Well it's here. Blair is going and we finally have a date 27th June and after his moving speech today - I'm pretty gutted.
I particularly liked the way he said he came into office 10 years ago as an optimist and was leaving still with that characteristic intact. Yet again he gave a speech filled with those slightly strange pauses but delivered the usual quality of thought in an eloquent and heartfelt manner.
I think everyone today in our "blessed nation" (as Blair put it) will be feeling the void they didn't know they would - just as I predicted a couple of posts ago and much to my delight the BBC's Nick Robinson said today in his blog too!
Blair has kept the
He has been an incredible statesman and in this age of increasing summitry - this couldn't be a handier asset. The world knows the
Emma Barnett latest stories
Thursday, 10 May 2007
D-Day for Blair
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3 comments:
"Blair has kept the UK, with its lack of empire or pretty much anything else to offer, on the international political stage. Admittedly through a lot of shoulder-to-shoulder standing with Bush, but anyone who has a problem with that needs to cast their over the last century's political history and see the same pattern emerge. Macmillan did it with JFK in order to get nuclear powers, Thatcher with Reagan to get support in the Falklands and now Blair in order to keep our place in international politics."
Yes, but then think of Harold Wilson, who managed to enjoy good relations with the US in spite of his refusal to commit British forces to fight with the US in Vietnam.
Perhaps Blair could have learned from this.
Incidentally, I didn't feel a void of any sort, just a sense of profound irritation that this has all been dragged out for so long. Perhaps then it was just a little presumptuous of you to ascribe such feelings to others.
Hi Emma,
Well that's makes two of us feeling a kind of void. And I don't see anything filling it.
I know those who actually admire Tony Blair are supposed to be like smokers in a pub these days and absent ourselves to the great leper colony outdoors. But I'm going to miss the man. And I'll stand outside on my own all night if needs be, rather than give up my habit.
He has been a brilliantly eloquent and persuasive political leader. George Bush's admiration is clear and genuine, and he's not the only one who thinks in this way. Oh how many EU leaders would love to be able to think through policies and strategies in Blair's way, and then explain them so clearly.
Since he's still comparatively young I hope sincerely that being British PM was only a warm-up for his major life's work. And providing he's not dragged down by the ridiculous honours nonsense got up by lesser, small-minded holier-than-thou politicians, (some of whom are not a million miles away from you and me, Emma) he could yet make us prouder still.
Those who hate Tony Blair will NEVER come round. But then, there are people who hated Churchill, Atlee, John Kennedy & Margaret Thatcher. Politics can often get in the way of disinterested appreciation.
I have a blog called Keep Tony Blair for PM which I set up after the shameful September coup by his "friends". Until then I had been a Blair watcher, impressed by his domestic advances and proud of his international profile, but not even a Labour voter. But when THAT happened, and he was NOT defended in any firm way by Brown, I found myself leaping to his defence. And I've been leaping ever since! The more I research him the more I am impressed.
The blog's called - Keep Tony Blair for PM
http://keeptonyblairforpm.wordpress.com
Must get back to my own business soon. It's such an addiction, this Blair watching ;0)
Anyway, he's made me proud to be British and what's more I am VERY proud of him.
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