Originally published @ 8:10 pm, Sun 24th Oct 2010
Being of the TV age, I tend to be a bit slower at getting through books.
But Tony Blair's book is one I'm glad that I persevered with.
He is challenging. Tony still holds strong views about what's best from Britain and the Labour Party and deserves consideration beyond the almost instant responses of he can't write well enough, the poor working relationship with Gordon Brown and that he hasn't changed his mind on Iraq.
He most decidedly moves on from the triangulation of social progress and reactionary media comment that he is characterised for, to a decidedly determined view of believing in his own judgement. If people want to ponder why Labour had lost 4 million votes in 2005 from 1997, they might do well to consider that Tony Blair had stopped much of his trimming to public opinion.
And yet we should remember, he won 3 General Elections. Unimaginable to a party that had come to accept that the key change was to win full 2 terms, never mind the dream of 3. The centre ground of British politics was decidedly changed under his leadership - saving the NHS, delivering a better health service and better schools; being more supportive of public expenditure.
I hope in time to write up more of the key points he makes, but for me the surprise is how someone who had such faith in his own judgment was unable to perceive why what he did couldn't generate the popular movement he thought his ideas deserved.
コメント