Capital Summertime Ball 2024

[Guest]

So today Tony Blair has announced June 27th as his departure date from No.10 Downing Street.

But what do we think of his premiership? Has he been the best PM the UK has ever had, or the worst?

Personally, he's the only PM I've had any proper continuous acknowledgement of. I was too young to remember Margaret Thatcher and when John Major was PM I was too uninterested in politics to take note so Blair was like the first PM to me. I remember when he first came in everyone was elated that the Tories were history and New Labour were going to usher in a new era of good fortune in Britain. 10 years later and most of us seem to be happy that he's going and, worryingly, looking as if the Tories may return to government in 2009 if the local election results are anything to go by.

I think Blair will always be remembered for the Iraq war, above everything else. I think he believes history will absolve him somehow and show that he had made the right decision to invade Iraq. I guess time will tell, but personally I don't.

To his credit though, there have been great advancement in rights for gay people under his premiership, the introduction of the national minimum wage, reform of the House of Lords and he has had a positive approach to climate change.

[Bumble_85]

There's this too

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6634373.stm

I don't think he was that bad, it could've been much worse

[Monitorabbit]

H e made a big big mistake over Iraq and did a bit too much knee jerk reacting over matters of public interest at the time, on the whole though pretty good. Labour were a joke and in danger of being unable ever to be elected again before Tony's "New Labour" - ok they're a bit in the centre rather than as left as some of us would like but believe me it makes things so much better when there's a strong leader with a reasonable amount of conscience.

[KingTutsWWH]

Tony Blair's been such a huge disappointment to me. Being a leftie, I was ecstatic when he got in. He turned out to be more Tory than the opposition. We DID NOT get what it said on the label.

Today's speech (written by his puppet masters) almost made me reach for a sick bag.

He spent most of it trying to justify his numerous errors and explaining why he had to bend over for Bush the Chimp. He should be on stage! 'Tony Blair, the Musical'! HA!

The one thing I'll give him is that he didn't humiliate Britain (in the press) on a regular basis, like that unintentional stand up comedian they voted in as President in the States.

Off you go Tony, good luck with the musical, or a nice job TOTALLY UNCONNECTED WITH POLITCS.

But, out of the frying pan into the fire!

[Jono]

But you live in Spain. Surely you heard mostly the bad stuff about him, and not so much the good stuff?

[KingTutsWWH]

Why do you say this. There is no animosity between Spain and Britain?

[DC]

i wouldn't say he was the best pm ever, but as far as my life gets impacted by it all. he did a decent job.

[Guest]

I think some might argue that New Labour were no different to the previous Conservative governments; perhaps socially liberal unlike the Tories, but still as economically perverse.

[DC]

all govenments turn the same i think after time, but if i look back at my own life. we have been better off in the last 10 years than we were the 10 years before.

[dstrkzn]

Whats with the jessie wallace one lol, he has made too many mistakes - terrible.

[Guest]

Whats with the jessie wallace one lol, he has made too many mistakes - terrible.

I use to get fed-up of putting the 'I don't know' option on polls before, so I just thought I'd put something random and totally unrelated there instead.

[IrishBaz]

so Tony Blair is leaving office in Britain next month is premiership has been a mixed bag, what with iraq but with also economic stability but i cant get the image out of head in 1997 of Blair and Bertie Ahern (the irish prime minister otherwise known as the taoiseach ) standing side by side each other in my local secondary school in dublin after both men came in to office.

so how fitting is it 10 years later blair leaving office and ahern about to embark on a general election in ireland in two weeks time maybe with the same outcome..

[KingTutsWWH]

i wouldn't say he was the best pm ever, but as far as my life gets impacted by it all. he did a decent job.

You're fine, but what about other people?

He continued boboboboing privatising industries under a 'Labour' government!?!

Are they more efficient, don't think so, from what I've read!

[DC]

You're fine, but what about other people?

i dont know, when i vote i dont vote for other people. i thought thats the way it worked.

im sorry but i'll never vote conservative, lib dems might win me over one day but they aren't one of the big two in politics at the moment.

[Guest]

He continued boboboboing privatising industries under a 'Labour' government!?!

Are they more efficient, don't think so, from what I've read!

Hasn't Blair privatized more industries under his premiership than the Tories did in 18 years of government? That's one more thing I can't forgive him for really.

[KingTutsWWH]

Conservative, God, me neither.

Do a bit of tactical voting, unfortunately you have to vote with your head, rather than your heart.

[KingTutsWWH]

Hasn't Blair privatized more industries under his premiership than the Tories did in 18 years of government? That's one more thing I can't forgive him for really.

YES!

I was rather naively hoping he might re-nationalise things! Aren't I stupid? As far as privatising goes, he's earned his bonus!

[Guest]

YES!

I was rather naively hoping he might re-nationalise things! Aren't I stupid? As far as privatising goes, he's earned his bonus!

I'd love to see the bits of the NHS that have been privatized revert back to state control along with our railways. Whichever party came to me with that as a policy would get my vote but so far none of the main three have.

[KingTutsWWH]

I'd love to see the bits of the NHS that have been privatized revert back to state control along with our railways. Whichever party came to me with that as a policy would get my vote but so far none of the main three have.

Sorry, but it wont happen. If it's been imposed under a 'Lab' gov, there's no turning back.

[KingTutsWWH]

Oh and don't even get me started on Iraq.

BRITAIN and SPAIN together don't use nearly as much petrol as the States - who seem to have no limit on the quantity they're allowed to waste at bargain prices, in gas guzzling vehicles!

Jeremy Clarkson eat your heart out.

Why do Britain etc have to clean up the Bush's (father and son) mess?

Why are the British/Europeans obliged?

[Bumble_85]

Somebody has to.

[KingTutsWWH]

Yeah but in the humiliating way Britain and the rest of Europe were obliged to?

Monkeyboy says 'jump', and we do!

[DC]

that new ql queda leader in iraq after zarqawi or bin laden for new prime minister, there not such bad lads afterall.

[KingTutsWWH]

that new ql queda leader in iraq after zarqawi or bin laden for new prime minister, there not such bad lads afterall.

wha?

[DC]

they are only misunderstood like pete doherty