The Blair Special

[erpowers]

Is anyone watching the PBS special on Tony Blair's ten years as the Prime Minister of England. Is it a bad thing for Blair that his biggest moment beside the Iraq War his speech for Princess Diana. I realize people said he did good things but he seems to be only know two things. In addition, has Gordon Brown been leading the Labour Party for the last ten years?

[Kagemusha]

1. Ummmm no, Gordon Brown has not led the party for the last 10 years.

He has run the treasury.. not an inconsiderable job, but that is not the same job, not one tiny bit.

[erpowers]

2. Control

I know Tony Blair had the position of Prime Minister, but Blair allowed Brown to move into the Prime Minister's apartment. I know the apartment Blair lives in is bigger, but I was just wondering if there was a type of Bush/Cheney relationship here in America.

[Kagemusha]

3. My god no. It's not like that at all.

The Prime Minister is in actual control. That's how it works. It's not fake control; the buck really stops with him in all matters. And furthermore, Blair came into the leadership with a mission to transform the party (the "New Labour Project") and save the party by dragging it to middle class acceptability kicking and screaming. He was COMPLETELY in control of all parts of government not specifically allowed to Gordon Brown and ministers that were allied with him; in terms of the party apparatus, Blair was COMPLETELY in control and Brown worked with him, not the other way around.

Brown had to wait 10 very long years to get his chance to lead. He has not been leading for those 10 years. He has been following. At a close distance, mind you, but following nonetheless, and Blair has not allowed him to forget that fact for a single nanosecond.

[LeftishBrit]

4. No...

if Brown had been controlling Blair, I suspect we wouldn't have gone into Iraq. (Brown isn't the greatest, but at least he's not a 19th-century imperialist born 100 years too late.)

Blair has been like a little elected dictator, controlling his party and dragging it to the right, as Maggie once did with hers.

[LeftishBrit]

5. Blair is noted for a few other things besides that

On the good side: the Northern Ireland peace process, the Civil Partnerships act, and the minimum wage. And at least not being Thatcher, though sometimes he hasn't been that far off.

On the bad side (apart from Iraq and being Bush's poodle and related issues like the David Kelly affair): turning everything into a managerocracy, with 'targets' for everything, resembling a cross between NCLB and Soviet Five-Year-Plans. Changing things every few minutes for the sake of it - Blair's least likely saying is: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Some sleaziness over House of Lords appointments. Privatization of lots of things that shouldn't be privatized. A combination of anti-privacy measures resembling your Patriot Act, and extreme incompetence when it came to keeping track of real criminals (well, a lot of that has been John Reid, but Blair appointed John Reid). The decision to renew Trident. Our taxes going down the drain on the stupid Millennium Dome. And lots and lots of spin!

And no, Brown hasn't been leading the Labour Party. He's been Chancellor (= Secretary of the Treasury), in which role he has been competent though too right-wing for my taste. But Blair has been firmly in the driver's seat on most issues.

[T_i_B]

6. Is this a BBC programme that's already been aired in the UK?

Complete with PR men talking about how good Tony Blair is at soundbites?

And no, his speech for Princess Diana is nowhere near his greatest achevement. That would be the Good Friday agreement.