To really wish someone other than Tony Blair had asked us to rise up against brexit?

[DeviTheGaelet]

Can't see a thread about this. And yes I know there is a brexit topic but I wanted to post in AIBU to see what people thought. If you don't want to read about brexit and have no opinion click away now.
Tony Blair is urging remainers to rise up against brexit because we didn't know what we were voting for and it's going to be disastrous for the country.
I totally agree it's a disaster and I think it's shocking we can plunge into the unknown when only just over 50% of voters voted for it in an advisory referendum with a campaign based on lies. I've been desperate for a political party to get behind on a remain ticket.
But why the fuck does it have to be Tony Blair, the man who totally ignored strong public feeling on Iraq who says this? Where are the opposition in parliament?

God yes. It's like finding out Hitler started a campaign against puppy farming...

There is not going to be a second referendum. Ever. You can get out your banners, go on your marches, strike, fill in petitions. it isn't going to happen.

Accept this. Move on and put your energies into making brexit work in the best interests of the country.

It really it just couldn't be simpler. we had one, leave won so we are leaving the EU.

Blair is just a self serving publicist career politician. I deeply dislike the man. he is a war monger who took us into a hugely damaging and costly war. Pity he didn't hold a referendum on that isn't it.

Best post on here. Well said mummymeister. Especially the last paragraph. And the last sentence in particular. Pity he didn't hold a referendum on whether to go into the Iraq war.

Brilliantly put.

Yes YABU. And you know it. Tony Blair is brilliant to do this. He has nothing to loose and all to gain. He gets my vote.

And no!!!! NO!!!!! I will not accept the vote. It's not the 'will of the people'.

I'm with Blair all the way on this.

I don't get the criticism of Blair. Parliament overwhelmingly voted to go to war with Iraq.

Oh wait. He was the electable Labour man. He gets my vote all the time.

At least he isn't selling off the NHS to Merica and being all fwends with Trump.

I just honestly think that people have to move on from the doom and gloom stuff, I really, really do. its talking yourself into it.

We are not talking ourselves into it. Many of us have been living the early negative consequences of Brexit - costs of imports increased significantly, budgetary cuts in government funding as money is diverted into Brexit, loss of key staff to other countries, inability to recruit staff in specialist areas. Many of us can see that our jobs are moving to other countries as entire industries start to transfer parts of their operations into the rest of the EU.

I am fortunate in that I have a good job to go to outside the UK, so it's not going to be my problem. But those of you who think it's all going to be wonderful and plain sailing will have to get your heads out of the sand at some point.

I'm not moving on into disaster. Blair is right. (I do have British and Irish passports though).

I'm a remainer, and our side is crying out for leadership, but it must be anyone but Blair. He is so discredited, toxic and hated that he can only damage any cause he speaks for. He's right about Corbyn, though.

Surely Nick Clegg would be better?

I voted Labour under Blair in 1997 and 2001. I was very opposed to the war in Iraq, went on the protest march and haven't voted Labour since. However, I do think it's a shame that Blair's terrible decisions over Iraq overshadow any prior good work by the Labour government (minimum wage, Human Rights act, spending on education).

I agree with what he says on Brexit and think that he and Mandelson (who I have very little time for, but is a former trade negotiator) are quite knowledgeable about Europe. I also know that many won't listen because of his toxicity. However, as PP have said there's a debate to be had and at the moment he's one of the few willing to have it.

If nothing else Blair is acting true to form. He didn't give a fuck about majority public opinion when launching an illegal, immoral war in Iraq (when giving a fuck would have been quite handy) and he still doesn't give a fuck about majority public opinion.

I actually think Tony Blair was best PM in many a long decade. I think press seriously misrepresented him. I would welcome his return to political leadership - and it was John Major who started aggressive action in Middle East over Iraq.

YANBU but
I very much agree with all of the criticisms of Blair and really wish that someone else could be taking on this campaign. Maybe even, oh I don't know, THE LEADER OF THE JEFFING OPPOSITION!!! angry Sorry for shouting. Corbyn's name is mud in my house right now

this really - at least he's saying something!

Tony Blair has made it easier for the Brexiteers, given that he is the most hated ex-prime minister ever.

I voted for Blair but his disasterous decision on Iraq destroyed every scrap of respect I had for him. He now has no legitimacy.

He came across as elitist, arrogant, accused Leavers of being too stupid to understand what they were doing and so bloody superior.

Piss off Tony Blair!

And no!!!! NO!!!!! I will not accept the vote. It's not the 'will of the people'.

Yes it is Elendon.

As a remainer, I don't think a second referendum is a good idea. But is that what he is asking for. I am not so sure. There are other ways. A split in the Labour party, a centre left alliance with another party, I think that was partly what this speech was about. He was speaking to those in the Labour party who need to act now.

What a cheek!

How many people protested against the Iraq War? He wasn't interested in the people then.

I think he has to consider why people voted to Leave. I think a lot of people would like to remain in the common market for goods and services but not people. I think for a lot of people just didn't like the flood of immigrants. When a large group of countries in eastern Europe joined the EU in 2004, the UK was one of only a few countries that allowed these new EU citizens in to work - countries such as Germany/France took until 2012 to allow this I think. Blair's cabinet expect a small number to come (think they said something like 15k) and it ended up being over 400k (see BBC link: news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5273356.stm). If New Labour had restricted immigration , as they had the right to do, we wouldn't be in this mess.

I'm a Remainer but we have to accept the referendum. The downside of Brexit was made very clear and referred to as Project Fear when it should have been Project Reality. No one can say they didn't know what Brexit might involve. Now we're down the Brexit path we need to make the most of it. If we change our mind, the EU will still punish us anyway.

I cannot believe the hall of Blair. Shame on him.

I'm no fan of Tony Blair but I think his speech was spot on and actually really highlighted for me how bad the Labour Party have become.

It needed saying, and someone should have said it sooner. Rather than criticise Blair we should be asking why the fuck no one else has said it before.

If you think we should have a revote until we get the result you want then tony blair or any other idiot should be ensconed as dictator because either we live in a democracy or we dont!
Get over it!

I refuse to listen to a lying war criminal with blood on his hands. If that knob said water was wet I'd have to check. He doesn't do anything unless there's something in it for him or his grubby family.

I think press seriously misrepresented him. surprising how he and AC manipulated the press.

I'm no fan of Tony Blair but I think his speech was spot on

Of course a remainer is going to think BLAIR was spot on tweasle PMSL ^

I cannot believe the hall of Blair. Shame on him.

Do you mean the GALL of Blair?

HALL of Blair sounds like a horrific freak show!

Phoney Tony. Don't know how he dared say he never asked the country to make such a drastic decision when he led us into war and helped create Isis. The guy is still a massive twat.

this constant wailing of "people just didn't understand what they voted for" Yes, actually they did.

You might have done, but can you hand on heart say everyone else did? Against a backdrop of buses with £350m for the NHS touring the country, promises to match EU funding to deprived areas and various other amounts of steaming bullshit.

Anyhow a virtually 50/50 split is not "the will of the people". It beggars belief that such a slender majority is being touted as some kind of democratic landslide.

I expect that they thought that if people would listen to a known liar and slime ball such as Farrage...

I dislike Tony Blair intensely, and cannot forgive him for Iraq.

However, I also dislike the smug "we voted out, get over it" comments from some of the leave voters.

It's a democracy. The leave vote won, by a very small majority. I accept that, and I accept that we are stuck with the disastrous result. I accept that article 50 will be triggered. However, I don't accept that the narrow leave victory means that I no longer have the right to express my views. I don't accept that I am no longer entitled to say that I believe that Brexit will be disastrous and that the majority of leave voters will regret it in the long term. I don't accept that I have to "get behind" Brexit. I'm not behind it, I don't support it and I never will.