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 rubbed noses with the lovely Mr Denis Healey and it certainly altered my opinion of him

It's not just the physical proximity though. I wonder how he would come across if one knew him before he was PM, went to school with him, was his neighour (no maybe that's a bad example... Connaugt Sq etc), or went to a dinner party with him etc?

I don't know, just trying to put another perspective on it, apart from his work / political credentials.

I don't dislike him. Never voted for him mind, but don't dislike him.

As I said, on a personal level I'm sure he's perfectly charming. Without wishing to subject myself to derisive snorts of "Godwin's Law!" apparently, so was Hitler.

History will prove that Tony Blair was a leader who made a very difficult decision and stood by that decision with conviction.

Given the choice of being led by him or the rabble that squeal Bliar without ever having to make a decision more difficult that deciding what sock to wear, I choose him any day.

Leaders lead, not follow and he lead our country because he did what he believed was right, not popular.

I actually find it sickening that people can hurl so much abuse at Tony Blair for doing his job.

Too many people take our freedom to express ourselves for granted. Without the courage and conviction of people like Blair, those who hate Blair would not be free to express their feelings. Trouble is, they are too dumb to see the irony.

well if you think tony if full of shit and gordon was a shite chancellor then you wont have any respect for the complete overhaul of schools that happened during the pairs hay day.

I have a child in the upper 6th who has now been in education 14 years

schools were nasty leaking dumps in the early 1990s and now go to any town in britain and see lovely new buildings for our children and future children. Different ball game now - so different

Tony did that

That's a good point actually GM. I have heard that about Hitler too.

However, I just wonder how we would all come across if we were subjected to international scutiny. Possibly not exactly as we would wish?!

LOLOLOL. I detest him almost as much as I detest Gordon Broon.

Ooh, pressed the button too soon.

Otter - you are joking, surely??????? The nasty leaking dumps I know of are the reason I am forced to pay school fees!!!

My school wasn't a "nasty leaking dump". It was the making of me - without the education it provided there is no way I would be where I am. "Lovely new buildings" aren't everything.

It's convenient from a Labour point of view to consider that we'd all be Al Queda slaves by now but for their tender mercies, spokette. I'm afraid that is bollocks, though.

hurray for otter and spokette

I have still not heard one convincing/factual reason why one should dislike him so intensely that he deserves to be hung

One convincing argument?

Because he lied, and lied, and lied. If you like being deceived because it is easier than thinking for yourself, happy days.

200,000 dead Iraqs = deserve to be hung.

"Tony did that".

Is he a personal friend? I am troubled by people sucked into the whole "call me Tony" business.

Whatever the rights or wrongs of what he may have done, of course he doesn't deserve to be hung, that's pure nonsense.

Being a politician or leader is a thankless task, damned if you do / damned if you don't. I think most people enter publoic service hoping to make a change for the greater good (ok so there are a few on personal power trips, hopefully in a minority at local level).

What would we all have done? How can we possibly say without being there and being privy to all the facts?

Parliament agreed - unilateral support across the parties

Hindsight is wonderful

He did not lie - that is propaganda

What was the other solution to the fact he was going to arm himself with nuclear weapons and kill more non-muslim people ? (when he wasn't quite up for negotiating)

I cannot believe that you are saying that labour did nothing for education. That really is total shite. They have transformed our expectations so far that you cannot remember the shite that was before

1. Sadaam Hussein wasn't a Muslim. He ran a secularist state which whilst barbaric and indefensible in itself, kept the Sunni/Shia tensions now tearing apart Iraq in check.

2. He did lie. He knew perfectly well there were no WMD. Hans Blicks evidence has proven that. David Kelly further gave the government evidence to that effect at the time. Oh, look! He's dead! I wonder how that happened!

3. Parliament agreed on the basis of the (false) information on Iraq's capacity to deploy WMD asserted by the government.

4. What Dittany said.

Georgimama, who said anything about we'd all be Al Queda slaves?

Very easy to pontificate from your comfortable armchair under the blanket of freedom provided by our leaders and arm forces but I can guarantee that the moment it comes under threat, you like all the others will be screaming "save us, save us!".

The chorus of I hate Blair, detest Blair, can't stand Blair, Blair should hang is quite frankly pathetic and self-indulgent.

History will prove he was right and had the courage to do what was right. How many Iraquis died under Sadam Hussein and how many more would have died had he not been removed? How many Iraqi and Iranians died in the 8 year war that he instigated? How many Marsh Arabs did he gas to death? How many Kuwaitis did he kill?

Some of you really need to redirect your self-righteous, sanctimonious and self-indulgent polemics in directions where it is deserved.

i wish i was

I can remember my school perefectly well, LadyBlaBlah. 1990 to 1997. It was fucking wonderful. I went to an all girls' grammar school - basically the Labour Party's nightmare crystallised. Without it I wouldn't have got to Bristol University. I wouldn't be about to qualify as a solicitor in four months' time.