Reading through the Cherie interviews in the papers today I was struck by this part of her reply when she was asked if she took any pleasure in Brown’s difficulties:
One of the key strategic decisions that Brown will have to take about the general election campaign is how the Labour party uses the Blairs. The Cabinet has very few big beats and there’s no doubt that out on the stump, Tony Blair could drive the news agenda in a way that none of the current cabinet could. But equally, sending Blair out there would remind people both of just how long Labour have been in power and of all the old Blair / Brown splits.“I would be delighted to campaign for them.”
The other thing to bear in mind is that Blair would be most effective driving an anti-Cameron message; Blair always had the ability to go negative without it turning the voters off—something that Brown lacks. But considering the role that Blair still wants to play in public life he might be loathe to offend Cameron. The political Siberia that Bill Clinton is about to find himself in will act as a powerful reminder to Blair of how turning yourself into an attack dog can undercut your status as a statesman.
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