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Reply With QuoteNot lax but a system of antoganizing the its ex-colonies by sheltering their terrorists in the name of liberal society. Its paying the price of that.Originally Posted by ray
Blair will be remembered for his oratory and hotair hogwash.The legacy Blair will leave behind
By Max Hastings
TONY BLAIR is working overtime to reform education, commission nuclear power stations, bring stable government to Northern Ireland, impose a new vision on Europe, create stability in Iraq, all within the span of two or three years before he quits the scene. It is amazing that such an intelligent man can still suppose, first, that his objectives are attainable and, second, that he will receive any credit for them from the electorate.
It is the fate of almost all governments to be remembered not for what they achieved, but for their failures and embarrassments. Of postwar prime ministers, only two can claim substantial and widely acknowledged legacies. Clement Attlee created the welfare state and Margaret Thatcher restored the credibility of British capitalism.
Of the remainder, Eden is known only for Suez, Macmillan for Profumo and “you’ve never had it so good”. Wilson left behind his “lavender list”, the notorious resignation honours, together with memories of incessant economic crises. Historians of the Heath era focus upon his eviction by the striking miners, rather than his success in taking Britain into Europe.
This represents a reasonably accurate view of the public perception of modern British political history. If educated adults were asked what substantial acts of governance might be attributed to each of the above national leaders, most would struggle to provide answers.
About two years ago, talking to one of Blair’s close associates, I expressed surprise that the prime minister wanted to carry on through a third term, given the fantastic strain of the job, and the unlikelihood of success in his cherished objectives. My friend said: “Oh, but Tony doesn’t see it like that at all. He is convinced that if he serves another term, the British people will understand what he has done for them.”
In order to serve as a frontline minister, to sustain oneself at the top of the greasy pole, it is essential to be that sort of optimist, whose kind are to be glimpsed nightly at the tables of our great casinos, or buying lottery tickets.
Blair will be recognized by history as a consummate politician, orator, vote-winner. It seems unlikely, however, that he will be judged to have used the power he gained to much lasting effect. To a remarkable degree, he has presided over Britain rather than ruled it.
He has articulated objectives that reasonable people can share: enterprise, compassion, better health and schooling, good deeds in Africa, economic stability. But neither he nor most of his cabinet have discovered how to get things done. They have failed to master the art of translating aspiration into achievement through effective administration.
The backgrounds of most ministers are a serious handicap in office. Few, before reaching Whitehall, had ever run anything or acquired executive skills. Their talents and experience are founded upon rhetoric and political manoeuvre. They govern by hoping that if one declares a commitment to something often enough, it will come to pass.
In a just world, Blair might gain credit for the fact that the British people have been pretty content for most of his time in office. His government has done little to make them angry, at least until the pensions issue began to get serious. He has presided over a period of prosperity, which a decade or two hence we shall look back on as fortunate.
But it is unlikely that Mrs Smith in Coventry will say in her old age: “Gosh, how grateful we were to nice Tony Blair for all that!” People are seldom, if ever, grateful to governments. The Scots and Welsh are unlikely to erect statues of Blair for giving them devolution, nor the Irish to regard him as the architect of their future and still somewhat speculative tranquillity.
By now, you will have perceived where this line of thought is heading. Galling though it must be to him, Blair’s legacy will be Iraq. It is plain that, whatever the outcome, it will not be a happy one. Whether or not the coalition forces swiftly depart, the saga will drag on for years, poisoning western relations with the Islamic world. It is unlikely that Iraq can be sustained as a unitary state. Much more bloodshed is to come.
No amount of massage can alter the fact that this was a war of choice, not necessity. Blair, intoxicated by the sensation of standing shoulder to shoulder with the most powerful man on earth in doing a good deed, committed Britain on a false prospectus and in the caravan of gross incompetents in Washington. The consequences threaten to be interminable, not least in this country’s increased vulnerability to terrorism.
It is hard to imagine any political historian, never mind the British public, attributing our involvement in this shambles to anything beyond the misjudgment of one man, the prime minister. Posterity will be no more impressed by Blair’s professed honourable intentions than by those of Anthony Eden in Egypt, half a century ago.
The memory of Blair’s government will be dominated by this disastrous foreign war, rather than, for instance, by his maintenance of a successful economy at home and brilliant speeches to successive Labour party conferences.
In his old age, all this will seem monstrously unfair to him. He is a man of vastly more substance and parts than John Major. He possesses genuine star quality. Yet the hubris bred by his extraordinary public stature induced him to commit a folly more damaging to the national interest than any act of Major’s.
Blair is left today, struggling with increasingly clumsy haste to create achievements that will outlast his tenancy of Downing Street. Yet events in Baghdad negate them all, and are beyond his control. Does he himself perceive this? Of course not. His behaviour suggests a diminishing grip upon reality, as well as on power.
All the trappings of office are still there to reassure him, the police outriders and deferential flunkeys, the cosy embrace of Chequers. But now, these are all for nothing. Blair is running a race before an audience that is already drifting away from the stadium, and in which he is competing vainly against events. The Blair legacy is sealed and witnessed beyond amendment or codicil, and a tragically ugly one it is. — Dawn/The Guardian News Service
http://www.dawn.com/2005/12/06/op.htm
He has failed in every front.
He dreamt of bringing back to the glories of the imperialist past by piggybacking Bush, but even that has only spalttered mud on his face. The British are neither here nor there.
While other govts too must take the responsibility, but his egalatarian attitude had empowered the AQ supporter to give a body blow to the British non chalance to terrorism with the London Bombings and inspite of all the rhetorical tough talk is seemingly twiddling his thumbs and not doing much to leash in the "wild one". It was easy to blame Pakistan for the London bombings, but in actuality it was all the fault of the British lax system.
He has been a total letdown given the great hope that he had initially inspired.
"Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."
I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.
HAKUNA MATATA
Not lax but a system of antoganizing the its ex-colonies by sheltering their terrorists in the name of liberal society. Its paying the price of that.
Hala Madrid!!
He will be known for creating the new British Capital of Londonistan. After seeing the Prayer Room for Muslims at Heathrow, I have no doubts.
"Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except all those others that have been tried from time to time. "
"Although prepared for martyrdom, I preferred that it be postponed."
Sir Winston Churchill
I would not totally agree with your comments.
Blair along with Gordon Brown has resided over the longest period of sustained economic growth United Kingdom has witnessed since 1830.
With regards to comments on reform,
let us begin with the CSA (Child Support Agency) set up by the Tories which costs more to run than it recovers from parents.
In the educational sector Blair has probably taken the right step by pushing through the top up fees given that British Universities (Except for Oxford & Cambridge) were rapidly falling behind in comparison to their American counterparts given the high level of endowments & Fees those institutions are able to charge.
One should actually go well past Blair-Bush relationship and realise the fact that it required skill and brains to have been able to work out a smooth relationship with the Americans given the close ties of Blair and Clinton were expected to create some obstacles with the entry of Bush into White House.
IT would be folly to accuse Blair of being responsible in some possible manner for London Bombs, for the seeds for London bombs were sown well before Blair occupied office, well before the First Gulf War.
This is a problem that exists in the British Politics and British Society and to blame Blair is somewhat wrong.
The British politicians as a group have tried 2 pacify the muslim populations rather than be able to confront the problems in these societies. This has led to some confusion amongs the labour ranks itself and has also caught the Conservatives at back foot sometimes, given the fact that they often switch sides as they did firstly when they supported Labour to go to war in Iraq but subsequently blaming the Labour for lying when everyone from start new Iraq possesed no WMD's.
Blair's legacy, think what you may will always remain as the person from the New Labour who won 3 general elections, presided over the longest period of economic growth and managed to do what everyone thought was impossible, inroduction of tuition fees to begin with, and top up fees @ the end.
Above all Bush, Clinton & Schroder managed to advocate something new in politics, i.e. they were niether leftists nor Rightists but were something diff, i.e. Centrists
Blair is a *****.
He's bombarded us with stealth taxes, his reign heralded the clamping culture...his governemnt want to charge us for travelling in rush hour traffic....
his government already cahrges us for travelling in london.
his governemnt built a motoraway then put a toll to use it!
his government heralded in yob culture.
his governemnt is spending our money fighting othes wars.
i could go on for day.....
GO DAVID CAMERON!!!
Man what do u eat in the morning
Always running after someone's ass and get ur facts straight.
The talk about charging everyone to drive is only a pilto scheme dreamt up by former Trasnport minister "Stephen Buyers" and it's not even official yet, above all we are discussing Blair's legacy not New Labour's legacy, LMFAO
Your so called government charging to travle into London was actually introduced by Ken Livingstone (A prick) who @ the time was expelled from the Labour party.
Heralded Yob CultureI can see that
A) U are not the only one who pay's taxes so quit moaning
B) If u are not happy you can always pay taxes to a differnt govt in a diff country.
And finally stop hijacking threads with your personal agenda's. Talk something sense and based on facts not on ur personal madrassa education,
one millione people actaully protested out taxes being spent on a war.....
how many have potested the other way.....none.
FYI...Ken livingstone is back in with Labour....
Lets get this straight, there were French ALgerians, Morocans, Arabs in the march in their thouands. Lets not forget the Turkish from the North of London.
They are not what I call British, they are just economic migants.
How many protested the other way, haha let me tell u A) Parliament voted 2 go 2 war
B) Second war march had hardly 100,000 people showing how much British poeple were really against the war and above all why did British people elect Blair again
Are u blind, I mentioned that the thing abr charging 2 drive into Central London was initiated by Ken Livingstone when he was not part of labour i.e. was suspended.
Start reading properly and don't twist words. You are just out of this world.
the 2nd march didn't have amny people because we have lost our faith in democracy, especially tony b-liar his draconian powers....and hit squads killing innocent people int he street, like that brazillian.
btw, bliar could have stopped it he didn't, he realised the people are being forced to put up with it an instead extended it and now wants that bullsh1t nationwide!
You have Just Been Ignored,
You lack the intellect to debate, acting like the herd blabbing of as and when you feel and making up facts that suit urself.
I have had enough amusmenet with you anyways.
Ciao
easy way out, when you lose every arguement you engage in
A PDF moderator will teach me how 2 debate. Lmfao , what are u a ?? A human or a marshan.
Don't u get it, no one likes u, British people would be rather pleased 2 see your backsides, but hell why would u care, living in those ghetto's in Bradford, Oldham, East London (Aldgate East) , always moaning abt Islamophobia, how u need muslim this and that, left and right going all around when your youth are disinchanted and unemployed, all they do is moan abt injustice and human rights and racisim,
when Middle East itself is more racist than BNP & Neo-Nazi's put together.
CHant for Israel's destruction, deny holoucast etc, claim injustices, refuse 2 integrate into west and burn British flag in London and than claim oh sorry:( that was only a minority.
Seriously man u r really a messed up person, It's a shame that hypocrites like you are not kicked out because u r in no sense British for you always keep moaning & Complaining.
Want some more, na i don't think so u deserve any more because its just a waste of everyone's time excluding yours.
Okay now the system has gone wrong.
Yep,that Brazillian owed 500 pounds to the six policemen who shot him dead.
ooh, i'm on your ignore list am i.....great way of ignoring someone, replying to thier posts.
Admit it, you have a fetish of getting your as5 ripped by me.
btw, it's Martian, but obviously that isn't in the Bangalore call centre's dictionary is it? hehehe
British people don't want us here? I haven't herard a white man say it, i heard you say it, another p*a*k*i.
Seems to me you don't like us being here, you just revealed your true colours again. Keep it up, your hosts will see exactly the turd you are.
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