The Tony Blair Story

[mumofoneAloneandwell]

Late night with dd - I’ve put it on in the background on +1

is anyone watching? 👀

It was a bit odd, but then Blair knew that Smith had a heart condition, so I wonder if it was less of a premonition and more planning ahead for a likely eventually, perhaps? Brown wanted to be the successor so Cherie persuaded Tony not to be "the nice guy" and give in to Brown, but assert himself.
The rest is history.

Gordon brown sold all of our gold and created loads of jobs Tony Blair then gave them all to Eastern Europeans promised all our kids they could go to uni and then be captains of industry

That's how I interpreted it. And Cherie saying he needed to step up for the country and she was right. My baby was about a month old when he won and the sense of hope and a cloud lifting was overwhelming.

Yes, I agree. It was definitely such a time of hope.
There was a touching scene in a Working Men's Club when the results were announced and these tough old working class men were crying.

It's an interesting what-if - if Brown had become leader after Smith died, would Labour still have won the election? I think they would but not with such a thumping majority.

Good question. Maybe not a landslide?

Also, if Brown had called an election in 2008/9, would he have won?

Soon after the Crash? I think we were 3 days from not being able to use cards or cash machines and he averted that, so maybe.

I remember people speculating that he was going to call one but then backed down. At the time, I think he was seen as dealing with it better than some countries. If he'd won, we'd probably still have had some form of austerity but maybe not fecking Brexit.

I remember discussing this at work at the time. I think the time from him becoming leader and then calling an election and the time it usually takes to have an election campaign meant the crash would have started/be emerging as the GE was due. Very fine timings, I seem to remember.

It’s a bit long but definitely worth reading on how GB averted the global financial meltdown

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/feb/21/gordon-brown-saved-banks

Thanks, @Sminty2 . It was certainly a global crisis.

I agree

I agree. Certainly not the Cameron programme which bit hard in schools straight away.

Thanks for the article, @Sminty2 , a good read. It was certainly the only decision, to recapitalise the banks. I do wonder what his critics would have done. Allowed the banks to collapse? It doesn't bear thinking about.

It doesn’t and I remember how frightening it was at the time, there was palpable fear that there would be no money and insurrection would follow.

I think his (GB’s) greatest strength was that he allowed Darling to say ‘this is the line’ and was prepared for the possible coup. It was a brave decision, but one that was needed to focus people on the problem, not just slide into yet another quick fix, with the inevitable repetition a month later.

Few politicians have that presence of mind.

That showed real statesmanship and courage. I admire both Brown and Darling for that. It could have been 1929 all over again.
They were never fully recognised for that.
In a lesser way I admired Blair for deciding to resign if he lost the Commons vote and the mandate for the war on Iraq. He told his children that they may have to move out by the end of the week. I think it all brings it home what it's like to actually have to make these decisions.

God forbid that Farage is ever PM but you simply cannot imagine him making such serious decisions.

That's the difference, isn't it? Working towards a secure and better nation, even at personal cost, or just wanting power and control.

I'm sure I remember rumblings about a potential GE in the autumn of 2007 and the consensus being Gordon would've probably scraped a majority but then nothing came of it.

David Kelly Blair has his blood on his hands

Watching part 2 now. He definitely got better looking as he got older.

Watching this, he seems as if he really was a Paladin to Bush’s Charlemagne.

Fucking Bush.

Alistair Campbell has come across better in the intervening years but at the time he came across as an unpleasant bully.

Haven't seen this doc yet, but did see the one on the rise of New Labour. Will have to watch.