Tony Blair in running for fa

[Brin]

I think most Labour supporters would more look look towards the democratic socialism of the Nordic model when identifying as socialists, which I don't think can be said to be delivering misery to the masses. Little bit of a cheap straw man to imply they're all communists or aspire to the likes of Venezuela.

And Blair is hated amongst Labour supporters because of Iraq. That's a simple one.

All the traits of IBS?

[animallittle3]

Tony Blair didn't really have that much to beat when he became Labour Leader .

18 years of a tory government are way past over staying your welcome even in a Conservative country such as ours , the country required change if only to break the boredom .

Once John Major went people such as Michael Howard and Ian Duncan Smith faced off to him everyday , they were easily swept aside .

A great tenure of 3 election victories is generally marked by a legacy , Thatcher had 3 election victories and left a legacy , not a great one for me personally but a legacy none the less .

What's Tony Blair's and New Labours legacy ? , what did he do so fantastically well that changed the lifes of working people ? , the very people the Labour Party are historically supposed to represent .

Not a great deal for such a great amount of time in power , for a 13 year stint it fell pretty short for me .

His achievements could be packed in to the first five years , minimum wage , NHS , Housing Association builds .the other 8 years escape me in all honesty .

Benefits paying more than work culture , opening the doors to eastern european migration without the infrastructure to cope effectively , allowing the finance industry to continue under deregulation , distancing themselves from the trade unions , Alistair Campbell and Two Jags .

The photograph of Gordon Brown embracing Thatcher and smiles all round was pretty poignant for folk like me , turned my stomach in all honesty .

And I never even had to mention Bush and Iraq .

[Hazza Has A Gazza]

1997 was my first opportunity to vote. I was 18 and had only ever known life under tory rule. I knew nothing about politics, only that the tories were all boring fusty old snobs who did not connect with me, my age group or the working class.
But here's this guy on the other side doing keepy uppies with Kevin Keegan and is being endorsed by Noel Gallagher. I'm voting for him.
Four years later the country seems to be in better shape and John Prescott is punching egg throwers. The alternatives are William Hague or a chubby little ginger Scottish chap. I'm sticking with Labour.
I feel it was after this election victory that Labour started crawling up its own backside and morphed into everything I disliked about the tories in the first place.

[KerrAvon]

I think most Labour supporters would more look look towards the democratic socialism of the Nordic model when identifying as socialists, which I don't think can be said to be delivering misery to the masses. Little bit of a cheap straw man to imply they're all communists or aspire to the likes of Venezuela.

And Blair is hated amongst Labour supporters because of Iraq. That's a simple one.

Straw man argument, John? That’s fighting talk and more than a bit rich when you claim that I implied 'they're all communists or aspire to the likes of Venezuela.' Perhaps you could take a moment from identifying straw man arguments to point out where I did that?

If people post about a desire for Socialist policies, surely it must be permissible for me to point out the historical and current consequences of that system? If people want to talk about the Nordic model, which is Social Democrat and largely based upon the private ownership of capital rather than ‘Democratic Socialist’ as you claim, then fair enough, but they should be clear about what they mean.

When claiming that most Labour supporters would more look towards the alleged democratic socialism of the Nordic model when identifying as Socialists, I would question whether what you really mean is that most of the Labour supporters that you know would do so. But even if I am wrong about that, would it matter as it is surely what the leadership of the Labour Party are looking towards when they are identifying themselves that matters:

Jermy Corbyn: [Venezuela is] an inspiration to all of us fighting back against austerity and neoliberal economics in Europe’. Note that he didn’t add ‘except for the Nordic countries that I so admire’, when talking about neo-liberalism in Europe.

John McDonnell: ’So here you had the contrast between capitalism in crisis [in other countries] and socialism in action [in Venezuela]’. Do you think that was a slip of the tongue and he meant to say Sweden? That being said, we certainly have seen Socialism in action in Sweden, but maybe not in the way that your Mao’s red book waving Shadow Chancellor had in mind.

Diane Abbott: ‘ Chavez's sweeping social, political and economic agenda has boosted the lives of million in Venezuela’ Perhaps that has been misquoted and was actually referring to Erna Solberg and Norway?

I’m an admirer of aspects of the Nordic model, but am not certain that it could be easily translated to the UK, which has a very different history and economy to those countries. I’m a massive fan of a more collaborative approach within an economy, but could that be achieved with people like Serwotka and McCluskey at the helm in British Trade Unions? I suspect that they may not identify with your interpretation of what most Labour supporters would more look towards when identifying as Socialists.

If you want to go Nordic, you should join the Lib Dems. That is the UK party that comes closest to offering it.

[monty_rhodes]

Tony Blair achieved much more than most PMs. Northern Ireland, Minimum Wage, BOE Independence, civil partnerships, Welsh Assembly, Scottish parliament, London Mayor, interventions in Sierra Leone and Kosovo - where he remains a hero. He got Iraq wrong. Perhaps. But basically this means he took a dump in a sh*thole. The idea that all these nasty Jihadists would be model citizens but for the Iraq War is simple idiocy. And he wouldn't have fallen into the Brexit fiasco. Oh, I forgot; he's a horrible guy 'cos he stood up to Russia and didn't rrse kiss deranged Marxists in Venezuela like Jezzer.
And where does this myth that labour is or ought to be "Socialist"? I can't remember seeing the word even used on several manifestoes and no Labour government has seriously attempted to bring the means of production into public ownership.

[frogmiller]

You forgot the construction of new schools and hospitals Monte.

[millertop]

Ffs keep politicians out of football

[monty_rhodes]

You forgot the construction of new schools and hospitals Monte.

Indeed I did, Frog.

[frogmiller]

Indeed I did, Frog.

Tony Blair actually made it into my father in law's speach at our wedding. We married two days after his election win and he couldn't resist. Rotherham also got relegated at Exeter that day.

[monty_rhodes]

Tony Blair actually made it into my father in law's speach at our wedding. We married two days after his election win and he couldn't resist. Rotherham also got relegated at Exeter that day.

I'm impressed that you can remember the wedding speeches!