Do most people 'dislike' Tony Blair?

[AgentZigzag]

I accept that the word dislike may not fully encompass the emotional response he provokes in some people, but I personally don't think he's that bad. I see him as a politician who's had to make difficult decisions, rather than someone who took us to war for dishonest reasons.

It was his job to look at the bigger picture after 9/11, I've just seen him saying on the Iraq Inquiry that 3000 people were killed on that day, and if they could have, they would have killed 30000. Surely he had to do everything and anything he thought necessary to try and protect us from people whose reality is so distorted that they would gladly kill and maim as many people in the west as possible, and certainly don't play by any of the rules of normal modern warfare.

I don't think I'm being naive, and I can't stand Labour so it's not because I'm some NuLab fan, but I just don't think he's as bad as the media wants us to think he is.

I don't personally dislike him, not a fan of what he did but I have a sneaking affection for the man himself. He's better than what he left us with. But I'm not a political animal by any stretch of the imagination so mine is purely an outsider's opinion.

Yes, I dislike him.

I don't dislike everything New Labour did, but I dislike the man.

He'd probably have been OK as PM in a time of economic security with only 'nice' things to do like education and healthcare. He was totally unsuitable to deal with the nasty issues around terrorism and Iraq.

Whoever was in power would have had to take the decision, and I respect him more for taking a decision that was unpopular than going for the 'appease the voters' route, which personally I think would have been the wrong one.

It amazes me that so many people go on and on about him being a liar and spinning information to within an inch of its life, he's a politician, that's what politicians have always, and will always do. Nobody can seriously think we know what goes on in Westminster? The country would probably break down if we did.

no

erm

I dislike mass murderers generally

but on a purely superficial level I also find him odious, insincere and creepy

Agree with AgentZigzag. I always thought that he believed he was doing the right thing.

I always thought that he believed he was doing the right thing.

Oh yes. He believed it. Heck, he'd prayed about it with Bush, hadn't he.

I'm sure Osama Bin Laden believes he's doing the right thing.

'I dislike mass murderers generally' Perhaps that's were I'm going wrong, cos I find mass murderers fascinating

I really don't see him as a mass murderer though as he was an elected political figure, those who flew the planes into the twin towers were though, oh, and those who blew themselves up on 7/7, and in Madrid etc etc

What if he'd done nothing, because he thought it might be unpopular, just as many people would have been up in arms forim not being strong enough to even try to protect us from the people who want to kill and maim us.

I dislike his oiliness. I disliked the way he emoted at evey opportunity. I dislike the way he speaks - with his legal training he should be able to be more precise. I mistrust his motives.

I don't like him. Never have, never will. From the moment I set eyes on the man, I didn't trust him. His current and past activities have done little to alter my view.

protect us from the people who want to kill and maim us.

There appears to be very little evidence that the Iraqis were hell bent on this. Afghanistan was a different matter; Iraq was about getting rid of Saddam Hussein not about protecting us from terrorists.

My father always said Blair got away with more r-wing policy decisions than the Tories. Personally, I always thought Blair was well intentioned and high principled but the deceit and arrogance apparent in those close to him, Mandelson, Straw, Campbell and Cherie, has made we wonder. It is quite clear he finds the opprobrium from the bereaved families weighs heavily on him.

I think if they had been more honest, or had said "we object to the human rights abuses in Iraq, and want to get rid of Saddam Hussein" people would have been more supportive and gone "alright then. Go for it". But, as they came up with the rather flimsy excuse of their being "weapons of mass destruction", the UN saying "no there aren't", that made him and Bush lose a lot of support.

I was watching a documentary on National Geographic about soldiers returning from Iraq to home in the US, and all of them said that they weren't there to spread democracy - the US was there for money and oil, and if they didn't get it, theyd be really upset.

I agree with Serenity. I think a lot of people who disagreed with the war hoped that the politicians had rather more concrete reasons for going ahead than was apparent at the time, though we cynically felt it probably was more about the oil.

Sadly that seems to not be the case - there was no secret inside information they had to justify going ahead.

Yeah, I agree Serenity. I always thought that we supported the Irag war because going against America would have left us in a bad political/economic position. The WMD thing was very odd. I remember the Afghanistan invasion feeling very knee jerk, and then it seemed over night that the news reports substituted 'Iraq' for 'Afghanistan'. It felt like a weak connection. Ultimately, though, I think any prime minister would have done the same thing. Blair was playing the political game.

Heated, I agree about the slimy Mandelson and Campbell and I can see why some people also see Blair in the same way, he's a good orator (sp) which could make him come across as a bit too well polished.

Serenity, to me, the UN is one of the most ineffective groups in the world. That Russia and I think China could vito the decision to keep Saddam Hussein in check because Iraq owed them cash for arms they'd sold them, just shows it's got nothing to do with doing the right thing. I'm not surprised we/America got pissed off with it and just thought we'd go ahead without them.

Yes.

I think he should be extradited to Iraq for war crimes and hung.

Fortunately I'm not sure I know anyone who does like TB, and I think that if I met someone who does, then their credulity would lower them in my estimation.

Hey, come on Goth, say what you really think

Isn't that taking it a tad far crumpet? That you'd not like someone just because they could see that this is all about politics rather than some imagined moral crusade? To take a dislike to someone because of their political persuasion seems a bit sad to me, surely everyone is entitled to think what they like, or would you prefer NuLab to get their way and everyone think the same?

If nothing else, charging into war without a clear plan for the aftermath of toppling Saddan Hussein was an effing huge miscalculation.

Didn't say I'd dislike them but I would think less of their judgment, yes.

Some of his decisions were highly dubious but when you watch him speak you do realise that Browns lack of charisma is prob part of the labour party's problem!I don't like him at all but he does have a statesman quality that seems lacking elsewhere

I just don't get why people hate him so much.

i have been watching him at the enquiry and find it difficult to disagree with what he is saying.

People look at things with hindsight and make different decisions sure, but at the time I don't see how his decision making was so wrong.