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Blair is back to give Ed a headache
Not to put too fine a point on things, Tony is pissed off.
By Dan Hodges Published 07 March 2011 11:47
Tony Blair is back. The Middle East is aflame, the coalition floundering. Whatever your view of Labour's polarising former premier, he hasn't lost his sense of political timing.
"Blair the 'back-seat driver' tells Ed Miliband to up his game", reported the Sunday Telegraph. "The former prime minister has told Mr Miliband he has risked cheapening his role by intervening too often on too many relatively trivial issues."
Miliband was no doubt delighted with the advice. As Nick Clegg grapples the Monster Raving Loony Party for political survival – and David Cameron strides on to the international stage with all the gravitas and judgement of Dr Strangelove – Labour's current leader needs his predecessor popping up like he needs a hole in the head.
Attempts to brush off Sunday's briefing as part of a "regular" series of conversations between the two men have fooled no one. Blair is, not to put too fine a point on things, pissed off. He's angry at Miliband's apparent junking of New Labour. He's even angrier at attempts to tarnish his legacy with what he sees as misrepresentation of his efforts to bring Muammar al-Gaddafi into the international mainstream.
And he's most angry at what he regards as an effort to use the "Arab spring" as a further stick to beat him, his Iraq policy and his broader policy of progressive interventionism.
Ed Miliband's team believe this anger is now being channelled into a co-ordinated Blairite fightback. Jack Straw, Peter Mandelson, David Miliband and Jim Murphy have all made recent high-profile interventions defending Blair and his foreign affairs record and philosophy. "We know what's going on," said one Miliband supporter. "We're not stupid."
Claims in the Telegraph article that Blair was responsible for recent improvements in Milband's performance and standing have been met with bewilderment. "It would be ludicrous to pretend this is all down to Tony – the unpopularity of the government's spending cuts obviously plays a major role – but Ed is always happy to listen to his advice," said a leadership source.
Those close to the Blairite camp see things somewhat differently. According to supporters of the former leader, Ed Miliband is becoming increasingly nervous at his failure to build a proper support base within the party. "Last time Ed spoke to Tony he wanted his help and advice in shoring up his position," one said. "It's taking much longer to bring people round than Ed anticipated."
There are also frustrations among a number of Blairite supporters with what they see as Miliband's failure to build on his recent tactical success. "The coalition keeps screwing up, and we keep hitting them. But we're not building an alternative case for why people should back Labour. Our only argument is 'at least we're not the Tories or the Lib Dems'."
Yet differing emphases over the response to the tumultuous events in the Middle East are creating the most significant tensions. Miliband's team fervently believes there is no appetite among the voters for further international adventurism. "Even if we wanted to get involved in Libya, the public won't wear it," said one source.
This sits in stark contrast to the interventionist instincts of some members of his own shadow cabinet. At a speech to the Royal United Services Institute in London on Thursday, Jim Murphy issued a veritable call to arms. "Britain can and should play an important part in shaping world events and trends, with our armed forces its heart," he urged.
That Britain should have responsibilities beyond her borders, he said, was "not, as some would have it, ideological, but, as we have seen over the last few days, a necessary response to the world in which we live. This is a challenge for the Labour Party. Opposition is about proving your preparedness to engage with the issues you would have to in government if it is to be responsible and ultimately electorally credible."
Compare that to an article Miliband wrote for the Observer four days earlier and the difference in emphasis is striking. He wrote:
The neocons were wrong to think we could impose democracy at the point of a gun. In this new era, soft power will often be a better way to achieve hard results. That is why support for civil society, the promotion of national assets such as the British Council and the BBC World Service, is so important. Our template should be the EU's response to the democratic revolutions of 1989 which helped make change in eastern Europe irreversible, with economic aid, technical assistance and institution-building.
The crisis in the Middle East has forced Miliband to sit down at the chessboard of foreign policy rather earlier in his leadership than he would have liked. Because of that, he has yet to formulate a settled policy agenda.
But he does have one simple rule: avoid getting into the mess Blair got himself into.
It's not a foreign affairs credo the former leader and his supporters are likely to warm to.
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115 comments
We will never see a "pure" left wing party govern again in this country of that i'm sure like it or not Blair moved the ground of politics in this country it will never return to the politics of the 60/70's thank god.
Life under New Labour wasnt as bad as some of you point out they did a lot of good,Iraq was a huge mistake of course and a few other well worn ill's that we all moan about from time to time but they where far better than the shower that's in charge now that's for sure.
At present Miliband,to me at least just isnt a viable alternative to Cameron he comes across as far to earnest and clumsy a bit like a lion cub who still has to grow into his paws.
But i suspect when the time comes and if he;s still in charge his policies will be far closer to Blair's than many who post on here would like and that'll put the cat among the pidgoens for sure.
This weekend has been the comeback of the Yestersday men!
In the construction industry, a fair few Labour Lefties are more than angry with, Bliar, brown and Ed Miliband!
We are all out of work because of their property bubble that went Bang! Now, we are all meeting down the Job Centre.
The rise of EDL!!!
Ed should pay that tory war criminal no attention.
"If I wasn't already a "Blairite"- (never voted Labout, btw) I would be now"
Says it all.....
Labour could certainly build its support by offering a REAL alternative to the neoliberal agenda that's been ruling the UK for decades.
It needs to stand against the cuts. It needs to condemn the interventionism of Blair and Co. And it needs to put people before profit. Otherwise, it will be (justly) seen as another party that supports some variation of the status quo.
ED needs to listen to those that have been there and done it. Blair & co got us elected 3 consequtive terms and this included an election after the war. The reality is this, Labour under Ed has to quickly get to grips with being clear on our position, developing policy and articulating it to capture non labour voters as well as traditional labour voters. This is and was the premise of new labour and was succesful. If we lean to the left we will be out of government for a very long time.
Blair continues to live in cloud cuckoo land where he thinks he's still relevant and didn't make any errors of judgment when he was in power.
He's PISSED OFF?!@#$% WE"RE PISSED OFF! And we'd like him to PISS OFF PERMANENTLY!
Bliar, Kinnock, Mandelson, Prescott, scumbags, hypocrites all. Bliar ran away to the USA asap after being kicked out, he didnt want to live in an improvished, crime ridden, poor country that he helped create. The others, well what can be said of scum. Until the Labour party is not linked to any of these awful people, it is not electable.
Give me Blair anyday over the set of creeps we have in government now...
The voters rejected New Labour Blair and all in May 2010. Ed distance your self from yesterdday's men and ideology.
Tony Blair could never be a Tory! He beyond the pale!!!
I always voted for LibDem as Tony Blair seemed like a Tory-Lite. I couldn't stand and still detest New Labour and Blair. When the LibDem's stitched everyone up and Labour had its leadership contest, I found Ed M was someone who could move Labour away from the car wreck of New Labour and he convinced me to join and vote for him. No doubt he will disappoint but certainly he doesn't represent the savage right wing of this coalition and hopefully will be a lot better than New Labour.
Can these NeoLiberals please piss off. After 1997 anything was possible and instead we got a continuation of Torry economic policy. Blair is just a semi-competent version of Clegg -need I say more?
Blair's support for Osborne's economic strategy indicates that he is the best Tory leader they haven't had ... His advice to Ed Miliband and the LP is the equivalent to advice from Cameron, IDS or any other neoconservative. I wish he and the rest of the blairites would put up, shut up or go away.
Go away Tony. I trust Ed. I don't trust you.
Ed just has to tell Tony he is thinking of setting up a commission to see if it would be a realistic proposition to instigating a war crimes tribunal. Blair will be emigrating to the USA quicker than a freebie bag off the table by Cherie. It would instantly get Al Queda off our backs as well as a good point of entry with the new regimes taking shape in the Arab world and make New Labour Old history. lol
Here's the key problem for Labour: Yes, voters are generally angry with Clegg, Cameron, the Tories, the LibDems, and the coalition.
I have no idea who I'll vote for if a General Election is called for May 2011, even so, because Labour hasn't got its act together. If Labour's to be a party of government, I want to see Labour standing up for left-wing values; support for unions, opposition to cuts, investment in equality. I want to see concerted opposition to the Tory lie that Labour spending is responsible for the recession.
I want to see positive leadership - I want to see a REASON to vote Labour beyond just "Hate the Tories, so do we!"
And to do that, the Labour politicians for tomorrow need to acknowledge that New Labour was in many ways a crummy Tory-lite mess, and Tony Blair was and is a lying hypocrite.
It's an illustrious line. Gordon of Khartoum. Lawrence of Arabia. Hague of Benghazi. Lord Blair of Kut Al Amara.
To the clown above who praises Blair and Bush for 'planting the seed' in Iraq. The Iraqi government banned protest demonstrations yesterday. So did the Saudis - another arm of Bushco.
Excuse me is Tony the phony Blair the man who helped bankrupt Britain and swamp us with enemy immigrants not reviled at home and around the world because of his lies about Iraq WMD?
Well said Eileen.
I will never forgive Blair for the many Iraqi children he killed, maimed and traumatised, so I am not interested in anything he has to say.
His current position as 'peace envoy' for the middle east, beggars belief, but I imagine, is part of a healing process for him, as was his conversion to Roman Catholic (apparently they forgive all your sins.)
Ed Miliband is playing his 'own game' and the lower and middle classes will relate to his words, regarding their living standards, in the hands of the Tories.
Quite agree Yonmei. Which makes me think that if Blair is pissed off, Ed is making a good start.
"Miliband's team fervently believes there is no appetite among the public for further international adventurism. "Even if we wanted to get involved in Libya, the public won't wear it," said one source."
Miliband's team is right. I was disgusted by Jim Murphy's speech on foreign intervention. Has Labour learned nothing from Iraq? Afghanistan? Miliband should be exploiting the shambles of the government's foreign policy and mocking Cameron's changing positions. Instead we have a Shadow Defence Minister who is tactically supporting government's wrong-headed policy on Libya. No doubt about it, Blairism lives.
I didn't vote Labour because of Blair, simple as that. I would like to see that New Labour disaster buried for good. Ed will be okay, he just needs a bit of charisma.
Cameron's involvement in Libya had hardly been a great success. Send in a team armed with explosives; they get captured; negotiate their release; ferry them off on a ship you're about to scrap.
I'm astonished at what a delusional and juvenile attitude Ed Miliband has to foreign policy. Does he really think our obligations end with promoting the World Service? We have the fourth largest defence budget in the world FFS (or did).
Agreed Dave C - embarrassing. But then, self-imposed humiliation seems to be the guiding narrative of this government.
Like him or love him, Tony makes things happen, unlike Ed. who only succeeds in making himself invisible. The time will come when the long knives do the necessary and excise Ed. from the top job. The real question is who will replace him. Make no mistake, the recent moves/comments by Blair, Mandelson et al are the beginning of the end for Ed. My money is on Balls.
Blair makes things happen alright. Problem is not many are happy with what he causes to happen.
Tony should devote more time to his Middle East peace envoy position and stop meddling and interfering in Labour politics.
He's gone, he's history, he and his Blairites need to get ovet it and realise that many Labour supporters are only back because Blair and his Toryite ways are gone.
Well said Yonmei
If Miliband starts to take advice from Blair and move the slightest millimetre in Blair's political direction with the party, then they can have my membership back again.
Truth is Miliband just isn't leadership/prime minister material he just isn't sad to say.
In this day and age how you come across on the tv counts for so much and Ed doesn't come across well in fact he's hopeless i do wonder how long it'll be before moves against him start.
And to me it's his own fault far too many open goals by the government and far too many misses by this inept opposition.
Ed is quite right to distance the party from the New Labour project now. I watched 'The Deal' again recently and was struck by how outmoded the whole New Labour ethos had become. It was two decades ago and has been superseded in the public consciousness. It was necessary at the time but things have moved on.
Blair is very much yesterday's man, just as Thatcher was history in the 90s. The public have long since turned against him, just as they did Thatcher. While some in the party miss him, they are living in the past, just as the Thatcherite tories were in the 90s and 00s. It's the public who decides. They have rejected Blairism. The Labour party must do the same to stay relevant.
Bliar must be pissed off that people are "doing it for themselves", no need for condescending, patronising speeches from Western leaders on democracy as dictators fire off weapons sold to them by, yes, you guessed it, Western governments.
While "David Cameron strides onto the international stage with all the gravitas and judgment of Dr Strangelove" is quite simply a wonderful bit of writing!!
Tony Blair should be sent to The Hague for war crime and crime against humanity rather being given news space for his antics which can be devoted to far more important matters.
This week, the 'Godfather of the Labour party' is not going be fund-raising for Ed Miliband! Blair 's Mentor, Lord Whathisname!
This speaks for itself and what Blair is saying is very rude and total nonsense!
IF Blair doesn't f*ck off for good, can anyone seriously consider Labour an alternative? To list but a few of New Labour's neocon achievements:
PFI
Iraq
Academies
Planning policy driven by construction industry and Tesco
Deregulation of the financial sector
Food policy driven by Monsanto, GSK etc etc
Charles Krauthammer can say it better than I can.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/03/AR201103...
Couldn't agree more with Lou, Corcaighrebel and Peter. Peter Mandelson's embarrassing comments on Libya and doing business with "less savoury governments" while Saif Gadaffi calls him and Tony Blair good friends are the reason that Labour had to say good-bye to these unprincipled politicians. Ed Miliband is doing very well distancing himself from them and it is one of the reasons he is ahead in the polls. Turning back to these figures the public detest is hardly helpful and is surely one wonders why the Tory media is profiling them with elections looming. As for your comments, Dan on Ed's international stance being 'soft' or 'weak' it is no different from that of most of Europe, especially Germany's non-aggressive stance, the UN and the Arab League. Claiming Ed is letting down the oppressed or freedom fighters is inane and disingenuous.
Good old Tony. Never saw a war he didn't like.As long as he does not have to actually fight in one.
@ Tommy
He may be a war criminal but he is not a Tory! He beyond the pale!
Ed is far more in tune with majority opinion in both the UK and Libya on this issue than you and the blairite war mongers. The last thing the British people want is more f*cking wars that never end. And the last thing Libyans want are Western troops intervening and turning it into another Iraq with mad islamists blowing themselves up every 5 minutes.
New Labour:
1. devolution for N. Ireland, Scotland and Wales
2. equal rights for gay people
3. educational maintenance allowance for young people
4. an end to fox hunting and other blood sports
5. investment in the NHS and education after more than a decade of Thatcher and Major underfunding everything.
6. signing up to the European Convention on Human Rights
7. increasing the number of women MPs
8. partially reforming the House of Lords (though more needs to be done)
9.creating a more cooperative environment between the public and private sector
10. improving equality rights for disabled people
Other progressive measures have been brought in by the devolved governments of Scotland, N.Ireland and Wales. There is much that Labour can be proud of, and Ed Milliband shouldn't be so quick to distance himself from the achievements of the last 13 years. He does need to show himself to be a Prime Minister in waiting. It's not good enough just to be the leader of the Opposition. And to do that, he needs to do what David Milliband did on the Andrew Marr Show, recently: have some very definite ideas about how to respond to the issues of the day, and not simply talking in a woolly way about how this or that issue is complicated and important and one that requires serious consideration, and which a policy will be developed for closer to the election in four years time. His brother, David, for example, had some really interesting ideas about how Britain can help the Libyans without millitarily getting involved, by helping with Libya's cell phone and internet communication which has played a crucial role in mobilizing opinion across Libya.
If Libyans or others in the Arab world specifically demand British intervention, then the British government should find a way to satisfy that demand. Otherwise, it should stay out of a mess largely of preceding British governments' making.
Blair is back? Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse...
I can't help but laugh at all the people saying that Ed Miliband should reject should reject political advice from the most successful politician for fifty years.
I don't understand why Ed doesn't ask for advice from all of the armchair activists and intellectuals that he quite obviously has at his disposal.
"broader policy of progressive interventionism" - surely this must be sick joke. The "progessives" cry in the 60's was non-intervention (I'm old enough to remember it. It was and is a good socialist policy.
Watching all the protests in the Middle East (by the people), I can't help but wonder if Bush and Blair planted that "seed" in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the rest of the Middle East wants a part of that seed. If the protestors are successful, credit needs to be given where credit is due. At least Bush and Blair were leaders; what we have today, on both sides of the pond, are gutless wonders.
This article is desperate trolling from the Blairite right of the Labour party - Dan has never accepted the Labour leadership result (probably because it was an AV voting system) and so attempts to stir up an insurrection every two months or so. It was risible last time he wrote this article in December - now it's just tiresome. Ed Miliband would be best served by doing the exact opposite of anything Blair, Mandelson, or any of the other has-beens recommend. Meanwhile, it'd be best if Dan Hodges sticks to making a mess of the No2AV campaign - that's what he's best at.
This is exactly what Miliband needed to hear despite a half decent start he's hardly portraying himself as an effective future pm.He attacks every little issue in a generally defective way and yet never presents his alternative vision. Let’s be honest at least the Tories actually have some ideas to implement.
New Labour had its faults yet it united people from all walks of life, preached equality, invested in Britain and beat the Tories at three straight elections. It was a brand that worked for the labour party in a way never seen before. It combined "right wing “economics with "left wing “social pragmatism, theoretically providing the best of both worlds.
New Labours failure was certainly not a lack of ideas or any ideological backwardness it was a failure to implement reform effectively.Miliband doesn’t need to rebrand you need to renew labour. Ironing out the implementation difficulties rather than moving back into a 1980's time warp arguing against cuts and dividing people against one another.
Come on Mr Miliband listen to Blair he won three elections, had a lot of good ideas and appealed to a large demographic. You’ve not won any elections yet(not even the leadership election),seemingly have few ideas, and appeal to left wing union men who'll tickle your ears and who will happily watch labour sit in opposition for eternity as long as they’re still in a job.Wakey wakey Ed this might be the time to act.
Time to move on. A new generation is here.
I was ashamed to support a Labour government that eroded civil liberties so badly.
The next election is a long way off. Why is everyone in such a hurry? The job right now is to hold the Government to account.
Tell Blair to go forth and multiply. He is yesterdays man. Discredited and a liar to boot. AS for the rest of them - Straw,Murphy and especially the execrable Mandelson they should do the honourable thing and cross the house to where they are more at home. I would love to see them expelled from the Labour Party
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