Tony Blair is like the ex you love and loathe in equal measure
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Version 0 of 1. Nowadays, when Tony Blair comes on the news I make grunting noises. Involuntary, guttural, audible grunting noises. The hope I felt that night in 1997 is as emotionally accessible as if it were last year and the betrayals, the most unforgivable of which was the Iraq war, as painful as if they happened yesterday. But, all too often, within two minutes of listening to him, that magnificent sod is holding me in the palm of his hand. It is akin to seeing your most significant ex – the one who broke your heart in the most devastating way – at party after party, looking great, being charming. I despise and miss him in almost equal measure. That was the case on Tuesday, when Tony Blair spoke to Radio 4 and later Sky News about the European elections, the future of Britain and the surge of Ukip. Love him or loathe him, Blair projects a total authenticity that none of the current crop of leaders have – with the possible and unfortunate exception of Nigel Farage. Neither do I picture Blair going to strategists and pollsters before every interview, in order to be told what to say, or after it for a review of his performance. I see those things happening with Cameron, Miliband and Clegg. His opinions seem chiselled from rock; certain, plain, accessible, unshakeable. And, occasionally, he speaks undeniable sense. He did so this week. Analysing the results of the European elections, he said the things that everyone had been seemingly trying, but failing, to articulate: the idea that the UK could strike a better bargain, negotiating solo with the behemoth economies of China, India, Brazil and the US, rather than leveraging the collective bargaining power of the largest global bloc, is a fiction. Immigration, looked at calmly and over time, has been a huge net benefit to the UK. No one would offer a referendum if they understood our exit from the EU would be a disaster for the country. Membership of the EU should be part of a broader raft of policies. The next election will be decided in the same way as all others – on which party has the best policies for jobs, prosperity, fairness, health and education. The Liberal Democrats were not punished for their pro-EU approach; they were punished for standing on a progressive platform, then imposing regressive policies. You may agree or disagree with any or all those points. What is undeniable was the sheer quality of the argument. Suddenly, all that had been missing from the political debate was present: charisma, incisiveness, clarity, the gift of communicating complex concepts with simplicity, the ability to reach through a microphone or lens and speak directly to me. Suddenly, I was fantasising about what victories a young Blair could score at the dispatch box, against a Cameron plagued by fiasco after fiasco. And at the same time, the realisation that it is those very qualities which allowed him to seduce so many down the wrong path so often. In an instant, I become Gollum again; we loves it, we hates it, we loves it. This is the conundrum: a prime minister with such gifts in leadership also has the power to mislead. We judge politics in the same way we judge Britain's Got Talent. A contestant steps on to the stage and within seconds we have made a judgment on whether they will be great or terrible. We elect on the surface and then express surprise at the discovery of the absence of depth. Clegg does well in a couple of televised debate and suddenly he is a rock star. Cameron hugs a husky and instantly his Green credentials are unquestionable. Maybe it is us, the electorate, who need to grow up. Maybe an awkward geek of a prime minister, with a good intellectual foundation, cautious and thoughtful, thinking things through, is precisely what we need. Maybe it is time for a Susan Boyle – who looks unlikely, but delivers. Oh Tony. You have me spinning again. Is there not a support group out there for people like me? A TBA? Where I can go and share my feelings about the damage you did to this country's politics and get you out from under my skin? |