What Tony Blair thinks about John McCain

Updated: more on Blair and McCain's dealings

At the end of the interview Murad and I conducted with Tony Blair about his Faith Foundation, I had time for a final question. This one about politics, not religion.

I noted that in his recent speech on faith Mr Blair had included this arresting statement:

I sometimes say to people that in modern politics, the dividing line is often less between traditional left vs. right; but more about open vs. closed.

Now he tells us, I said to him.

And then I asked which politicians on the right he regarded as on his side, the open side, of the new argument. He replied:

I think you can see the Republicans in the US who are on the pro-immigration side of the debate, on the pro-free-trade side, the Americans who are Democrats but protectionist. I think the thing that has come home to me most since leaving office is just the speed at which the world is opening up.

No names. He's too smart for that. But I think it's pretty obvious what he is saying.