there's a plot lead by Blair for some nefarious purpose that disrupts his own former party's chances of success at a local election.
But this time Dominique De Villepin isn't there to point it out.
You've got to admit the timing is a little suspect.
Only if you're (like many folks it has to be said) interested in there being a conspiracy. By all means settle in next to believers of a flat earth, or Area 51 if you like, there's always room for more. But I mean; at least throw up a picture of Blair standing next to Farage in the same room. That's the minimum standard on this forum.
Well his paymasters benefit from a further swing to the right. He's surely politically aware enough to know that releasing something that denigrates net zero plays to the right and should have been able to say, hang on let's leave it a week?
Happy to conclude he's thick as mince, but also see how his think tanks actions have helped his paymasters...
You've got to admit the timing is a little suspect.
Only if you're (like many folks it has to be said) interested in there being a conspiracy. By all means settle in next to believers of a flat earth, or Area 51 if you like, there's always room for more. But I mean; at least throw up a picture of Blair standing next to Farage in the same room. That's the minimum standard on this forum.
You do realise that many Labour MPs and Downing Street are not best pleased with Tony Blair's timing don't you?
Are they all flat earth conspiracy theorists from Area 51?
Is that your evidence that there's a conspiracy? That as well as you there's some MPs who also think there's a conspiracy?
I think we are screwed. I know a lot of environmentalists, professional and otherwise, I know climate protesters and people who have actively protested against air travel.
Not one of them will give up their regular flying for holidays, and lets face it they are something we like- no one ever died because they didn't get a holiday in the sun. It would be a very easy gain.
I chose not to have kids so the world only has to last another ten years or so for me, but I see people who tell me how much they love their children, and grandchildren flying several times a year. They think I'm weird for refusing to fly, they ask if I'm scared to fly or dislike going abroad (no and no)
We are not going to inconvenience ourselves to change until it directly affects us in a major way and by then it will be too late, and I don't believe we will be bothered about the places that are more immediately affected, the rich will relocate as borders were never intended to restrict them, the poor we will repel and.ignore as they die, we already do.
Is that your evidence that there's a conspiracy? That as well as you there's some MPs who also think there's a conspiracy?
I haven't made any claims at all about a "conspiracy", as far as I can see you are the only one who is talking about conspiracies.
I am questioning whether the world-renowned tactician is really daft enough not to realise that generating headlines critical of a Labour government hours before important elections is likely to have a negative effect on the party he is a member of.
Many Labour MPs and apparently Downing Street are furious whilst Nigel Farage was understandingly delighted - It could only have helped Farage win those six votes which turned a former safe Labour seat into a Reform seat.
What makes it particularly galling is the fact that Blair could have easily waited 48 hours to make exactly the same points.
Are you seriously suggesting that Blair had not thought through the likely consequences of his headline grabbing actions?
The Guardian's editorial writers clearly agree with me that Tony Blair's intervention was, quote, "a political gift to Nigel Farage"
Are they allowed to say that without being accused of being conspiracy theorists?
Tony Blair needs to go do one on himself and STFU.
He had 10+ years of golden opportunity to make a real difference to the lot for most working people - education, health, public transport, etc. But instead he decided to follow mad dog Bush into 2 wars (and a 3rd before Bush was on the scene) to the detriment of all other national issues and the lives of thousands of British armed forces personnel harmed over there, killed, injured or mentally damaged. A once in a generation opportunity pissed away.
And I say that as a Labour voter.
I haven't made any claims at all about a "conspiracy",
and
So what is he up to?
So, yeah, that'll be you suggesting that either the timing of the release of the report or the people that support the TBI are trying to scupper net zero, which is pretty much the dictionary definition of a conspiracy.
It always has been, and always will be, all about personal gain for themselves.
Not always, it hasn’t; once upon a time, MP’s quite often had actual jobs, which they had to step back from, especially if they owned a business, so there was no conflict of interest. When I worked for a small print and publishing company in Chippenham, we would do all the promotional print for our MP, who owned a print company in Yeovil, IIRC, but the rules meant he couldn’t use his own company. That was in the 70’s. As time’s moved on, more and more MP’s have gone from university, where they’ve studied law and or politics, and gone straight into politics, they have scant knowledge or experience of holding down a regular job outside of that privileged bubble.
One famous Labour MP worked as a steward on passenger liners, if I recall.
If that's the case then we need to stop rich people going on holiday first.
We could take away their passports, and confiscate their big s****y boats. We’ve already made a start with the Russians, maybe we can move on to Republicans and their billionaire buddies.
Blair. Peace in northern Ireland, Kosovo. Iraq. Shortest interval between contact with the NHS to definitive treatment ever. Choose your poison.
No. 1, not Tony Bliar but the Tony Blair Institute. 2, perhaps conflicts of interest. 3, Tony Bliar.
I haven't made any claims at all about a "conspiracy",
and
So what is he up to?
So, yeah, that'll be you suggesting that either the timing of the release of the report or the people that support the TBI are trying to scupper net zero, which is pretty much the dictionary definition of a conspiracy.
No I haven't suggested any of that, that is just something which you have made up.
I have been very clear with my comments. I claimed that the headlines Tony Blair generated hours before important elections were damaging to Labour, a claim which is widely supported within the Labour Party including Down Street.
I have also claimed that Tony Blair's intervention in the hours before the election was a political gift to Nigel Farage, a claim which the Guardian newspaper also makes in its editorial.
I then ask what is he playing at? Because I genuinely have no idea and I know that he isn't daft enough not to realise the consequences of negative headlines.
Nowhere do I say anything at all about "trying to scupper net zero". That is pretty much a straightforward lie, if you will excuse the non parliamentary language
Peace in NI was mainly George Mitchell appointed under John Major. If a British PM can be congratulated for the Good Friday Agreement it was John Major. 7 years of effort then Blair took over for the last year by which time it was pretty much in the bag.
Kosovo I'll give you with the reserve that it was achieved by bombing rather than diplomacy.
Iraq he should be behind bars for.
You need to be very careful about atributing success or failure to a particular PM in dealing with NHS waiting lists. You only have to look at a graph to see reporting methods and massaging figures have as much influence as real numbers and that the long term trend has only gone one way whoever was PM:
Blair was student fees
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/7928436.stm
On a trip to the UK I watched a spitting image in which Blair bumped into Thatcher in the street, they got along very well. That summed it up for me - continuity of Thatcherism.
Then there was Middle East envoy. Could you honestly think of anyone one worse for the job ? Netanyahou maybe, but at the time he didn't have anything like the volulme of blood on his hands as Blair. Blair was predictably awful and biased in the job.
Peace in NI was mainly George Mitchell appointed under John Major. If a British PM can be congratulated for the Good Friday Agreement it was John Major. 7 years of effort then Blair took over for the last year by which time it was pretty much in the bag.
Yes John Major never gets the credit he deserves for kicking off the Northern Ireland peace process. Which under the then existing political and cultural environment was a particularly brave thing to do, and which required Thatcher, the greatest obstacle to peace at that time imo, to be removed from power.
Although continuing the peace process was obviously not quite as brave as starting it in the first place Tony Blair also deserves some credit.
Even though Blair's commitment, as no doubt also John Major's, was surely based on understanding the pragmatic reality that "military victory" over the IRA was unachievable and the stalemate had to end.
Blair's general commitment to peace and the rejection of violence to achieve goals was eventually exposed when he metamorphosed into a warmonger and he fully backed a neocon US President's illegal war. Since then he has continued to help violent despots in various countries.
I am not sure where you got the 7 years from Ed, was that a typo?
No, I just typed the time he was in office, Ernie. A quick check of Wiki says that it was from 93-97 that he took the most important intiatives towards peace process so more like 4 years.
Someone with an obvious interest in renewable energy, but I think Dale Vince makes an interesting summary.
“What evidence is there that there is a public will? Of course people will say it's important, but as soon as that involves any kind of personal cost (and it does, and the cost is probably significant) then they become much less keen.”
If there is little evidence of a public will to change it is probably because the evidence is not sought and because public opinion is influenced much more by the people who don’t want change than it is by the people who do want change.
I’m not picking on this quote, but it brings to mind that the it is the individual who is expected to change and that the change is not being led by any government.
As an example where I live people drop their 2 or 3 children off at school in huge, and I mean huge, SUV’s with v8 engines. If I had the money, I could go out today and buy a vehicle with a 7 litre engine that I could use as a family car.
Such vehicles should outlawed for domestic use, but any government who tried to do so would not be re-elected. possibly because the donations made to a political party who would oppose such a move would put so much money into their campaign fund that they’d become unbeatable. The would also be available to shape public opinion
