Tony Blair, freelance statesman

HFC

Verily, verily, I say unto you, the son of God has descended to Earth for his second term.

Yeah, right.

George Laird

Dear Fraser

“Unlike his wife, Blair has never been motivated by accumulating capital - if he was, why give the estimated £7m of proceeds from this book to the Royal British Legion?”

I am surprised at you, have you never heard of ‘lost leader’ in marketing?

It is a standard marketing ploy used by supermarkets etc.

As you say in the book he flags up other ‘services’ that Blair Inc could be used for, conflict resolution and crisis management.

Blair understands the business of business is business.

He is thinking long term.

And I suspect he sees himself in Europe as a ‘bridge’ between America and the union.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

se1man

Blair: he found the 'courage' to send our young men and women to confront the Bully of Baghdad, but was too cowardly to confront the Bully of Downing Street who lived next door.

How's that Middle East peace process going, Tony? Are you sorting that out, or just gathering material for your next volume of memoirs?

ndm

George Laird asks:

-- I am surprised at you, have you never heard of ‘lost leader’ in marketing?

Uhm, no. The phrase is "loss leader" although, with Blair, there is merit to the near pun.

TrevorsDen

Sounds like he is suffering from 'Harry Seacombe Syndrome' .... "If I ruled the world, every day would be the first day of spring ..."

Dimoto

All good stuff Fraser, but let's not take this deluded chap too seriously. There are surprising numbers of people out there who will pay handsomely for rubbing shoulders with minor celebrities, even failed political ones.

But this does not constitute a threat to world order.

Cameo Parkway Kid

'Tonibler'. The name 100's of Kosovan's gave to their children in honour of Britain's greatest ever PM (according to our colonial cousins). In five years time, British people will talk in disdain of 'Chopper'. No, not a kids pushbike, or a former Chelsea full-back. But after the right-honourable MP for Tatton.
Today my friends, was the start of Georgie boy's downfall - but you've probably not noticed the fact that his chums in the city started to abandon him and his 'back-of-a-fag-packet' planning. Ciao

Dave B

President de Klerk founded the Global Leadership Foundation after leaving office.

"GLF Members form a network of former Presidents, Prime Ministers, senior ministers and other distinguished leaders who make their experience available discreetly to political leaders in power today. They work in small teams, in their personal capacity, offering advice to Heads of Government on any issues of concern to them."

Perhaps Mr Blair will join them.

George Laird

Dear ndm

I meant loss leader.

Mind you, the shelves must be full of Milibands, Prescotts, McConnells at the moment.

However apologises for not proofreading enough.

Finally, thank you for being pedantic, that is how you learn in certain situations.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Andy Davids

What is surprising is that people fnd this surprising. You only have to look at the decisions Blair took during his premiership and if you start from the premise that they were to further his ambitions and bank balance after he left office they all make sense: eastern european immigration; turkish EU entry; supporting the US in Iraq with British blood; use of swathes of consultants on the public payroll; unfettered access to the UK by Indian IT companies; and I don't even follow politics. This man is cyncial like no other. I hope Brown performs and equally good hatchet job that wounds him forever, but just like the T-1000 in Terminator 2 he would probably just morph into something more odious. Even the mere sight of this man makes me sick.

Colin

At the very least, he should be means tested, in relation to his ability to meet the cost of protecting him from the great unwashed.

Chuck Unsworth

Where does this figure of £7 million come from? Blair has said that he'll give 'the profits' to RBL - so what is/was the total budget - and, Blair being Blair, what does he think the word 'profit' means? Read the small print every time.

JohnAnt

"simply because an ungrateful electorate has had enough of them"
Ironically they should have done in 2001 and 2005, but unaccountably they didn't. In fact if he hadn't resigned, he might just have won the next election, if he'd sacked Gordon and replaced him with Darling or AN Other.
Good that it turned out as it did. Even the Cameron-Clegg Coalition is a massive improvement.

Boudicca

Well he looks haggard - like death warmed up. I suppose it's too much to hope he cools down before much longer.

Richard of Moscow

Ermmm ... yep, we already knew he was a bootlicker, we knew he always wanted to be loved, we knew he was not quite as venal as his wife, we knew he was never left wing, and we knew he was a performing monkey who earns a fair few bob spouting drivel for anyone who'll give him a script.
Is there anything NEW to report?

Judy

Er, Thatcher Foundation, anyone? Gorbachev Foundation? John Major? Sorry, but this just sounds like envy and resentment with a veer of smart-talk political cynicism. I seem to remember that the Tory grandees and former Permanent Secretaries and Ambassadors are the people who have set the tone for using their former contacts to set up nice little earners after their political careers come to an end.

Blair in my view was by far the greatest Prime Minister the country has had in the last 50 years. The fact that he can now command the money he does has nothing to do with his memoirs. He happens to have real talent and ability. That's supposed to be something the Spec should be in favour of.

TGF UKIP

The Original not only wants to be one of the global movers and shakers, he needs to be a highly visible and media present one as well, which is why the EU presidency was so sought after by him and why low profile jobs like the IMF, UNICEF or World Bank would have no attraction

The chances are that the Original has a new and purpose made international institution in mind that would be tailor made for him. Would be an interesting competition to provide a name and an outline function for such an institution.

Meanwhile, for clues watch out for his mates like Clinton coming out with "What the world needs is a ........."

Occasional Ostrich

“She is a classic example of the absurdity of people with experience and capacity at the highest level not having big political jobs after retirement from office,”

We-ell, that's as may be. But who, in their right mind, would ever insult Ms Rice by bracketting Blair in the same league as she?

Oo-ops! I just realised, Blair did.

yank

Poor Tone. Blair had his Brown... and Clinton had his algore. Both leaders failed to recognize the doom their seconds would bring to their legacy and movement. Neither could build a sustaining coalition. So sad, so much promise wasted.

Both men did fine at Phase I work, managing a process of stealing their opposition's issues, and base, and forcing their own coalitions to begrudgingly accept necessary changes.

Classic politics, and both were good at it, and their parties might have continued the tentative movement they initiated, if only they'd built a Phase II strategy.

They didn't, and the men they chose and fostered to succeed them were a big part of that failure. Easy enough to spot with algore in 2000. A nation at peace and prosperity? And the opposition controlling the Congress, in a nation which relishes divided government?

And the departing Pres has sky high approval ratings, despite his oppositions' wrath? And algore's opponent a stumblebum with no federal experience and a funny accent? And finally... the peace day residence... the weekend before the Tuesday election, some drunk-driving dirt was dished on his opponent... the mother of all October surprises, depressing the bible thumping turnout his opponent desperately needed?

Please. That election was a no-brainer for algore, but the stooge went pure shrieking populist for some strange reason... he went monster. He threw away all of those strengths, and ranted like the loon we've been watching in the decade since... a crazed sex poodle with a climate fetish.

I don't know much about Brown... but the story seems the same. He needed to be shivved long before, same as Clinton shoulda shivved algore long before. Both leaders mighta had a legacy, but now, they're alone... cashing checks and peddling their influence and connections to be sure... but no legacy.

Hell, the rube Jimmuh Cahtuh got prisoners out of N. Korea recently, Mr. Nelson. That's no trick. It's second tier, Oprah stuff, and that's where Blair is headed now.

You can't talk about leadership unless you're willing to shiv those who need shivving. Leaders do that, and must.

mr ugly

"So we should not waste too much time scouring it for his thoughts about the country he has left behind."

... Meaning that the somewhat frenzied efforts of your Coffee House bloggers today are so much pointless chaff. Nice one, Fraser.

porkbelly

Off topic, but there's an interesting front-page story on the New York Times site now about tabloid journalists and phone hacking. Worth reading.

Verity

Fraser writes: "Unlike his wife, Blair has never been motivated by accumulating capital - if he was, why give the estimated £7m of proceeds from this book to the Royal British Legion?"

To make people feel good about buying his book, of course. Many won't think far enough to realise that they could cut out the middle man and donate that portion direct to the British Legion.

Verity

TGF UKIP - Oooh, very good!

Yes, Clinton will come out thoughtfully and say what the world needs is a new institute of something led by Anthony Blair, and I think we can count Jimmuh Cahduh in, if he's asked ... but who else other than a bunch of sand fleas from Saudi and N Africa? Not the Chinese, certainly. Not the Indians ... they've had enough of Third World manouevrance and ego pandering... the Anglosphere, including said Indians? Ha ha ha ha ha! After Cheri's "children's cancer charity" trip to Oz, I think not likely Down Under.

Canada ... I don't think they were ever wooed, so to speak, by Tony and are too level headed to give a crap.

I think we can count the Japanese out, given that they prefer mostly to mind their own business, develop things and make money ...

So where would this new world institute get its funding...? I'm taking it as read, given that he wasn't awarded the EU presidency, that the Europeans wouldn't vote him in as shoe-shine boy of the year. So, for support, that leaves ... ???

Well, David Cameron ... and, uh, ...

oldtimer

Your point is well made by the book`s cover - the front cover all photograph with Blair`s name and the title hardly to be seen at all. And the spine is mostly just his name in lights alongside a much smaller, subdued title. With this before us, it is not necessary to read the book unless you wish to analyse a person of overweening self importance.

Jess The Dog

A good analysis. Trouble for Blair is that the "brand" is irrecoverably toxic in Europe and the UK. His failed desperate dash for the EU presidency is enough evidence. His only markets are an aging US market and novelty markets further afield, like the faded celebrities who sell Suntory whisky in Japan. Such will be his fate...feted in the salons of despots and billionaires, and reviled or (worse) ignored everywhere. The inconvenient truth is that a leader needs followers, and he has none.

Andrew Cadman

Completely agree with Andy Davids!

This has always been my analysis of Tony BLair as well: if you look at every decision he made when in office, he only really risked domestic unpopularity when he saw a main chance to further his career on a bigger stage, whether it be sucking up to the United States or ploughing us ever deeper into Europe.

As Fraser points out about the book, he doesn't risk alienating those people who could be useful to him future.

Blair is instinctively contemptuous of democracy and the little people he regards as far beneath him. This new model of the sovereign statesman is one we should all be concerned with.

Andy Carpark

'How well I remember that midnight when, bruised and battered from a run-in with Gordon, I retired to the sofa room with a bottle of Scotch.

Flicking desultorily through a jazz mag, who should I see draped languidly across the centrefold but my old flame, Audrey Wise. They don't make 'em like Audrey any more. What a trooper. Bangers on her like zeppelins. And such a lady. She was the only bit of Old Labour totty I ever honoured that drew the line at gnawing the 'nana.

Phwoar. Bet you don't get too many of those to the pound. Come and shack up with me, Audrey, you little minx.'

Wily Trout

Was it Frank Johnson who back in the eighties coined the wonderful title 'Unemployed World Statesman' to cover Willy Brandt, Ted Heath and the like? The sooner tonibler joins the club the better for us all.

Fex Urbis

Judy's been at the cooking sherry.

Chuck Unsworth

@ Fex Urbis

Meths, more likely.

Advisor

Verity:
Donate the cost of the book to the British Legion.

If they do that and gift aid it to the British Legion then the proceeds will be far greater than the donation of the profits from the book.

Norman Dee

George Laird, as you have a soft spot for pedants, you will not mind me asking if are campaigning for human rights at Glasgow University ?, or are you campaigning for Human Rights whilst being at Glasgow University ?

NR

Rice has gone to a full professorship at Stanford University, I recall. That's probably harder to get than a "big political job", and a step up, I'd say.

Tiberius

"He detects a gap in the market and fills it: he did with New Labour in the mid-1990s".

What he did, Fraser, was dance on the grave of a Tory party guilty of self-immolation.

And you can bet that the £7m is not classified by the anointed one as a donation or a loss leader, but as an intangible fixed asset (undepreciated) sat at the top of the Blair Holdings balance sheet.

Minnie Ovens

Yep,
The Carpet Bagger To Go, Corporation.

George Laird

Dear Norman

I am campaigning for the first, the introduction of human rights at Glasgow University.

I have a blog which you can google.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Hysteria

hmmmm - maybe the tinfoil hat/green-ink brigade are not completely mad when they talk about the New World Order and One Government.........

But the folks over here think Obama would be in the running for the Big Job......

Baron

Judy @ 10.26:

Judy, darling, do I take it the double curse of deafness and blindness cannot be cured?

revolution

Condoleeza Rice had the sense to say Blair would be playing a complementary role in the mid east peace process?
He is still being sidelined as we can see none of the parties want or trust him.