Tony Blair, Take 2

MaxwellBygraves

So, word on the street is that Tony Blair is preparing for a return to UK politics.

He is said to have regularly met Ed Miliband and prominent Labour MP's over the last few months and is planning a return at some point in June or July to coincide with 5 years since he left office in 2007.

No-one seems to know what role Tony will want to play. Surely a return to parliament and the frontbench is too far-fetched?!

Apparently Tony believes that the Lib Dems made an 'historic error' by working with the Tories and want's to help Labour do more to capitalise on this. Many commentators are likely to see this as a 'sealing' of Ed's leadership until 2015 after an endorsement from Blair.

So, do you welcome Tony Blair back, or would you rather he faded away into history? Personally I don't want him back, but it will be fascinating nevertheless to see.

nathancom

He seems very tainted these days, not just amongst Labour followers. The general populous appeared to reject his mendacity following the Iraq War and I doubt he will ever be forgiven for that. The way he has feathered his nest since stepping down and the release of details of his interactions with the Murdochs have done little to improve his public image.

I doubt he will come back in any meaningful sense. Anyway, I was hoping Tories masquerading as Labour politicians was no longer welcome.

TheStone

Can't see it happening. Labour have a chance in the next election, but this wouldn't improve it.

rick_chasey

Might do a Mandy style role.

He's got a hell of a lot of experience.

MaxwellBygraves

Rick Chasey wrote:

Might do a Mandy style role.

He's got a hell of a lot of experience.

This is what I thought too.

Whatever you think of him, he can play the game well.

OffTheBackAdam

Decided he's no chance in getting a Eurojob & its huge pension?

MaxwellBygraves

OffTheBackAdam wrote:

Decided he's no chance in getting a Eurojob & its huge pension?

I think he's just got fed up of his ironic title as 'peace envoy'

Peddle Up!

We need Johnny B Goode, not Tony B Liar.

Frank the tank

The man is a cnut and if labour have any desire to win the next election they'll steer well clear of him.

Firkin 'ell I already struggle trying to find a reason to vote labour, but if HE came on board I reckon I'd save myself a walk to the polling station.

rick_chasey

You'd think he'd be quite useful in a behind-the-scenes advisory capacity.

You get all the advantages that he has - that ultimately he's a very good politician - the stuff that made him PM, and you can just ignore the whole destiny Catholic, God / foreign policy stuff.

MaxwellBygraves

Frank the tank wrote:

The man is a cnut and if labour have any desire to win the next election they'll steer well clear of him.

Firkin 'ell I already struggle trying to find a reason to vote labour, but if HE came on board I reckon I'd save myself a walk to the polling station.

I don't think he will go for an elected position - he's not that daft.

I think he'll advise Miliband especially with regards to, say, PMQ's. Blair was always pretty good at it and Dave is fairly average yet sometimes Miliband makes him look quite good. So I think this is the sort of area where Tony might be useful for Mili.

finchy

I keep expecting him to give up his own life so that all our sins would be forgiven. :roll:

verylonglegs

The man resulted in people I know who'd always taken an interest in politics and looked upon voting as a civic duty for many decades giving up on voting altogether including my old man. Quite an achievement as I remember how my Dad grabbed my collar in a cold fury and said 'people died to get you that vote son!' when I immaturely offered a fairly blasé response about the first election I could vote in. I also know of a long-serving local Labour councillor who left the party after he was ostricised for speaking out against the Iraq war. Great stuff Tony you vile deceitful lying turd.

Ignoring the party bit...it's terrible for addressing the problem of low turnout. Party wise, it's proves Ed is an even bigger mug than I thought he was which I didn't think was possible. If the populace embrace him for a second time then they deserve everything they get.

ffs Maxwell, I like to relax on a sunday night but I'm bloody annoyed now!

Jez mon

Labour are doing fine without him. In fact, I think having him come back would play into the hands of the Lib Dems and the Tories.

He played the game well, and I don't think history will regard him as badly as some are here. However, atm his legacy is pretty toxic especially amongst the core labour voters

tim_wand

This would be the Biggest Public relations disaster Labour could carry out, As for his political savvy in working in a back room capacity for Milliband , other than being a lying scrote of the first order , I think most of his political ability was scripted for him by Cambell.

At the end of the day it will all come down to what Mrs Macbeth (Cherie) tells him to do.

DesB3rd

I wouldn’t be too quick to label Blair as an electoral liability. The core hate him because they think his reforms robbed them of a left-wing option (though it was the electorate’s rejection of old Labour that did that) but what are they going to do – vote for the coalition? The old SD, sandles’n’humous wing of the LDs are going over to Labour regardless, they hate their own party even more than Blair. So the Blair haters live in an option light electoral world..
On the other side those coming over from the Tories may not be disinclined to Blair, most of them don’t cry a river over Iraq & would certainly prefer him to the stuttering union lickspittle Labour currently front. Hey, he was a genuine reformer after their own hearts & may have been more so if it wasn’t for the need to placate Brown et al.

Gazzaputt

Blair coming back to the fold I think would make Labour a more credible option at the next election with the electorate.

I for one as a Labour supporter would welcome him back.

Peddle Up!

Gazzaputt wrote:

Blair coming back to the fold I think would make Labour a more credible option at the next election with the electorate.

I for one as a Labour supporter would welcome him back.

Blair is an unapologetic Thatcherite. Is that what the county needs?

DavidBelcher

Peddle Up! wrote:

Gazzaputt wrote:

Blair coming back to the fold I think would make Labour a more credible option at the next election with the electorate.

I for one as a Labour supporter would welcome him back.

Blair is an unapologetic Thatcherite. Is that what the county needs?

Quite - even as a non-Labour supporter Blair always struck me as distinctly un-Labour. As for the "good politician" bit, I can't really see it myself. More of a smarmy style-over-substance used car salesman*

Others have already commented on a Mandelson-style role for him. Seems the most likely option.

David

*"You see, Gordon, compiling a fraudulent dossier on Iraq's WMD capability is very much like making love to a beautiful woman...."

bompington

Peddle Up! wrote:

Blair is an unapologetic Thatcherite. Is that what the county needs?

Oh, really! Since when was politics about what the country needs? In a democracy, it can maybe aspire to be a crude approximation of what a country wants.

Mr_Cellophane

Sounds good. Should help the Torries win the next election.

Cressers

Blair is an unapologitic, messianic, authoritarian, warmongering, globallist. I'd have thouth that Miliband would have told him very firmly to keep way out of sight. After all, it was Blair's unpopularity that lead to the handover to Gordon Brown...

bianchimoon

The man is a disgrace to humanity, all that matters to the Blairs are there own fame and fortune and trying to spread their own warped and deluded vision. Apart from that can't stand the evil cnut.

Stone Glider

We've already got a Tony Blair in front line politics, another would be redundant. 'Call me Dave' fills the role to a 'T'.

capt_slog

I can't see what difference it will make if Blair resurfaces.

No politician can respond to a simple question with a simple answer, (preferably "yes" or "no" ) or manage to get through an interview without bringing up the phrase "Well, when xyz were in power.....",

They are all the of the same mould and there is little to choose between any of them. They appear to treat politics as some form of points-scoring game and the poor buggers who think they are taking part in a democratic process have to put up with the decisions.

MaxwellBygraves

Apparently Tony wants to play a part in the 'No' campaign to keep the UK together and prevent Scottish independence.

bompington

MaxwellBygraves wrote:

Apparently Tony wants to play a part in the 'No' campaign to keep the UK together and prevent Scottish independence.

...and I'm sure Alec is praying for that to happen - because there's not really that much support for independence in Scotland, but the nats' tactic of throwing up as many English bogeymen as they can get their hands on seems to be quite effective

daviesee

bompington wrote:

MaxwellBygraves wrote:

Apparently Tony wants to play a part in the 'No' campaign to keep the UK together and prevent Scottish independence.

...and I'm sure Alec is praying for that to happen - because there's not really that much support for independence in Scotland, but the nats' tactic of throwing up as many English bogeymen as they can get their hands on seems to be quite effective

+1

To keep Britain united, the best thing Westminster could do is keep right out of it.
There is nothing more guaranteed to get a Scot to do something than to tell him that he can't, or that he shouldn't.

MaxwellBygraves

Tony Blair back earlier than expected - he's giving evidence to the Leveson inquiry on Monday.

Cressers

I wonder if his nose will keep growing?