Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to not understand how anybody could like or respect Tony Blair?

58 replies

ophelia275 · 29/04/2013 10:22

The more I read about him and his "accomplishments", the more I think he is a disgusting, immoral, self-serving, greedy little man. How can anyone possibly like or even respect this guy?

OP posts:
landofsoapandglory · 29/04/2013 10:23

I agree with you!

lottieandmia · 29/04/2013 10:26

I agree....but so are most of them imo.

ChocolateCakePlease · 29/04/2013 10:37

He is a horrrible little man and as for that wife of his...

slhilly · 29/04/2013 11:03

Blair was clearly deeply flawed, and I happen to think that he probably made the wrong call on Iraq, although it seems to me that all the courses of action open at that time were pretty grim.

However, he had an undeniable record of success on some extremely important issues, and it does no-one any favours to ignore them. They include Northern Ireland, the ending of waiting times for the NHS and other really huge service improvements, an increase in funding for the NHS to continental European levels, education reforms that improved the life chances of many many children, the abolition of Section 28 and the introduction of civil partnerships.

I suggest reading Deliverology for a helpful take on some of these successes.

slhilly · 29/04/2013 11:04

I am especially wary of people making comments about Cherie Blair. She said very little publicly, so most of our impressions of her are formed from gossip and innuendo. She has an impressive track record as a human rights lawyer.

Wannabestepfordwife · 29/04/2013 11:08

Completely agree with you I was 10 when he got in and thought he was a slimey liar and I still think the same

Cailinsalach · 29/04/2013 11:22

I like him. I like his wife. I like his politics. I like his personality.
I think he has made mistakes. So have I. I think he made a decision about Iraq knowing it would destroy him politically but went ahead and did what he thought was the right thing at the time, hindsight proving it was wrong.
There are worse than him. And why the hate for his wife? What has she done to you?

Sugarice · 29/04/2013 11:44

Tony Blair lied in Parliament regarding Iraq.

His expenses were mysteriously shredded before the scandal came to light, I would love to have known what he had to hide.

He is a narcissist who probably thinks the world would be in a better place if he was able to retain the office of Prime Minister and able to influence, thank God he didn't manage to be President of the European Union.

Awful man, I'm meh about Cherie, I bet she has to put up with an awful lot living with him!

BreconBeBuggered · 29/04/2013 11:53

Triumph of smarm over substance. Yuk.

gordyslovesheep · 29/04/2013 11:59

He is very likable in real life ...I am not a fan of his warmongery but I like his wife and fail to see why she is fair game when having a pop at him

LessMissAbs · 29/04/2013 12:00

Because compared to the others of his ilk, smarmy and pr-seeking though he is, he's not the worst!

We have:

Gordon Brown (no proper job and 10 years doing a PHD on the History of the Labour Party in Scotland before becoming an MP, Chancellor and PM and ruining the economy)

John Prescott (assaults people on camera)

Mandelsson (money laundering/mortgage fraud)

All those lower ranking ones who fiddled their expenses

etc, etc..

Lottashakingoinon · 29/04/2013 12:02

Gordy You took the words right out of my keyboard mouth.

LesMiss could you really not find any Tories to add to this list?

MummytoKatie · 29/04/2013 12:02

I remember him getting in (I was 17 at the time) and being so excited and thinking he was brilliant.

And then the slow disappointment of discovering that he was just like all te others. That he was a politician.

I had a similar discovery about Clegg although nowhere near as much as I'm older and more cynical now.

Bramshott · 29/04/2013 12:04

I think a lot of people have a residual like of him from the memory of 1 May 1997 and that feeling that finally the Tories were out after 18 years. I still remember walking around south London and people grinning and smiling at each other in the street!

BeckAndCall · 29/04/2013 12:09

I've never voted labour in my life, not about to start now, but I have always admired Tony Blair for his clear headed convictions, his courage in keeping to what he believed was the right course when others doubted him, his willingness to take a stand against evil, his devotion to his family, and his continued dedication to solving the insolvable problem of Middle East politics.

And as for Cherie - an accomplished role model of a working mother at the top of her profession, living out her private life on camera with no privacy for her heartbreaking moments - who has never had the public platform on which to fight back against the kind of petty personal attack being dealt out to her here.

miemohrs · 29/04/2013 12:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LauraShigihara · 29/04/2013 12:33

I respect him because I remember what life was like before he and New Labour came to power.

The NHS was run into the ground, as were schools. Pensioners really did have to choose between heat and food, and the poorer families were absolutely poverty stricken.

Surestart, the minimum wage, the Welsh and Scottish referendums, a million children lifted out of poverty, ... I could go on and on. And on and on.

Just think of the Good Friday Agreement alone. I grew up in military town and we were all aware of the IRA because we had already suffered a massive explosion and many casualties in our quiet little town.

His tenure has been overshadowed by the war - but he raised the standard of living and quality of life for millions of people in the UK.

And for the ignorant comments that his wife has had to endure, words fail me.

FreedomOfTheTess · 29/04/2013 12:36

Agree about Tony, but to the person who said "and as for that wife of his"...

Cherie Blair is a hugely respected and successful human rights lawyer, and don't forget also a QC, a commendable achievement for anyone (not least a woman).

Why don't you share your achievements with us, so we can compare?!

cleoowen · 29/04/2013 12:37

I feel he did a lot for education, bringing in new curriculums and funding. Things are being screwed up by the current government.

Bridgetbidet · 29/04/2013 12:42

Northern Ireland and the peace process was all constructed and negotiated by John Major's government. It was just taken over by Blair's grandstanding.

ubik · 29/04/2013 12:45

He took us into an illegal war.

I can't forgive him for Iraq. There was such a positive feeling after Labour won the election, they had a huge majority, they could have done so much - and then suddenly we were invading Iraq. I went on march in London and it was incredible - here was the traditional Left, who voted Labour, protesting against the government they had elected, who was sending our young men and women to war on some sort of flaky premise that Saddam had 'Weapons of Mass Destruction,' and there was no evidence.

I can't forgive him for that.

slhilly · 29/04/2013 13:14

Bridgetbidet, that is grossly unfair misrepresentation of the facts. Yes, Major's government played an exceptionally important role in getting the peace process kicked off. But I challenge you to find a quote from just one participant who was involved in the work leading up to Good Friday that backs up your assertion that he was merely a grandstander. I think you're telling yourself stories that sit comfortably with your worldview, rather than looking at the evidence.

redexpat · 29/04/2013 13:25

Aside from the Iraq war, yes I like and admire and respect him. Like someone else said, I can remember the UK before he got in. Peace in Northern Ireland, national minimum wage (2/3 of those who benefitted were women), new laws on domestic violence, more educational opportunities, abolished section 28, civil partnerships, oh and let's not forget that Labour put women candidates in winnable seats, thus massively improving representation in parliament.

You should really hear him speak. He's a very good speaker.

whistleahappytune · 29/04/2013 13:26

Bridget, you are incorrect. Blair deserves the credit for N.I. Major couldn't stomach dealing with Gerry Adams.

Mrstyphoo · 29/04/2013 13:28

I wasn't old enough to vote him in, so it's only in recent years I have been old enough to gather opinion on him & his wife.

I believe that saying
'it used to be about trying to do something. Now it's about trying to be someone'.

Would be spot on for them both.

Swipe left for the next trending thread