Bluemerle

Has Tony Blair been good for Britain?
Posted at: 00:01

Tony Blair will today deliver his final Labour party conference speech as prime minister, bidding what is likely to be an emotional farewell to the party he propelled into power nearly ten years ago.

During his leadership, Mr Blair has undertaken sweeping reform of the health and education systems, weathered a series of sleaze scandals, overseen a period of economic stability but spiralling personal debt and led Britain into war in Iraq to support the controversial “war on terror”.

Overall, has Mr Blair been good or bad for Britain?

What have been the highs and lows of his time in power?

Post your comments here

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main...6.xml#comments

Britannist

Ham actor Blair farewell tour - day one of 270

I watched his speech on the television this afternoon (supposedly his last as Prime Minister/Labour leader to his party's conference). Boring. I've always found him boring. There were a couple of jokes in the speech which a Conservative-voting friend of mine thinks were good. They were, of course, written for him.

I thought one of the best remarks was from BBC 2 presenter, Andrew Neil, who said of Blair's 'long Goodbye' - "He's like a relative staying in your house who says they are about to leave, but never do. Now we've even had the farewell speech from Blair but he's still there. And staying for the time being."

Do we really have to go through this ridiculous long goodbye? Even Dame Edith Evans made less of a fuss when she retired from the stage after about 60 years of performing. It (the stage-managed Blair 'long Goodbye') is, quite frankly, preposterous. He (Blair) is not God - even if he might think that he is. Perhaps he's making such a fuss (speeches, tours, cameras, lights, interviews) because he knows that ex-British Prime Minister's disappear into the background pretty quickly.

And it doesn't alter the fact that under his watch, over 100 British soldiers (young lives) have been needlessly lost in Iraq - a conflict he sent them into when British interests in that 'region' don't extend beyond Kuwait. He mentioned in his speech brave British soldiers - but nothing about those we have lost.

Millennium3

Add to that those who have been maimed or psychologically damaged. Also the families of these victims. Then of course there are thousands of innocent Iraq citizens who have died and have been maimed who also have families and friends to grieve for them.

Hang him!

harryaldridge

by "good" do you mean "disaster"?

Independence Now!

I totally agree. Executing him is the most just way of punishing him for his crimes. Unfortunately though, one of Mr Bliar's first acts was to abolish the death penalty for the last few remaining offences for which you could be subjected to it and this included the crime of High Treason. How convenient! :roll: :twisted:

arden forester

Has Tony Blair been good for Britain? Definitely not! :twisted: He's lied, spun and dumped on colleagues. He's promoted his cronies and got rid of anyone with any sense.

Has Britain been good for Tony Blair? Why yes, he's soon to go on a lucrative lecture tour telling Americans how good his policies have been and how they will help him earn £15 million (assumed, apparently) in jokes, japes and parodies! :shock:

Britannist

He may need to go on the lecture circuit - I read in the London Evening Standard last week (4th) that his mortgage on the £3 million property he's bought in central London is (allegedly) costing him £16000 a month and he's getting £2000 a week rent from it. The value of properties in the same square have fallen (the Standard claims) since Blair bought the five bedroom London house and the value of the two flats the Blair's have bought at Bristol have (according to a local estate agent) fallen by £25000 each (on the price paid).

As a colleague said to me "No wonder he (Blair) doesn't want to leave 10 Downing Street." :twisted: