Tony Blair's autobiography. Options

[GMR]

Somebody put a thread up about Blair's autobiography when it came out (it might have even been me) so I said when I've read it I'll review it. So here goes;



A Journey by Tony Blair. An autobiography.

Let me state at the outset that I am no fan of Blair's: he turned this country into an Orwellian Big brother society, cocked up education, over spent (partly contributing to the recession) and law and order went out of control (one of the reasons of this was him bringing in the European Human Rights legislation that empowered the criminal and did nothing for the good citizen). He was also too pro European (luckily he was restrained). The good points was reforming Old labour and removing clause 4. The Irish problem and I agreed with him over Iraq (even though I had reservations of Americas handling of the aftermath).

When I first heard that he was having an autobiography out I thought 'I won't be getting it.' I'd rather wait until the historians brought their books out. But alas, I acquiesced and I am glad I did. It was a very interesting read. His style was unique; very blokish, like he is having a chat with you. He goes backwards and forward. Not like normal political biographies or autobiographies.

A quick synopsis

The book is his time in politics, starting with becoming the leader of the Labour party through to his resignation and thoughts on his successor. His reasoning why he changed the labour party was very sound, and with hindsight very right. There was no place in modern society for 'Old Labour'.

Blair records his thoughts about his often difficult relationship with his Chancellor (Gordon Brown), whom he depicts as a "strange guy" who had "zero" emotional intelligence, and says of himself and Brown as "like a couple who loved each other, arguing over whose career should come first". In the book he says that he had promised Brown in 2003 he would resign before the next general election, but later changed his mind. But the reasons for this were Brown's unhelpfulness and obstreperous and arrogant ways. He accuses Gordon of blackmail, claiming that he threatened to call for a Labour Party inquiry into the cash for honours affair during an argument over pension policy, and goes on to say that Tony was behind the decision to hand control of interest rates to the Bank of England rather than Brown. He also blames Brown on Labour's defeat this year. If he hadn't abandoned 'new labour's' policies he would have won the election. On a good note; just, he says that Brown was a very good chancellor and a 'committed public servant.'

The Iraq affair will interest most peoples, but as I said, above I agreed on the invasion. Saddam had to be overthrown. Blair presenting evidence that Saddam Hussein had not abandoned the strategy of WMD, merely made a tactical decision to play games with the west. Blair says that he would make the same choice again if he had came across the same problems with Iran. In other words if that country develops nuclear weapons it will change the balance of power of the Middle East to the region's detriment and the west must go in.

He talks quite a bit about the royal family, Diana.

Also in the book Tony Blair claims that he had premonition that his predecessor, John Smith, would die less than a month before he did (I would imagine God played a part in this). Blair then goes on to say that he believed or knew that he would be the one to succeed John Smith as Labour leader, and not Gordon Brown, who was favourite at the time.

He talks about his guilt over decisions he made concerning Peter Mandelson, such as forcing Mandy to resign from Government.

The last chapter of the book is a assessment of Labour Party policy and discusses the party's future, with Blair warning the future labour leader – now known as Ed Milliband that to remain electable then labour should continue with the policies of New Labour and not return to the left-wing policies of the past. I wonder what he thinks of Red Ed?

Over all a very good book. Better than I expected.

I've already got Petery Mandelson/s book to read and another on Blair, Mandelson and Brown.