Watching all the ballyhoo just recently focussed on the movie "Iron Lady" I cannot help feeling that Hollywood is ignoring the most influential right wing British prime minister of recent time Tony Blair.
This is my personal view, both Thatcher and Blair are seen to have had a significant impact on the nation, in the case of Thatcher her motives were honestly set out, it was clear that big business particularly the financial sector were to be the main beneficiaries of Thatcherism and societies week and feeble would be the casualties. At no time did Margeret Thatcher ever give the impression of compassion for societies less able, her objective was to assist those equipped with drive and ambition.
Tony Blair gave the impression, that he was motivated by the notion of helping the masses, his New Labour invested in slick popular cliché and meaningless phrases like Education, Education and one I seem to recall from 1997 the notion that if you voted for Labour in that year's general election you would as a bonus also be saving the NHS and probably the world.
It's been a while since my last posting, and in all honesty it's tough to get motivated, generally I scan through papers as most of us do and when something sort of irritates me I make a note of it (evernote) which I'll either use or let drift until the moment is past, however sometimes several items crop up and recently a few Blair stories have floated into view.
We all know how hollow Blair was on the Education Education mantra, his government was the first to introduce tuition fees and treble them! on saving the Health Service that clearly didn't work either as a gander at this last weekends Sunday Times and Mail Online reveals Mrs Blair is attempting to raise £65 million to plow into private clinics (the first is apparently to be opened in Hackney in the olympic village), Blair the statesman it seems is available for hire, as this report suggests, even a country like Kazakhstan not known for Human Rights, can for the right money, get him and the his old team also Blair the taxpayer, provokes concern, on a turnover of £12million and spending £2.3million on staff, his "firm" apparently paid out only £315,000 in taxes.
Still I have ever faith that when Holywood do Tony Blair, we will see the real man, his honesty, frugal lifestyle, concern for the people who once trusted him, I'm sure those items that have riled me up into this post will be proven to be the wild imaginings of the media.
I also don't doubt that one day Tony Blair will be able to explain the legality of his Iraq war, why British Service personnel have been in Afghanistan for years, defending a corupt regime, and just as a side issue what sort of deals if any he did with Rupert Murdoch before and during his time in office.
Of course like her or loath her there was always an inherent honesty about Mrs Thatcher and of course it would be unfair to compare the two former Prime Ministers.
" her objective was to assist those equipped with drive and ambition"
ReplyDeleteOr in the case of her son Mark, it was to provide him with contacts in the building and arms industry to make him a lot more money than his talents deserved.
Do you REALLY scan the papers?
ReplyDeleteTo scan means to examine in close detail. No wonder you've been so bloomin' miserable so far this year.
The sooner Thatcher (demented though she may now be) is dead and either burnt or buried, the better. Her contempt for the working people of this country legitimises the complete contempt I and many others feel for her.
ReplyDeleteI like the way "It was a mistake to close the mines" is being slipped into various economic analyses nowadays.
ReplyDeletemiserable surely not, I have distracted by work some shock I must say after a couple of weeks in front of a warm telly, yes I do scan 1. To examine closely.
ReplyDelete2. To look over quickly and systematically: scanning the horizon for signs of land.
3. To look over or leaf through hastily: scanned the newspaper while eating breakfast.
take you choice i go with the last chuck
"his government was the first to introduce tuition fees and treble them!"
ReplyDeleteErm, sorry to break it to you, Tony, but although Blair's New Labour cronies were the first to introduce tuition fees it was, in fact, the Lib Dems who reneged on their promise to abolish fees by colluding with the Tories to vote in favour of trebling them.
Obviously, you could quibble by mentioning that Labour commissioned the report by Lord Browne which first made the suggestion that fees should be increased, and that this same report led the coalition to do exactly that. But the fact of the matter is, it was not Blair nor Labour who actively legislated to TREBLE tuition fees. It was the Tory-Lib Dem coalition who did that. In other words, us young 'uns who aspire to a university education have been screwed over twofold, by two successive governments in a row.
For the record, I oppose tuition fees. I just thought I’d point out your mistake.
Tony Blair maybe, Peter? I hear he is a dab hand with a guitar and he will do anything for a few shekels. He even does a passable cabinet shuffle with his old mate Mandy.
ReplyDeleteSee all the old Maggie haters are out in force and 01:12 shares his contempt for her with many others. That must be a gathering to delete from my social calender.
Luke you probably weren't born in 1998 when introduced the £1000 pound fee Quote from the BBC "The Labour government, elected in May 1997, accepts the recommendation that there should be a tuition fee of £1,000,
ReplyDeleteor perhaps later in 2004 Another Quote From BBC Tony Blair faces his biggest backbench rebellion as prime minister in a vote on top-up fees, with 72 Labour MPs voting against. He scraped home by five votes.
The decision to implement the £3,000 fees is welcomed by university leaders and angers student unions.
If you wish to pursue your error Luke please do so, I know how powerful brainwashing techniques are.
However if you like to retract and need the facts check this
3 x £1000= £3000 or indeed this.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7923093.stm
Incidently I don't have to refer myself because I remember with clarity just how slippery and crooked Labour politicians can be rich left wing luvvies didn't say a word.
Peter just a quick reaction to Luke not bothering to check the facts, yes he probably is older than he looks, but anyhoo back in 1998 when labour agreed a figure of £1000 and then trebled it in 2004 I doubt Luke was taking much interest, unlike myself who has always been against charging for education.
ReplyDeleteThank you for enlightening me on some facts I wasn't previously aware of, Tony, but the contemptible backstory of how New Labour introduced tuition fees and slowly cranked up the price doesn't surprise me in the slightest. All I know is that the current administration haven't made things any better on the tuition fee front have they?!
ReplyDeleteConsidering I was 12-years-old in 1998, I doubt politics was at the forefront of my mind to be honest, so I apologise for my oversight. A lot of my learning about New Labour and the Third Way has been done retrospectively reading academic journals at university (which unfortunately came at the price of £3k a year). And even then, I mainly focused on the reinvention of the party, spin doctoring and their media management techniques. You should read my dissertation - it argued that New Labour was a postmodern political project (and thus, not a good thing) and is a lot better researched than my insight into tuition fees, clearly(!)
Anyway, I don't profess to be an expert on these matters. I'm still too young to be a fount of all knowledge. I merely thought your comment was referring to the recent trebling of fees from £3,000 to £9,000 and thought you'd conveniently attributed it to New Labour when, in fact, the blame can be pinned on the coalition in that instance. Either way, we are united in our distaste in Blairism and our belief that education should be free, so let's not argue shall we?!
Fair comment Luke, although I make what might seem casual remarks, I also check them as well as just pluck stuff from the back of my mind.
ReplyDeleteTalking about leaders Tony,
ReplyDeletewhispers are going around that the Tory opposition here in Thanet may soon have new leader, could be Moores or Wise,just rumours but there is no smoke without fire,you normally have your pulse on whats happening locally what have you heard?
You cannot make a deal with the devil, though many may try.
ReplyDeleteThatch was 'demented' on purpose, as was Red Ronnie Reagan, to keep their traps firmly shut. Although, I suppose it beats being 'cancered', like a Chavez.
When Blair's day of reckoning arrives I want a front row seat.
Tom Clarke, I'm sure they'll let you kiss Thatcher's coffin. Oh no, I forgot, you deplore public displays of affection, don't you?
ReplyDeleteYour anonymous 01 12.00PM sounds a right charmer. Whatever you think of Mrs Thatcher - she pulled this country back from the brink of being the laughing stock of Europe and proved to the world that this country could still pull together when needed. It took 13 years of Labour crap to try to undo her legacy. I do not think Blair, Brown or Miliband will be remembered in the History books of this Country except for their dismal performance Mrs. Thatcher was a Lady of her time - when she was needed -but the current crop of M.P.s- with their dubious expense frauds - from all sides have no mandate for criticism.
ReplyDeleteI think the miners and their wives - to name just two segments of society - would disagree with you, Anon. And history is now judging Thatcher's "achievements" very differently.
ReplyDeleteI am the "charmer", and I will happily dance on the evil old hag's grave. Of course if they cremate her, that'll be more of a challenge.
Both could be classed as criminals of their time. Traitors to their country and guilty of war crimes.Unfortunately the caliber of those that have replaced them is no better. People are waking up to the deception in droves god help them when we have the critical mass.
ReplyDelete12:23 We will grant your wish especially as she has asked to be buried at sea.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, it was Scargill, not Thatcher, who finished off our mines and he is still bleeding the members fund for his lifetime presidency and grace and favour Barbican flat.
Where will you stand when your beloved TUC and Labour party go their seperate ways?
Can we bury the bitch before she is clinically dead? Now that would be a party worth attending. Guess it would be illegal though...
ReplyDelete