Just when I was toying with the idea of voting Labour once again that turd emerges from whatever lucrative punchbowl he has been hiding in to remind how bad the last gov’t was.

the british centre left hate blqair as Blair is a fucking tory

What planet do you and the Labour party live on? You allow the leadership to be dominated by acolytes of the most unpopular prime minister in living memory while turning your back on and disparaging the most electorally successful. Blair won in 2005 not because of Michael Howard but because he continued to occupy the centre ground that forced the Tory leader, who happened to be Michael Howard, to fight a campaign based around unpleasantness. Your position on this is as delusional as it is when you claim that there is some sort of progressive (whatever that means) in the UK because more than half of the people didn't vote Conservative. Utter fantasy, and the sort of thinking that will condemn Labour to decades in opposition.

'Why is it that those on the right revere their three-times election-winner (ignoring her faults and remembering her successes); whilst those on the left hate theirs, forgetting his achievements?'

What would those achievements be? Economic growth? That all ended in tears. Gay rights? It took him ten years to phase in civil partnerships and any laws banning discrimination against gays in the workplace... the Tory party may aswell have done this for all that was worth. Child poverty? That didn't work. Workers' rights? He did sweet FA to reverse the numerous Employment Acts brought in under Thatcher and Major. The Human Rights Act is a poor substitute for union representation. Economic equality? He made society less equal. Crime? Crime, especially violent crime shot up, whatever spin and lies Labour would have you believe. Education education education? Social mobility has plummeted, the literacy rate has declined.

Call Blair's victory whatever you like. You are entitled to admire him for it. But he did more to destroy the hopes and dreams of the left than Thatcher ever did.

*Blair is a disgrace to Labour, and his insane rantings of a rightwing catholic is best ignored by the Labour Movement.

WAR CRIMINAL-all pre-planned well in advance. Iraqi freedom, they didn't give a damn about the people. Self interest and the interest of another certain country in the vicinity. How many dead soldiers and civilians???? Continued privatisation where the tories left off. In fact there is no difference between the main parties.Democracy!!! What democracy is it that we are so proud off and show off and throw in the faces of other countries. At the end of the day , politicians only listen to big business, banks, and lobby groups.NOT US.

jon you clearly need to apply to be a Labour Party spin doctor .You present a meaningless list on dubious achievements of the previous Labour government . You present an argument that Tony Blair or Gordon Brown would be proud of .I don't dispute Tony Blair is a gifted communicator and can connect with parts of the electorate that know other former Labour Prime minister could do.However the alliance with Bush was not in the interests of Britain ; misleading parliament on behalf of a foreign power to send young boys and girls to die without any national security at stake ; undermining the United Nations and International community by illegally invading a sovereign state ; the tragic post war Iraq reconstruction which was in the hands of market fundamentalists and Neo conservative fanatics . Britain was a poodle for Bush and his extreme unilateralists agenda for which Britain alienated its allies in the European Union and emerging powers such as China and Russia .The credit crunch and banking collapse of 2008 were a reflection of a failed neo liberal economic model which has put buying a home out of the hands of hard working people . A graduate population that is saddled with debt ,but not the lucrative career opportunity that a degree offered in the 1970's/80's . social mobility has stagnated and old school ties and private education buys access to the lucrative professions . Huge social inequality which put power ,wealth and opportunity into the hands of the few and not the many .Blairs economic and social model has reduced labour's share of the vote to the level of the Labour party of 1983 .He is know longer an electoral asset for Labour and those who subscribe to his world view are as outdated as the those who cling to the Old style Labourism of industrial Britain .

1. The introduction of the National Minimum Wage;
2. The Northern Ireland Peace Process concluded;
3. Scottish and Welsh devolution;
4. Longest period of sustained low inflation since the 1960s
5. 14000 more police in England and Wales
6. Record improvements in literacy and numeracy
7. The best education results at 14, 16 and 18 ever.
8. A doubling of per capita funding in state education.
9. Write off of 100% of the debt of the poorest countries
10. 85000 more nurses.
11. 32000 more doctors.
12. City wide government restored to London.
13. 274000 more support staff in schools.
14. Introduction of child tax credits
15. The scrapping of Section 28 and introduction of Civil Partnerships
16. Ban on fox hunting
17. Free TV licences for over 75s
18. Free breast cancer screening for women aged 50-70
19. Free eye test for over 60s.
20. Overseas aid budget doubled.
21. Free nursery places for every 3 and 4 year old.

Oh, yes. And ...

22. 3 consecutive General Election victories.

I wonder what some people expect a Labour Prime Minister to have done. Walking on water and raising the dead wouldn't be enough for some people.

Blair got it right for ten years. Iraq was a huge mistake and dented his popularity for ever. He would have led Labour to a greater disaster at the polling stations if he had stayed as leader in 2010. Brown did not save labour. No leader would have been able to do that in 2010 - it's time was simply over and it had to re-examine itself and its conscience. A time in opposition was needed. However, it would be foolish to discard advice from Blair. His political antenna was always primed and tactically he was (and probably still is) unbeatable. Labour should get over its present inferiority complex by re-asserting itself, but not at the expense of turning its back completely on Blair who has given the Party what was unthinkable for generations - three consecutive victories with large majorities. A spin doctor maybe, but still a benchmark to many rising politicians not least of all a guy named David Cameron.

Whatever happened to the New Statesmen - it used to attract great writers - now we get hacks like Hasan and Olly Grender. A magazine of the 'left' that didn't even recognise the National Union of Journalists? No wonder circulation (25k) is only one eighth of Private Eye and equivalent to 'The Oldie'.

I agree with Jon. you would not get any of them victory's under a Conservative government. And remember conservatives lost more seats in one election then what we did. We lost 90 in 2010 they lost 174 in 1997. Out of the three parties I would Pick Labour. You Can't trust a Tory.

Tendentious nonsense.

A progressive loss of support is what tends to happen when you are in office over a long period of time. In 1997 Labour saw by far the biggest swing of the post-war period (10.5%) and the Tories were utterly crushed. Labour had never previously had three election wins on the trot. You say he "lost" 4 million votes over the period. What, rather than doing the unprecedented and delivering 13 years of Labour government, you want him to have done that without dropping support as well?

Get a grip, Mr Hasan. I'll take Blair's advice as a former Labour PM over your carping any day of the week.

I'd still take Blair over Cameron. Would you, Mehdi?

Josh - any notion that the Iraq war devoids all of the benefits the last Labour government brought to ordinary working people is a notion followed largely by oppositionist who would complain at the drop of a hat at anyone doing anything with the power they have. If it wasn't Iraq, you'd be complaining about something. You actually don't want a successful Labour government. You just want something to complain about - partly the problem with the Labour Party in the 1980s.

And as for Iraq being a "winner" - Blair won an election 2005 - after the start of the Iraq war, and in the middle of the conflict. He won, with a majority larger than Thatcher's in 1979 and larger than the current government has.

Like Alan says above, some on the Left hate success by anyone. They thrive on Labour losing because it gives them a fight to have.

@Jon
Are you Alistair Campbell in disguise ? You really have swallowed the propaganda hook, line and sinker. Item 7 in your list is just a plain wrong. Item 4 - that period started under the Tories.

Jon,

Needlessly losing up to three million votes is hardly "irrelevant" in an electoral system.

The war in Iraq caused a loss of trust in Blair and Labour that still hasn't been regained.

Suppose Blair hadn't committed troops to the invasion of Iraq, Labour support would have been much higher.

Add, say, two million votes to Labour's 2010 result and Labour would have had 36% of the vote, enough for a working majority.

Sorry! I meant his "bank account" not "bad account"!

Seriously Mehdi, you're utterly obsessed. Get help.

At least Blair was a winner unlike his loony left predecessors and yes, of course the party lost members. That's what happens when you're in power and have to make unpopular decisions.

Blair was grabbed by the nuts by the Americans. He took a leading role in the murderous acts that took the lives of hundreds of thousands, many woman and children. You can make a list as long as you care regarding more doctors ,more nurses and a better education system in the UK ( which I dare say Blare had little to do with personally )To be responsible for the killing on a scale he was is a crime against humanity. Not someone I think any government or political party should be taking advice.

Bush is the reason Labour are not in Government any more. The folly of the Iraq war ultimately cost Labour. I agree with Jon's points; Blair was very successful - he brought about many good things - you missed out Sierra Leone and Kosovo too - which were positives. But unfortunately, Blair will forever be linked with Iraq and the negative images that war provokes in most of us. Although I hate Blair for Iraq, the way he's made the PM job presidential, and the fact that people now look for style over substance in a leader; I do appreciate the good he did for this country and would take him back in a flash over 'CallmeDave' and the yellow Tories in this sham Government.

i'm scared, why can't blair just be satisfied with being admired by cameron and osborne.

why does he have, also, to try and turn ed miliband into a version of himself too.
a stake through the heart and garlic in the mouth is the only solution.

and then a new economic policy that curbs the excesses of the financial sector rather than rewards them.

and thats not left wing, its just sane!

@Jon

Totally agree, Brown and Blair where a force for the progressive movement.

Would we have had a NHS today if Major had won in 1997.

It is time to end the privilege of legalised forgery that the banks enjoy (aka ‘fractional reserve banking) and return to the state a fundamental power it should never have given away in exchange for an ever-growing national debt. http://www.personalinjurylaws.net/

To have the gall to even show his face in this country-let alone give advise to another Labour politician. This man has no shame. TV licence's for over 75's V Illegal war and 5 million dispossed and 500,00 killed. ????????

In favour of enterprise? Labour made it their lifes work to make sure monopolies were all powerful. Now we are paying for these companies profits through high food, energy prices and water and council tax rates. A price hike a week. If they want to blame shortages, adopt a green policy- not give the profits out in bonuses.

Small businesses have had to bow down to the monopolies and the banks control everyones lives- the rich and poor and even the government. Thanks Labour.

Blair could teach people how to swagger about casual style with Bush like a cowboy, arm in arm whilst plotting a war. Or how to make millions from speeches. Yes, sounds like Labour to me.

Alistair campbell could come back too. He could be in charge of perma tan.

We will likely see Blair head of europe as its become about as transparent as fifa. Money talks. Goodbye democracy.

Blair head of europe, Sepp Blatter vice president and Strauss Khan euro chancellor. You heard it here first! Sarah Palin could supply the guns and tea. The Mad Hatters Tea Party.