By Canon Mike D Williams
A blast from the past. Tony Blair’s memoir written just after he left office in June 2007 is worth reading as it sheds light on the current Labour Government’s predicament with direction and their back benchers. At 691 pages and 22 chapters it takes time to get through – I confess to skipping much of his explanation about the Iraq war and the postscript adds little.
It is written from the perspective of Mr Blair – his sense of responsibility, the burden of office, the challenges and opportunities, the political manoeuvring and deal making, the leadership of the agenda of government. At his most experienced and confident towards the end of his time he was at his most vulnerable politically with the media and Gordon Brown hounding him to stand aside.
In the domestic and international arena, you get a real sense of Mr Blair driving the agenda – seeking to modernise his party, public services and Britain’s place in the world. His determination to get into the detail to drive through a peace agreement in Northern Ireland shows him at his most able. He is a leader who knows his own mind.
He won three general elections partly due to the state of the Tory Party but also because of his insistence that to retain power Labour had to be New Labour and speak to the aspiring middle classes and champion change in health, education, plus law and order. That agenda was not popular with the unions or factions within the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP).
Gordon Brown, whilst portrayed as a very able Chancellor, is a source of internal opposition. He wants Blair out so he can become the Prime Minister. Rival factions amplified by the media and behind the scenes briefings. Sounds familiar.
There are interesting insights into the motivation and methods to modernise the public services and intervene in international affairs – partnering the USA in Afghanistan and Iraq are dealt with in detail. What I found most surprising was the chapter on his departure. The fight with Gordon Brown is in full swing and Tony Blair is forced to set a date of departure. Even at this stage Mr Blair seeks to drive the agenda – making ten speeches setting out policies that a New Labour government should follow to ensure ongoing electoral success. He predicts that Gordon and his team will turn their back on New Labour and return to old Labour ways and be in hock to the PLP and unions – “wandering into a cul-de-sac of mixed messages and indecision”.
I suspect that the internal fight within the Labour Party is continuing with the PLP in a strong position that is creating the current diet of mixed messages and indecision. My reflection on this book is that it takes a leader with the clarity of mind and determination like Mr Blair to make the Labour Party a party that can retain power and govern.