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

[ophelia275]

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?

[Lulabellarama]

Cailinsalach I agree with every word.

Tony Blair was a great PM and a great politician

[slhilly]

ChocolateCake, I'm pretty sure that the rise in the percentage of the UK population holding a degree started before 1997. It was prompted by a shift in mix of jobs in the labour market, so that relatively fewer jobs do not require a degree. Jobs that used not to require a degree, like nursing, have become increasingly challenging and technical, because of medical advances. That brings its own problems, but the alternative is to not bother with ICUs, dopplering, new chemotherapy regimens, because we certainly can't afford to pay for doctors to provide these things, and it requires a degree to do.

[Orwellian]

Under Tony Blair's Premiership we had;

• Took the UK into an illegal war in which hundreds of thousands died and he lied
  
• Mysterious death of Scientist David Kelly against said war.
  
• Huge increase in the cost of housing and the rise of BTL which has effectively priced out several generations of young people (of course not Blair's kids, they were bought huge homes by their millionaire daddy).
  
• PFI for hospitals/NHS which will burden future generations.
  
• Gave away the UK's EU rebate with nothing to show for it.
  
• His expenses were mysteriously shredded during the expenses scandal.
  
• Made the UK reliant on the City and Finance so that banks could not fail. Let the North rot.
  
• Oversaw mass immigration.
  
• Built few new homes and didn't reverse right to buy.
  
• Council tax more than doubled under his watch.
  
• Reneged on his pledge not to introduce tuition fees for University students once elected.
  
• Oversaw a huge rise in the welfare bill.
  

These are just a few things I can think of.

I remember how the UK was before Tony Blair came to power and it was a much nicer place to be. In my experience everything has got a lot worse and we are paying a lot more money for a lot less and there is a lot more apathy and society has got a lot less caring. I don't think the Tories of today are any better and I think that Cameron is trying to emulate Blair (all style and no substance).

[Oblomov]

I was hoping for great things.
Later, when it came out about Iraq, his sham of expenses, that disappeared,etc. He was shown to be a fraud. He conned us. I don't know why we're suprised.
He now holds positions in Europe, doing this and that, speaking on this, being on the board of that, and is earning millions.
He makes my stomach churn. I feel ill when I see him.

[ChocolateCakePlease]

I was refering more to the worthless degrees such as a friend who gained one in "the phycology of drama," left uni and went into a job she could have done when she left school and now has 2 kids. So her life ended up the same as mine yet I do not have a uni debt nor has the government paid for me to do a degree I will never use. It is unlikely she will earn enough to pay back her debt either. Money well spent or not? This is a common story for a generation of people.

[ChocolateCakePlease]

Yes and mass immigration! I suspect wages haven't gone up because millions of immigrants were willing to do the job for less money so employers never had to increase wages because there were people were willing to work for peanuts. Even those peanuts here are better than their standard of living back home.

[lljkk]

I like TB. Not perfect, but alright. Best of a mediocre bunch. He'd win again if put in charge of labour party.

[JuliaScurr]

Unreasonable to blame G Brown for crash and not mention US banks