Hail and farewell, Great Leader, Great Architect, Great Christian, Great Football Fan!
The top-secret project to ensure Tony Blair retires in a blaze of publicity, leaving an adoring public wanting more, is as unlikely as it is hilarious.
Whatever possessed the authors of this crackpot plan to put it in writing?
Whatever his loyal lieutenants may care to believe, there are two enduring legacies of Blairism. The first is the leaked memo.
The second is a refusal to study or learn the lessons of history. Wiser counsellors planning the Prime Minister’s departure, would have heeded the words of Enoch Powell: “All political careers end in failure.”
The best most politicians can hope for is a dignified exit and, in time, a little grudging respect. This, clearly, is not good enough for Tony Blair and his dwindling band of fans.
They want a grand tour of Britain’s great new buildings, hospitals and schools.
They want appearances on Blue Peter, Songs of Praise and Chris Evans’s radio show.
They want to create a whirlwind of Blair worship before the PM strides out of Downing Street and into history.
It is self-deluding madness. It is too late to start trying to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.
Tony Blair has failed to deliver the great reforms he promised and has taken us into a series of wars which have cost tens of thousands of lives and will be simmering for years.
It will take more than a Chris Evans joke or a reading on Songs of Praise to redeem ten years of broken promises.
As this damning memo is leaked, the most intriguing question is not whether Mr Blair will pop up on prime-time television but what his next job will be.
In what European palace or American skyscraper will Tony Blair continue his career as global statesman?
And what pains will British nurses, teachers and soldiers suffer as they try to cope with the legacy of his rule?
The judgment of history is a slow and solemn thing. It will not be fooled by a grand finale or a Blue Peter badge.
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Geek service that is long overdue
Britain’s biggest electrical retailer has launched a “rent-a-geek” service to repair computers, wi-fi and all the other baffling gizmos of modern life.
Not before time. Micro-chip technology is fiendishly complicated and yet customers, who would never dream of dabbling with plumbing or gas pipes, are expected to carry out computer repairs at the prompting of a phone helpline.
Some industry experts predict that “rent-a-geeks” will one day be as common as plumbers.
Whether they will speak Polish remains to be seen.
This article posted on September 5, 2006 at 5:20 pm.
Blair’s exit strategy is laughable
The top-secret project to ensure Tony Blair retires in a blaze of publicity, leaving an adoring public wanting more, is as unlikely as it is hilarious.
Whatever possessed the authors of this crackpot plan to put it in writing?
Whatever his loyal lieutenants may care to believe, there are two enduring legacies of Blairism. The first is the leaked memo.
The second is a refusal to study or learn the lessons of history. Wiser counsellors planning the Prime Minister’s departure, would have heeded the words of Enoch Powell: “All political careers end in failure.”
The best most politicians can hope for is a dignified exit and, in time, a little grudging respect. This, clearly, is not good enough for Tony Blair and his dwindling band of fans.
They want a grand tour of Britain’s great new buildings, hospitals and schools.
They want appearances on Blue Peter, Songs of Praise and Chris Evans’s radio show.
They want to create a whirlwind of Blair worship before the PM strides out of Downing Street and into history.
It is self-deluding madness. It is too late to start trying to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.
Tony Blair has failed to deliver the great reforms he promised and has taken us into a series of wars which have cost tens of thousands of lives and will be simmering for years.
It will take more than a Chris Evans joke or a reading on Songs of Praise to redeem ten years of broken promises.
As this damning memo is leaked, the most intriguing question is not whether Mr Blair will pop up on prime-time television but what his next job will be.
In what European palace or American skyscraper will Tony Blair continue his career as global statesman?
And what pains will British nurses, teachers and soldiers suffer as they try to cope with the legacy of his rule?
The judgment of history is a slow and solemn thing. It will not be fooled by a grand finale or a Blue Peter badge.
————————————————————————————-
Geek service that is long overdue
Britain’s biggest electrical retailer has launched a “rent-a-geek” service to repair computers, wi-fi and all the other baffling gizmos of modern life.
Not before time. Micro-chip technology is fiendishly complicated and yet customers, who would never dream of dabbling with plumbing or gas pipes, are expected to carry out computer repairs at the prompting of a phone helpline.
Some industry experts predict that “rent-a-geeks” will one day be as common as plumbers.
Whether they will speak Polish remains to be seen.
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