBC World News: 0430, 0930, 1430, 1830, 2130 GMT.

BBC News Channel: 0430 and 2330 GMT.

tblair_crown

Blair to Mandelson: “I WANT THE JOB, BUT NOT SO MUCH THAT I COULDN’T LIVE WITHOUT IT”

Tony Blair does want to be the first president of the European Council, his ally Lord Mandelson has told the BBC.

Mr Blair has made no public comment about the job, which will be created if the Lisbon Treat comes into force.

But Cabinet minister Lord Mandelson said Mr Blair had told him he wanted the job but not so much “he couldn’t live without it”.

Alastair Campbell has also been confirming that Mr Blair wants the job.

Gordon Brown is lobbying for Mr Blair but a lack of support from EU socialist leaders could scupper his chances.

The Lisbon Treaty came a step closer to coming into force during an EU summit in Brussels after EU leaders struck a deal with the Czech Republic – the last EU state to sign up to it.

At the summit French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he and German Chancellor Angela Merkel had decided on their own joint candidate.

In an apparent reference to Mr Blair, he added: “The first names to come out of the hat are not the ones that are finally chosen.”

Mr Blair, currently a Middle East envoy, has not said publicly that he wants the job – his office says that as the job will not exist until the Lisbon Treaty is ratified, there is no clear job description yet.

tblair_pmandelson But Gordon Brown and Foreign Secretary David Miliband have been arguing for his candidature this week.

In an interview with the BBC’s Hard Talk programme, to be shown on Monday, Business Secretary Lord Mandelson said: “He would like to do the job. But when I talk to him, I don’t feel it’s a life or death question for him. He doesn’t want it so much he couldn’t live without it – but he’s committed to it. campbell_mandelson

‘He would be a very good candidate … it’s a new job and whoever does that job first is going to shape and define it for years to come.

“Now if we want that job to be a really influential job you are going to need someone with a good brain and a strong personality. Tony Blair has both.”

RELATED

1. Less than a month ago, this poll showed that 43% said “YES” to ‘President’ Blair. Don’t hear much about that, do we - in our rabid press?

2. Alastair Campbell was on BBC News 24 earlier today saying much the same as Mandelson. So it’s serious then. More or less. Not that he couldn’t live without it. (Campbell’s blog.)

3. Paul Waugh says Cameron to drop referendum promise on Lisbon Treaty referendum. But, of course!

4. Support, of a sort, from some interesting places. For instance The Spectator reminds its readers that Blair, if President would be OUR (I think they mean the Tory government’s) man in Europe. And there’s Ben Brogan at The Telegraph – ‘Blair’s Not Buried Yet’. Pity about the juvenile commenters at both of these sites. Now the anti-Blair press have brainwashed their readers to the extent that they ALL believe Blair could give lessons to Saddam Hussein, Karadzic and Hitler, they’ve got some task on to clean their little minds if Mr Blair DOES become EU Council President.

Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive.

ETCETERA

Muck & Brass blogger (Niall Connolly) insults forces mass resignation of Somerton councillors. It really escapes me why anyone wants to be in public life when they’re abused in this way. I left this comment. Don’t expect it to be published:

‘Looks like the councillors – 11 out of 15 – have left their posts en masse after being abused by this blog writer.

Good for them.

Ridiculous stuff from critics like this guy. If we had proper libel/scandal laws we could put a stop to this and bring back courtesy and manners.

How people like Tony Blair put up with it from such foul-mouths is beyond me.

I could never do it.

Having been political once I am now disillusioned with the voters.

See my blog link.’

30 October 2009 18:31:34 GMT

(My blog link was this one. Or it might have been this one. Or this one. Or this one. Or this one. There’s also this lot about the Iraq Trial … Inquiry, if you think you can take any more press lies and brainwashed commenters.)

Tags:alastair campbell, Muck & Brass blog, Peter Mandelson, Somerton councillors resign, Tony Blair
Posted in 1. Tony Blair, Europe/EU/Lisbon Treaty/Full-time President, Peter Mandelson | 1 Comment »

Pay attention, EU leaders: it ain’t over till it’s over

October 30, 2009

DARK HORSE MILIBAND – in Right/Left EU stitch-up?

Comment at end

30th October, 2009

FRAGMENTING OF THE OPPOSITION TO ‘PRESIDENT’ BLAIR

DIVIDE & RULE?

With the news that the Irish have been “forced” to back one of their own for the EU presidency post, things may be about to get interesting.

John Bruton, a former Irish Taoiseach, has presented himself DIRECTLY to EU leaders as a candidate for this job. They just can’t resist it, can they? So is something happening which might yet mean that the underdog, (and former favourite) can break through?

Mr Blair’s supporters cannot be accused of using divide and rule as a tactic. They would rather that he had a clear majority in favour of his candidacy without splitting the opposition, obviously. But heads above parapets time for this EU Council presidency job might focus a few wavering minds.

Excerpt:

TAOISEACH Brian Cowen was forced last night to publicly throw his weight behind former Fine Gael Taoiseach John Bruton‘s bid to get the newly created top job in the EU.

The Government ditched its support for former British Prime Minister Tony Blair after Mr Bruton’s dramatic entry into the race for President of the European Council — a post with an estimated salary of €300,000.

The former Taoiseach threw his hat into the ring by going directly to EU leaders to pitch himself for the powerful post, bypassing Mr Cowen.

Earlier in the day, Mr Cowen gave Mr Bruton qualified backing, saying his Government welcomed his candidacy but would be assessing the level of support for it.

Mr Cowen had to be repeatedly asked if he was supporting Mr Bruton’s nomination, particularly as he had previously indicated support for Mr Blair.

After the referendum, Mr Cowen said that the Government would be “very supportive” of Mr Blair if he was a candidate and he had “the highest regard” for the former British PM.

Mr Cowen gave Mr Bruton a less ringing endorsement yesterday.

“The Irish Government would like to see him proceed in a successful way if that is possible. As I say, I welcome his candidacy and the Government will support his candidacy on the basis of sufficient support for it. But that remains to be seen,” he said.

[...]

Apart from diluting their support, I am not quite sure where Bruton’s newly declared candidacy leaves these two:

Mr Bruton is behind several sitting prime ministers, including Luxembourg‘s Jean-Claude and the Netherlands‘ Jan Peter Balkenende.

Among other potential candidates are Sweden‘s Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, former Austrian chancellor Wolfgang Schussel and former Finland Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen.

This unenthusiastic and qualified endorsement of Bruton by Ireland follows hard on the heels of the Spanish declaring that they won’t may not back Mr Blair either.

SPAIN

Prime Minister José Luis Zapatero has refrained from openly backing Blair. Instead his objective, according to government sources, is to achieve “maximum consensus” among EU members – in other words, a less controversial contender. Zapatero has made few public comments beyond a vague statement of support for someone with “leadership capability” and “pro-European conviction”. But the Spanish premier is not likely to be bursting with personal enthusiasm for Blair: Zapatero was elected in 2004 on promises of withdrawing troops from Iraq – and removing Spain from the Bush-Blair axis. He is also known to think highly of Dutch PM Balkenende. As doubts surface about Blair, some Spanish analysts have begun to speculate that Felipe Gonzalez, the former socialist PM, who deepened Spanish ties with the EU, could emerge as a consensus option.

So, we can take Spain as a “maybe”.

We already know that the Benelux countries – are not for Mr Blair. They are for, well, a Benelux candidate.

BENELUX

The tiny Benelux trio has a barely disguised aversion to Blair, who they fear would bring superstar qualities where they are least wanted. Quite aside from having their own, low-key contenders for the post, including Luxembourg premier Jean-Claude Juncker and Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, they fear that someone from one of the larger EU nations will ride roughshod over the interests of smaller member states. Benelux is also among the best pupils in the EU class – part of both the euro and Schengen zones – and see no reason why Britain should be rewarded for its poor European credentials. In a joint memo, interpreted as the launch of an anti-Blair campaign, they insist that a president should have “demonstrated his commitment to the European project”, and be someone who “listens” rather than a big talker.

Leaders from Belgium, Hungary, Luxembourg and Spain suggested Thursday they would not back Blair, whose country is neither in the eurozone nor the Schengen group of EU countries that have abolished visas for travel within their borders.

In a clandestine proposal by senior EU leaders, the Left would nominate a candidate for the post of EU foreign minister, while the group of centre-right governments would nominate the president – effectively ruling out Blair, The Times said.

One name being bandied around for the foreign supremo job was Foreign Secretary David Miliband. However Miliband on Thursday ruled himself out of the role.

Names in the frame. What do you mean – WHO?

CLIMATE DEBATE IN BRUSSELS

Meanwhile, today Poland on behalf of central Europeans states is objecting to heavy expected “burden-sharing” on climate concerns in central and eastern Europe.

RELATED

1. Lib Dems in a quandary. They don’t understand Blair’s Iraq decision, though we’ve tried to explain it, but they KNOW that Blair is THE MOST PRO-European British politician outside their party.
2. What Blair will have to give up if he becomes EU president
3. Alastair Cambell blog on Tory contortions
4. Cranmer is always a good read, even if not with me politically. Like him regarding Blair, I recognise ability where it exists. He can write. And my tongue is not firmly implanted in my cheek.

Excerpt from Cranmer:

Tony Blair: L’Europe, ce n’est pas moi

It is reported that the star of the first Emperor of the Holy European Empire is fading.

Incroyable.

And so Tony Blair now has competition in the form of:

John Bruton of Ireland
Bertie Ahern also of Ireland
Jan Peter Balkenende of Holland
Herman Van Rompuy of Belgium
Vaira Vike-Freiberga of Latvia
Wolfgang Schüssel of Austria
Jean-Claude Juncker of Luxembourg
Felipe Gonzalez of Spain
Paavo Tapio Lipponen of Finland
and Fredrik Reinfeldt of Sweden

Failures, pygmies, nobodies and has-beens (or are they have-beens?). The only name missing is Neil Kinnock.

Until one realises that perhaps the very notion of ‘President Blair’ would be antithetical to the EU’s historic modus operandi. (more)

Cranmer is behind John Rentoul with this news and similar picture, as Mr Rentoul reminds us today. And as he reminded us four weeks ago AND in July.

My suggestion? Go to Blair supporters for Blair reports.

Tags:Brian Cowen, Brussels, climate, David Milband, EU President, Gordon Brown, John Bruton, Taoiseach, Tony Blair
Posted in 1. Tony Blair, British Prime Minister, Brown (Gordon Brown & his Labour Government, from June 2007), David Miliband, Foreign Secretary in Gordon Brown's government, from June 2007, Europe/EU/Lisbon Treaty/Full-time President | Leave a Comment »

Tweets & Twits in Brussels: What/Who are they discussing?

October 30, 2009

Standard, Paul Waugh: “What Blair would lose as EU president.”

TO BE UPDATED AS AND WHEN

Comment at end

30th October, 2009

The Spanish say they won’t support Tony Blair as EU Council President, referring to Iraq. They should remember that Spain too was one of the allied countries which invaded Iraq. This is a disingenuous argument. See this article for a breakdown of European countries supporting the Iraq invasion.

Smaller countries want a more low-key candidate. Brown didn’t score in his EU socialist support Blair meeting. Sarkozy & Merkel are said to want a President from “the right”.

Horse-trading looks on the cards.

BBC – Gavin Hewitt – EU set for tough bargaining and see also, BBC - Gordon Brown video supporting Blair

DO YOU TWITTER OR TWEET?

These do:

Twitter BBC’s LauraK here
Twitter – Sky News - Twitter Adam Boulton
John Rentoul
JuliePuschi
Quietzapple
Alastair Campbell
Paul Waugh
Tom Harries MP
David Miliband
BlairSupporter

NEWS REPORTS

Cut in income: Tony Blair would be forbidden from any paid or unpaid work (Evening Standard, 30th Oct. Paul Waugh article)

Has Sarkozy “killed off” Blairs EU hopes? Maybe. Then again, maybe not. Adam Boulton on Sky News says that the British press are over-reacting. Nothing new there, then.

Wall Street Journal: “Blair’s chances dead”- with links to British press reports. The Americans should understand the anti-Blair, anti-EU agenda of many they link to. For instance the pro-Tory Daily Mail. Its readers’ comments are shameful distortions of reality, displaying ignorance and bias. They clarify well what the Right in Britain thinks of the EU.

The Sun reports that Brown ended up in a SHOUTING match with an influential German politician – Socialist Democrat party leader Martin Schulz.

German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported last night: “The argument about Blair between Brown and the leader of the Socialists in Brussels, Martin Schulz, became pretty heated at times, with them shouting at one another.”

A senior British diplomatic source said: “It was a challenging conversation, but the PM feels strongly that Tony Blair’s candidacy is in the British national interest.”

ETCETERA

Former leader to stand trial – no, not Blair – but Jacques Chirac. Blair’s old adversary over Iraq.

Tags:David Miliband, EU President, Gavin Hewitt, Gordon Brown, LauraK, Tony Blair, twitter
Posted in 1. Tony Blair, British Prime Minister, Brown (Gordon Brown & his Labour Government, from June 2007), Europe/EU/Lisbon Treaty/Full-time President | 1 Comment »

Blair? Reports of my death (may) have been exaggerated

October 30, 2009

Comment at end

30th October, 2009

IS BLAIR’S BACK AGAINST THE EU WALL?

: A source said Blair’s prospects were ‘fading’ after Europe’s centre-right claimed top job. Photograph: Benoit Tessier/Reuters

It’s almost unimaginable that given the opportunity to elevate the EU to its rightful place in the world under the skillful hands of the Great Communicator, the EU may be about to go for a Mr Nobody as “chairman”. That’s the latest buzz, right now. And it seems that Le Monde is even talking up David Miliband for the other big EU position! What!? Are these people MAD? Miliband instead of Blair? Unbelievable.

Why have the pupil when you can have The Master?

Guardian report on Blair’s “sinking chances”
Has Angela Merkel sunk Tony Blair’s EU ambitions?
Adam Boulton – Blair not out of it yet – not quite.
Twitter – Sky News - Twitter Adam Boulton
Telegraph: Europe divided on Blair. An extraordinarily unfair article. Only a very few European countries – less than a handful – DID NOT agree with Blair on Iraq. Facts would be useful from the Telegraph, particularly when it was only through Tory votes that Blair got parliamentary permission to go to war in the first place. See this for FACTS – Why Iraq is no reason to reject President Blair
“I’m yEUr man”
Irish Times: An excellent article on the reasons why Blair is the right man for Europe. The Irish should know, and they do. Is the EU REALLY about to appoint a dull, workmanlike “chairman” rather than a principled powerhouse like Blair as EU Council President? Incredible, short-sighted and WRONG, oh so wrong, if they do.
Steve Richards: Blair is the right man for the job, which means he probably won’t get it. I disagree with Richards on Iraq, and not only for the reasons mentioned here. But he may be right in this analysis of Blair’s chances, sadly.
ITN video on Brussels and Blair
November 12th or 19th for EGM to decide on the two top EU jobs

RELATED

Mark Twain quote

Tags:Angela Merkel, David Miliband, EU President, Iraq no reason to reject Blair, Mark Twain, reports of my death, Sarkozy, Tony Blair
Posted in 1. Tony Blair, British Prime Minister, Brown (Gordon Brown & his Labour Government, from June 2007), Europe/EU/Lisbon Treaty/Full-time President, Iraq, Iraq inquiry | 7 Comments »

Indie’s Matthew Norman should be sacked: “putting Brown out of his misery”

October 29, 2009

Comment at end

29th October, 2009

Matthew Norman asks: “Isn’t it time Gordon Brown was put out of his misery?”

NO. NOT IN MY NAME.

I’ve spent many, too many hours at this blog naming and shaming the kill Blair tendency in the online world to ignore this just because it is about Gordon Brown. Usually I only blame the press, mainly The Mail and Guardian for incitement. Their coarse commenters then take up the “what’s the best way to do away with the creature” seemingly oblivious to the red rags they are waving to the impressionable.

The mainstream press has seldom if ever to my knowledge suggested THIS, even for the hated Blair.

So another of the questions to which in the Rentoul style the answer is “NO”? Clearly so.

But this is more than that. Another in the style which should make us question the power of the press to encourage lack of humanity towards others. And another question for newspaper editors: IS this today what passes for responsible beehaviour from your writers?

FREE SPEECH an’ ALL THAT

The thinking seems to have been that if we allow them to rant they will rant themselves out and get it all off their chests. That strategy has backfired, clearly. Their numbers have multiplied.

And our “free speech” principles simply means that now ANYTHING is acceptable.

Well, it isn’t. Not in my name.

Norman’s dreadful article:

Everything this reverse Midas touches turns to plutonium

brown_bullseye

‘Gordon is the Sadim of global politics, everything this reverse Midas touches turning straight to plutonium’

If somebody were to hand the noted primate hunter AA Gill a high-velocity rifle, and say to him “Adrian, you see that slightly simian figure over there, yes, the Prime Minister…”, would anyone be horrified when the shot rang out and the creature slumped to the ground?

Well, I suppose it would be a blow to Sarah, and presumably the Metropolitan Police would have to show an interest. But for tens of millions of people the overwhelming emotion would be relief, as much on his behalf as their own. It is astonishing how often you hear this fantasy voiced. In the last two days I’ve heard it three times. “Someone ought to shoot him,” one friend precisely echoed the other two yesterday, “and put him out of his misery. It just isn’t right to let this go on.”

There wasn’t a scintilla of malice in this, but there seldom is when people talk about the mercy-killing of Gordon Brown. The loathing induced by Tony Blair is absent. With Gordon, there’s a measure of perplexity, a dash of anger and a heavy twist of disdain, but the base of the cocktail is embarrassed pity.
Related articles

Watching the wounded beast flailing, death rictus spreading over face and carrion crow gathering overhead, has become too painful to watch. We’ve been through Shakespearean tragedy, done farce both high and low, lingered over the surreal, and resurrected satire from its Kissinger-Nobel burial ground time and again. All we want now is for this horribly macabre spectacle to stop.

The humiliations assault him with such ceaseless regularity that it’s a struggle to keep pace. From recent days alone I count four. There is, for instance, the pitiable vista of Gordon openly pressing the claims to EU presidency of someone he described, to his own face, as utterly untrustworthy. If and when Mr Blair becomes Mr Prez, this will represent Gordon’s ultimate eclipsing by his old foe. Yet here the poor turkey is, in utter thrall to Lord Mandelson for keeping him in office, urging fellow EU leaders to vote for Christmas.

Infinitely worse was the shock news that the British economy contracted yet further in the third quarter, ridiculing assurances that it would by now be back in growth. Gordon’s mantra that Britain was uniquely well-placed to withstand the global slump has boomeranged and smacked him the temple, which certainly was anticipated, and the last slivers of his economic credibility have been cauterised.

The surrender over cutting Territorial Army funding, meanwhile, was a classic of Brownian incompetence. Having contrived a fabulously stupid idea – picking a fight with the army to save a measly £20m is like mugging Vera Lynn for a 10p piece – he then exacerbated the damage by retreating not in one clean manoeuvre, but in two messy ones. If Gordon had a flag, it would be a cream cross on a beige background.

And so to the latest on MPs’ expenses. Here the pity reaches its zenith, because whereas being under permanent house arrest with Lord Mandelson as jailer is one thing, being Sir Stuart Bell’s prisoner over expenses is another.

This so-called “shop steward of MPs” is quite a card, and I have before me one of the books of which he admits authorship. About another he is more reticent, as we’ll see, but Sir Stuart has the vanity to be proud of Tony Blair Loves Me (SpenView Publications, £6.99; Sir Stuart was born, by sheerest happenstance, in the Geordie mining village of High Spen). This masterpiece of futile ingratiation captures the essence of the New Labour backbenches exquisitely. “Tony,” begins the open letter he uses as introduction, written to mark the 1997 victory, “You have not written your name on water but in the history books, not because of time and place … but because you built New Labour on the traditions and values of the old; you built the future on to the past in the present.

“It falls to few to have such a vision … by being the first Tony Blair rather the second anyone-else, you have earned the right to be where you are today. You have a right to be here, to savour this moment, to marvel at it …” But no more. If the missing anti-emetics turn up perhaps we’ll sample the comparisons with Churchill and Keats another time.

Having inexplicably failed to bring this long-term shadow trade minister into his government, Mr T consoled his disciple with the crucial parliamentary post of Church Estates Commissioner, regardless of the Francophile Sir Stuart’s pornographic novel Paris, 69 (the one he’s not quite so keen to mention). If you’re squeam, or even just squeamish, turn the page now.

“And she keeps on sucking, sucking and nibbling and filling me with yearning, with desire to thrust her back on the bed now, strap her to it the way the schoolteacher had shown me,” runs a memorable passage. “I wanted that she be tied to the bed and I dominate her, rape her, burst inside her and be cleansed.”

Enchanting stuff from a most remarkable man of God. I quote it less to aid the digestion of your breakfast egg than to hint at the quality of the leader of the resistance to Christopher’s Kelly attempts to end the practices of MPs building property portfolios and employing family on the taxpayer. Sitting on the Members Estimate Committee, Sir Stuart fought long and hard to obscure the issue from public gaze, and has predictably strong feelings about Sir Christopher’s ambitions. “I don’t think the House would accept any enforced redundancies of present staff,” he declares.

Sir Stuart speaks with authority, even though he no longer employs kith and kin so far as I’m aware. He did once hire his son as a researcher, and jolly hard young Malcolm worked too until his conviction for stealing cheques from George Galloway’s office, using one to buy himself an Egyptian figurine for £1,788.

Whether Sir Stuart is the ideal person to defend the employment of relatives, who shall say? But strive mightily to ignore the Kelly recommendations our noble MPs naturally will. And the man who will pay the heaviest price for that, of course, is Gordon Brown, who has one-16th of the authority over his MPs exercised by John Major in his dog days, and who takes the rap for every fresh expenses-related folly.

In one sense, this is unfair. What no one doubts about Gordon, unlike his predecessor and likely future President, is his probity and uninterest in personal enrichment. However, from the YouTube hilarity to the appointment of Thomas Legg and Kelly, who so drolly failed to do the whitewashing expected, he has handled expenses with the deftness lavished on TA cutbacks, the release of the Libyan bomber, the 10p tax rate, biscuits and so much else during these last 30 months.

Gordon is the Sadim of global politics, everything this reverse Midas touches turning straight to plutonium. There is no point asking how much more radiation sickness he can take. Endurance of suffering is the one strength he has left, and no disaster or torrent of them will send him to his study with the Glenlivet and trusty Luger now. But it isn’t pretty to watch, and it feels immoral that it should continue. Killing a healthy baboon is a very different proposition, as his Cabinet still has a little time to appreciate, from mercifully ending the political life of an ailing buffoon.

Tags:Gordon Brown out of misery, Independent, Matthew Norman
Posted in 1. Tony Blair, British Prime Minister, Brown (Gordon Brown & his Labour Government, from June 2007) | Leave a Comment »

Alastair Campbell: “Tory contortions on Europe and Blair”

October 29, 2009