My Hero

Yes, it was all over this morning’s papers (except that dastardly Daily Mail) so this post hardly comes as a surprise, but I do not want to ignore it just because everyone is saying it. Everyone is saying it for a reason.

Tony Charles Lynton Blair. What a chap. I have honestly always loved that man - and his policies. I am a self confessed Blairite. I am a man of the Third Way. I am New Labour fanatic. In ten years no politician has even come close to touching Blair. He is an electrifying figure capable of out manoeuvring the opposition before they even know what’s going on.

I have just watched his ‘farewell’ speech twice (all 56 minutes of it), and I might even indulge myself a third time – it is simply a joy to see a master at work. I could go on and talk about his genius in reinventing the Labour Party and how I fear Brown and his old Labour buddies will wreck the whole program, and how I wish Blair was ten years younger and could continue for another three terms. Or about how I feel his policies, even the Iraq war, was the right thing to do. And how of course nuclear is the messy but necessary option for the future and the public services desperately need to adopt market mechanisms if they are to perform. And I think I just did.

I can only hope that Blair doesn’t simply retire to write up his memoirs but does something suitably worthy of his talent and reputation. He should don a cape, and along with his sidekick Bill Gates, tour the globe fighting injustice and poverty wherever they find it. And he should certainly do a tour of the American speech circuit (apparently he could get $100,000 a time).

With his exit next year British politics is surely going to become a depressing place with a host of inexperienced and hopeless pretenders to the throne yelling bitter nonsense at each other. Not one of them with even an ounce of Blair’s sparkle. I hope New Labour can rally itself and find someone strong enough to dislodge Brown for the leadership. Equally I hope Cameron can stick to his guns and also prove he has a good team of like-minded revolutionaries, and that his youthful looks and are not a smoke screen for the old Tories agenda. He also needs to demonstrate some zeal for the job; he is far too cold and calculated. It seems like his merely going through the motions, ticking all the right boxes. He needs to growl, bite and spit at people. People want a fighter. Come on Cameron – get angry.

But the upcoming election battle should not distract one iota from Blair’s achievements or his legacy. The world is a far better place because of him.

Cheers Tony :)