Blair - Your thoughts,,,,,,

[N.O.R.F]

A young and charismatic man emerged in 1996/97. A Labour figure. A breath of fresh air.

 

Living in the Labour heartland of South Yorkshire it was a time of expectation. An end to years of Tory Thatcherism. Don’t get me wrong, I have a lot to thank the Tories for and especially Mr Douglas Hurd who was the Home Secretary in the late 1980s but John Major was a disaster. The recession of the early nineties was at the time very evident, even to a curious youngster. The era of privatisation and globalisation had arrived and was beginning to take a firm hold on the former industrial giant of a city. Many were losing their jobs due to competition from abroad. The city was changing. A shift from manufacturing to the tertiary sector was in full swing. Not necessarily a bad thing when HSBC have their UK headquarters in the city (before Canary Warf).

 

Then in 1997 Blair was on TV 24/7. Playing football in the park with his boys. The inevitable happened in May of that year. A landslide victory for the Labour party.

 

From a personal point of view I think Labour have done a lot more than what the Tories would have done. Look at the inner city redevelopments for a start. The levels of unemployment have dropped etc

 

The only issue would be obviously foreign policy and the student grants beings done away with.

 

What are your thoughts on Blair?

[N.O.R.F]

Muslim gains under Blair overshadowed

 

By TARIQ PANJA, Associated Press Writer

Mon Jun 25, 2:49 PM ET

 

 

 

DEWSBURY, England - Under the shadow of a towering minaret in a Muslim enclave, veiled women stroll, shiny new cars line the streets and houses are being expanded.

 

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It's an image of prosperity among British Muslims that didn't exist here before Prime Minister Tony Blair, who inspired hope of a better life among the religious minority when he came to power in 1997 — and kept many of his promises.

 

Blair's Labour Party successor, Gordon Brown, will face tougher challenges with the Muslim community when he takes over Wednesday as Britain's new prime minister. Amid deep discontent over the Iraq war and a security crackdown, many Muslims say they've become Britain's new outcasts. They feel betrayed by Blair, and are wary of a future under Brown.

 

Materially, Muslims remain Britain's most deprived minority, but official figures provide compelling evidence that Blair's tenure helped their situation, though the economy showed signs of improving before he took office.

 

Unemployment among Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, almost all of whom are Muslim, fell 4 to 6 percent from 1991 to 2001, census figures show, although Muslims in general still have the highest unemployment rate in Britain at 12 percent.

 

In Kirklees, the district in which Dewsbury is set, unemployment among the 30,000 strong Pakistani population was cut in half during the same period.

 

Britain's Muslims — who now number some 1.8 million — have benefited in other respects.

 

State funding for Muslim schools was introduced for the first time, a religious hatred law was introduced and a much reviled visa requirement that led to the separation of families was repealed.

 

Another sign of the new recognition for British Muslims came with election of the nation's first Muslim lawmakers in 1997. Blair had pledged to make the government more representative.

 

In Dewsbury, a former textile town where jobs dried up under Margaret Thatcher, the number of Muslims able to afford the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, has soared over the past decade, said Kaushar Tai, a 48-year-old management consultant.

 

"You can only go if you can afford it and you are in good health," he said. "People are in good health and they can afford it, which he has to take some credit for."

 

But the gains have been tempered by fierce anger over Blair's foreign policy and new anti-terrorism measures that include tough restrictions on speech believed to promote terrorism.

 

Brown has promised to win back the trust of the British people. He has also vowed to reassess Britain's operations in Iraq, although a troop withdrawal is unlikely.

 

But he also has supported a call to hold terror suspects without charge for up to 90 days — an increase on the current 28 days — and advocated introducing phone tap evidence into British courts for the first time.

 

The moves are likely to inflame tensions in Muslim communities and could saddle Brown with the worries that dogged Blair during his leadership, no more evident than on July 7, 2005, when suicide bombers killed 52 commuters on London's transit system.

 

In Dewsbury, where the July 7 ringleader Mohammed Sidique Khan lived, the far-right British National Party has profited from the public's nervousness about its Muslim minority.

 

On a fiercely anti-Muslim platform that included the call for all Muslims to be banned from flying in and out of Britain on security grounds, the BNP managed to get its candidate in Dewsbury elected to the local council in 2006.

 

Blair, who famously carried around the Quran and made a point of opening his office to British Muslims, has denied his government conspired against Muslims. But many didn't believe him.

 

Like the July 7 bombers, they point to the Iraq war as proof.

 

Tai said the government underestimated the impact the war would have on Britain's Muslims.

 

"For Muslims what happens internationally has an impact locally," he said, underlining how fraternal ties in Islam cross borders.

 

One-time Muslim Blairites like Hanif Rehman, a 33-year-old father of two who lives in Dewsbury and works for British Telecom, turned their backs on Labour. Rehman remains skeptical of Brown — saying he has been sullied by his ties to Blair.

 

Brown has promised no retreat in the fight against terrorism. He talks of a "hearts and minds" exercise to freeze out extremists and promote moderation. Muslims say this amounts to little more than a social engineering project that risks further alienation.

 

"I don't trust him," Rehman said. "We're all on thin ice."

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070625/ap_on_re_eu/britain_muslims

[Sharmarkee]

Robert Fisk: How can Blair possibly be given this job?

 

Here is a politician who has failed in everything he has ever tried to do in the Middle East

Published: 23 June 2007

I suppose that astonishment is not the word for it. Stupefaction comes to mind. I simply could not believe my ears in Beirut when a phone call told me that Lord Blair of Kut al-Amara was going to create "Palestine". I checked the date - no, it was not 1 April - but I remain overwhelmed that this vain, deceitful man, this proven liar, a trumped-up lawyer who has the blood of thousands of Arab men, women and children on his hands is really contemplating being "our" Middle East envoy.

 

Can this really be true? I had always assumed that Balfour, Sykes and Picot were the epitome of Middle Eastern hubris. But Blair? That this ex-prime minister, this man who took his country into the sands of Iraq, should actually believe that he has a role in the region - he whose own preposterous envoy, Lord Levy, made so many secret trips there to absolutely no avail - is now going to sully his hands (and, I fear, our lives) in the world's last colonial war is simply overwhelming.

 

Of course, he'll be in touch with Mahmoud Abbas, will try to marginalise Hamas, will talk endlessly about "moderates"; and we'll have to listen to him pontificating about morality, how he's absolutely and completely confident that he's doing the right thing (and this, remember, is the same man who postponed a ceasefire in Lebanon last year in order to share George Bush's ridiculous hope of an Israeli victory over Hizbollah) in bringing peace to the Middle East...

 

Not once - ever - has he apologised. Not once has he said he was sorry for what he did in our name. Yet Lord Blair actually believes - in what must be a record act of self-indulgence for a man who cooked up the fake evidence of Iraq's "weapons of mass destruction" - that he can do good in the Middle East.

 

For here is a man who is totally discredited in the region - a politician who has signally failed in everything he ever tried to do in the Middle East - now believing that he is the right man to lead the Quartet to patch up "Palestine".

 

In the hunt for quislings to do our bidding - ie accept even less of Mandate Palestine than Arafat would stomach - I suppose Blair has his uses. His unique blend of ruthlessness and dishonesty will no doubt go down quite well with our local Arab dictators.

 

And I have a suspicion - always assuming this extraordinary story is not untrue - that Blair will be able to tour around Damascus, even Tehran, in his hunt for "peace", thus paving the way for an American exit strategy in Iraq. But "Palestine"?

 

The Palestinians held elections - real, copper-bottomed ones, the democratic variety - and Hamas won. But Blair will presumably not be able to talk to Hamas. He'll need to talk only to Abbas's flunkies, to negotiate with an administration described so accurately this week by my old colleague Rami Khoury as a "government of the imagination".

 

The Americans are talking - and here I am quoting the State Department spokesman, Sean McCormack - about an envoy who can work "with the Palestinians in the Palestinian system" to develop institutions for a "well-governed state". Oh yes, I can see how that would appeal to Lord Blair. He likes well-governed states, lots of "terror laws", plenty of security - though I'm still a bit puzzled about what the "Palestinian system" is meant to be.

 

It was James Wolfensohn who was originally "our" Middle East envoy, a former World Bank president who left in frustration because he could neither reconstruct Gaza nor work with a "peace process" that was being eroded with every new Jewish settlement and every Qassam rocket fired into Israel. Does Blair think he can do better? What honeyed words will we hear?

 

I bet he doesn't mention the Israeli wall which is taking so much extra land from the Palestinians. It will be a "security barrier" or a "fence" (like the famous Berlin "fence" which was actually called a "security barrier" by those generous East German Vopo cops of the time).

 

There will be appeals for restraint "on all sides", endless calls for "moderation", none at all for justice (which is all the people of the Middle East have been pleading for over the past 100 years).

 

And Israel likes Lord Blair. Indeed, Blair's slippery use of language is likely to appeal to Ehud Olmert, whose government continues to take Arab land for Jews and Jews only as he waits to discover a Palestinian with whom he can "negotiate", Mahmoud Abbas now having the prestige of a rabbit after his forces were crushed in Gaza.

 

Which of "Palestine"'s two prime ministers will Blair talk to? Why, the one with a collar and tie, of course, who works for Mr Abbas, who will demand more "security", tougher laws, less democracy.

 

I have never been able to figure out why the Middle East draws the Balfours and the Sykeses and the Blairs into its maw. Once, our favourite trouble-shooter was James Baker - who worked for George W's father until the Israelis got tired of him - and before that we had a whole list of UN Secretary Generals who visited the region, frowned and warned of serious consequences if peace did not soon come.

 

I recall another man with Blair's pomposity, a certain Kurt Waldheim, who - no longer the UN's boss - actually believed he could be an "envoy" for peace in the Middle East, despite his little wartime career as an intelligence officer for the Wehrmacht's Army Group "E".

 

His visits - especially to the late King Hussein - came to nothing, of course. But Waldheim's ability to draw a curtain over his wartime past does have one thing in common with Blair. For Waldheim steadfastly, pointedly, repeatedly, refused to acknowledge - ever - that he had ever done anything wrong. Now who does that remind you of?

 

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[Libaax-Sankataabte]

The man is a failure. His "masters" are trying to rehabilitate him. It won't work!

[N.O.R.F]

The guy and his party actually made some good domestic decisions. Paternity leave?

[Jacaylbaro]

The best follower of Bush

[Som@li]

[Jacaylbaro]

looooool

[Allamagan]

Originally posted by Northerner:

The guy and his party actually made some good domestic decisions. Paternity leave?

He is arguably done good in domestic politics, but utterly failed in everything else he has ever tried to do in the ME. Discredited in that region, Blair now wants to make peace between falastiiin & israil.

Waste of time and energy, I say!

[N.O.R.F]

Blair bids farewell to parliament

 

 

Deborah Summers and agencies

Wednesday June 27, 2007

Guardian Unlimited

 

 

Tony Blair received a standing ovation from MPs of all parties today as he bid farewell to parliament at his last ever prime minister's question time.

Flanked by his successor, the chancellor, Gordon Brown, and his deputy, John Prescott, the outgoing premier said: "This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the house, I will have no such further meetings today - or any other day."

 

 

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Mr Blair gave an upbeat, and at times, lighthearted performance to an emotionally charged chamber.

With his wife, Cherie, and family watching from the gallery above, Mr Blair paid tribute to Britain's troops, saying: "Whatever view people take of my decisions, I think there is only one view to take of them. They are the bravest and the best."

 

David Cameron stepped aside from the usual party political arguments to pay tribute to Mr Blair's "remarkable achievement of being prime minister for 10 years" and wish him well for the future.

 

The Tory leader said: "For all of the heated battles across this dispatch box, for 13 years you have led your party, for 10 years you have led your country and no one can be in any doubt, in terms of the huge efforts you have made in terms of public service.

 

"You have considerable achievements to your credit, whether it is peace in Northern Ireland, whether it is your work in the developing world, which I know will endure.

 

"I'm sure life in the public eye has sometimes been tough on your family. So can I say on behalf of my party that we wish you and your family well, and we wish you every success in whatever you do in the future."

 

Mr Blair returned the compliment, thanking the Tory leader and saying that despite their political differences, he had always found him "most proper, correct and courteous in your dealings with me".

 

Liberal Democrat leader, Sir Menzies Campbell, said that, despite their political disagreements, Mr Blair had been "unfailingly courteous" and also extended his party's best wishes to the departing prime minister and his family.

 

Ulster's first minister, the Rev Ian Paisley, paid tribute to Mr Blair, for his role in the Northern Ireland peace process, and said he was now entering into "another colossal task".

 

The house fell silent as he added: "I hope that what happened in Northern Ireland will be repeated."

 

In lighter moments there was laughter when, asked to promise a referendum on the new EU treaty by a Eurosceptic Tory MP, Mr Blair refused, and added: "Au revoir, auf wiedersehen and arrivederci."

 

And a few minutes later Mr Blair revealed he had yesterday received his P45.

 

After the father of the house, Alan Williams, bid the premier the final farewell, Mr Blair admitted that he had never been "much of a Commons man" but admitted he had "never stopped fearing" it and even today felt a "tingling apprehension" before question time.

 

In his final remarks to the Commons, the outgoing premier said: "I wish everyone, friend or foe, well and that is that, the end."

[N.O.R.F]

A changed landscape

 

 

Don't forget what Blair has achieved in education, says Estelle Morris

 

Tuesday June 26, 2007

The Guardian

 

 

Tony Blair set the stakes high. He wanted to be judged on his record in education. Maybe he has been overtaken by events, but I have no doubt that history will record his contribution to education as one of the most significant of any of our prime ministers.

Whatever you think about his policies, he has changed the relationship between education and politics. His personal drive, commitment and leadership; the time he gave to education; the number of school visits he made and educationists he met must be unmatched by any of his predecessors. He has shown determination and skill in driving through the issues he thought were important and led a government that has delivered the biggest ever sustained increase in funding.

 

 

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He has changed our culture and you can see that in the public's attitude. We talk more about education - particularly what used to be the Cinderella areas of early years and skills. Our expectations are higher and we more readily acknowledge that we have an interest in raising standards for every child. There is more respect for those who work in education.

And the political establishment's culture has changed as well. Never again will it be an "also-ran", a middle-ranking Whitehall department fighting for attention. At least three education ministers or former ministers were seen as possible contenders for the Labour party leadership. It is a big player.

 

Blair has shifted education's place in the national landscape and we are better for it. We have a massive school-building programme, universal pre-school education, more and better teachers and a workforce revolution, higher standards in every age group and more people going to university. It's a familiar list and the gains are easily pocketed and forgotten. But it means that more children get a better deal than a decade ago. It is a record of which he should be proud.

 

There is new leadership now and although Blair's successor will give education the same priority, he will put his own mark on it. Gordon Brown will face two sets of challenges. First, there are still weaknesses in the agenda and he will need to bring fresh thinking to some areas: stopping literacy and numeracy results plateauing; cutting truancy; higher quality early years and widening access to higher education.

 

But second, we are looking for new ideas and Brown's Mansion House speech set the right tone. His natural instinct for social justice and his commitment to the skills needs of the economy could lead to radical changes in vocational education and the 14-19 agenda. He could look at a "Tomlinson plus" - revisit that report but ask whether we still need GCSEs at 16 and if the institutional and qualifications maze we offer this age group can ever make sense.

 

I hope he'll put creativity in schools higher up the agenda. It's one of the most valued skills of this decade and we're not yet exploiting the talent we have. The debate on access to higher education needs to be sharper. What happens when those from less affluent backgrounds do break through the glass ceiling? Do they get the style and quality of teaching and support in universities that they need? There's a worry that as access rises, retention falls. Then there's that elusive goal of breaking the link between being poor and doing badly at school. And so on.

 

The list of other people's good ideas will grow and grow. But whatever become the defining characteristics of Brown's premiership, I hope he will continue to build the coalition for education and invest massively in the skills of those who teach and recognise their special expertise. But others, in the private as well as the voluntary sectors, in industry, commerce as well as public service, have a part to play. All of us, because we're citizens, have a vested interest in doing our bit for education. If Brown can harness all that talent, there will be no stopping us.

 

· Estelle Morris was secretary of state for education and skills from 2001-2002

[Ibtisam]

Blair is on his way to Buckingham palace to resign. He received a standing ovation, and many plaudits, at his final PMQ a little while ago. I despise Blair with a passion, he has the blood of so many innocents on his hand, he has sold out his country to crazy a*ss Bush.

 

Blair is a formidable and very successful politician, i doubt a greater insult can be levelled at any man or woman. He has led the party as PM for ten years and three election wins. Nobody in history has done this for the Labour party. He is extremely intelligent and articulate.

 

Interest rates and unemployment are a fraction of what they were when Labour took the reins after all those years of disastrous Tory mismanagement. Blair is probably the greatest ever performer at the dispatch box, he destroyed a succession of Tory leaders. We also have his governments to thank for the minimum wage, tax credits and several other things.

 

He is of course a fraud and a liar. He practises deceit and *F***e*r*y with ability par excellence. He should be tried for treason and war crimes, but of course he won't be. Instead he will be made some kind of Middle East envoy. Imagine if you've seen your family blown to bits !!!! and One of the main reasons you cry yourself to sleep every night is now being rewarded for his crimes against humanity. ERRG

 

I've heard Brown talk the talk, first i need to see him walk the walk. Britain cannot expect to be forgiven for their actions, but they can start to make some sort of amends, including Troop withdrawals from Iraq and Afghanistan as a starting point. Telling Washington to f*uck off and making decision based on reason will be a second.

[Valenteenah.]

Brown is UK's new prime minister.

 

I'm less concerned about departing or new PMs and more interested in who will be the next chancellor and how it will affect my finances.

[Faarax-Brawn]

I'm less concerned about departing or new PMs and more interested in who will be the next chancellor and how it will affect my finances

I have always wondered,why the title is so sophisticated. Chancellor of the Exchequer Kulaha, It soo much easier to say "Minister of Finance" i would presume!.

 

Some interesting facts about MR Brown(apart from the obvious connection with Me here) is that:

1/He was a rugby player,I mean he looks rather geeky for a rugby player & that he has all 4 of his front teeth. 2.He ran a charity magazine that benefited Africa & 3.He was the son a Minister.

 

Thats really quite interesting i would say, I like Him.!

[Emperor]

Blair the man of his time no doubt only to make a fool of himself in the last minute...