Our venerable leader
By the way, on a political note, I like Tony Blair less and less. I mean, despite the fact (or perhaps because of the fact) that I would love to vote for a certain style of labour party, I have never ever liked TB, purely, when I was but a young thing, for the reason that he never smiles genuinely and I thus don't trust him. Now I have other, more concrete reasons, too, but in the end I still don't trust the guy.
Over the past couple of months, he's done one or two things which made me warm to him ever so slightly. Well, one, really, which was to be the one clearly most supportive of G8 reforms and clearly disappointed at what was achieved. But these two stories, since they contain the NHS, Gordon Brown and the BBC all in opposition to him, have meant any grudging support I may have given him has now once again plunged. Read, learn, and weep, people.
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article313484.ece - "Blair to Brown: back me, or I stay on"
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article313482.ece - "Blair tells Murdoch: 'gloating' BBC is 'full of hatred for America'"
Now, that second one is hardly true. I can't imagine any news organisation (except, perhaps, ironically, News International or somesuch) gloating over the fact that loads of people died who should't've because the US government fucked up. I mean, it did mess up, totally, and even Dubya has conceded that point. And I hardly think one can claim that the BBC hates America. Even the guru Marr had a go at TB for that one.
And why is it, on the other hand, that it's Tory leadership contenders (or one at least; the others are banging on about how giving married couples "incentives" will stop the decline of society, as if a marriage based on purely economic factors is going to work or a couple who decide to get married rather than stay as long-term partners for such reasons would've broken up otherwise) saying things like this: that they should have "toleration towards the way people live their lives; vigilance in defence of civil liberties; and a broadly internationalist outlook". I'm confused.
Over the past couple of months, he's done one or two things which made me warm to him ever so slightly. Well, one, really, which was to be the one clearly most supportive of G8 reforms and clearly disappointed at what was achieved. But these two stories, since they contain the NHS, Gordon Brown and the BBC all in opposition to him, have meant any grudging support I may have given him has now once again plunged. Read, learn, and weep, people.
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article313484.ece - "Blair to Brown: back me, or I stay on"
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article313482.ece - "Blair tells Murdoch: 'gloating' BBC is 'full of hatred for America'"
Now, that second one is hardly true. I can't imagine any news organisation (except, perhaps, ironically, News International or somesuch) gloating over the fact that loads of people died who should't've because the US government fucked up. I mean, it did mess up, totally, and even Dubya has conceded that point. And I hardly think one can claim that the BBC hates America. Even the guru Marr had a go at TB for that one.
And why is it, on the other hand, that it's Tory leadership contenders (or one at least; the others are banging on about how giving married couples "incentives" will stop the decline of society, as if a marriage based on purely economic factors is going to work or a couple who decide to get married rather than stay as long-term partners for such reasons would've broken up otherwise) saying things like this: that they should have "toleration towards the way people live their lives; vigilance in defence of civil liberties; and a broadly internationalist outlook". I'm confused.