Tony Blair's Speech

I'm sitting in the Midland Hotel Manchester after listening to what I think is the best leader's speech I've heard in 25 years of attending or watching party conferences. Back in 1994 TB was regarded as an average platform speaker, using too many slogans and all those verbless phrases. This was the opposite. The statement of record was simple, the statement of the challenges ahead was far-sighted and - at times - courageous. He was funny, affectionate, devastating when he had to be, and poignant without being sentimental. I compared notes with Trevor Phillips of the CRE who - like me - was brought up on speeches, and we agreed that there was not a word out of place.

I don't have time, and it's an ignoble thought, but I would love to see written down all those bits of punditry from the last month predicting rough rides here for the PM. Written down and fed back to them. Sometimes the conceits of my profession become almost too embarrassing.

Comments

[Hughes Views]

Quite right it was certainly one of his best and possibly the best. He seemed to be enjoying it as well, which was nice.

I tried to warn everyone, we'll miss him!.....

[Hughes Views]

PS I don't mean journos such as you in my 'rat pack' post......

[Frank Schnittger]

What are all going to do now that we don't have Tony Blair to kick around anymore? Kick around Gordon Brown? Probably - somebody has to be the fall guy for all those frustrated power seekers.

But wasn't it really unfair of the pair of them to kiss and make up. What are the chatterati going to write about now? Probably Browns alleged obsessiveness and lack of humour.

That Britain should be so lucky as to have two leaders of real dedication and stature. Almost 10 years of economic growth, improved standards of living, improved asset values, and investment in public services.

But for some people it’s always me, me, me. I want to pay less tax, I want more choices, and I want more things tailored to my needs. Just the sort of juvenile vote Cameron is aiming for. And he’ll get it too. People never appreciate what they have until its gone.

Blair’s biggest mistake was Iraq. If Brown can avoid a similar blunder whilst continuing to deliver economic growth and public service reform, he will have done a good job.

Fat lot of good it will do him though. The extremes of left and right will keep hacking away until they bring him down too. And then the little Englanders will have their day. And then Britain will become a smaller and less important place in the world.

[Seasider]

A brilliant speech, superlative. And what a contrast to Monday's workmanlike performance by Brown.

I know Blair couldn't go on forever - who expected him to? But I feel saddened and rather ashamed that the Party I have been loyal to all my life seems to have pushed out the best Leader and PM we've ever had, almost without letting him grab his coat.

I feel it is a great pity Blair wasn't allowed to organise his departure in a more dignified way. It would have shown the world that the Labour Party can do these things with a little more finesse than the Tories (or indeed the Lib Dems). Instead, the Labour Party has shown itself to be just as mean, nasty and ungrateful as the Tories were when they unceremoniously dumped Thatcher.

Maybe I'm still feeling a little off because of recent events, but I wasn't enthused by Brown's speech yesterday and in fact I thought it was a bit weird and rambling for a speech that should have been giving me shivers of anticipation.

I hope we aren't made to suffer for Brown's impatience at the next election, but it seems to me that anyone who is not a member of the Labour Party must now be thinking we have taken collective leave of our senses and that Brown is unattractive and untrustworthy.

Cameron must be thinking life has never been so good.

[Stan Rosenthal]

Labour has dropped its best striker ever for missing a couple of goals. We must be mad!

[Left Hook]

Remember that all the journos could say about Brown's speech was .. that Cherie was reported to have been overheard disagreeing with the sincerity of some of it. For Chrissake!

[F Wright]

You lot are pathetic. So just because he makes another good speech then everything is forgiven? No wonder we never learn - we get the leaders we deserve. You really remind me of a Simpsons episode where they remember Sideshow Bob:

Homer: Pfft. That Sideshow Mel think's he's so big. Whatever happened
to Sideshow Bob?
Lisa: Don't you remember Dad?
[flash to quick scenes of each]
He framed Krusty, he tried to kill Aunt Selma, he rigged an election.
Bart: And he tried to murder me.
Homer: [in present] Oh yeah. But what I'll mainly remember is the
laughter.

[Tom Jackson]

During Tony Blair's speech I was struck by the audience's growing awareness of "What have we done!" Thank god the conference wasn't held in Brighton this year; I could imagine an exodus of delegates winding lemming- like towards the end of the Pier!

[John Phillips]

I only came back to the Labour party after it's self absorbed and introspective madness of the 80s and early 90s due to TB becoming leader and the changes in the party he managed to carry through. Unfortunately, the recent activities of some of it's apparently more lunatic and selfish element, many who seem only to relish opposition while dreaming of some non existent glorious socialist past, make it likely that a post Blair Labour party will quickly degenerate back to those dark days of unelectability. For unfortunately, much as I hope I am proved wrong, I don't really believe Brown has what it takes to either appeal to the floating voter long term or to keep the idiots in check. And yes, it does rank among one of the best leader's conference speeches I have heard. Strangely, after hearing it, even many of my friends who hate him with a passion, some over Iraq and some over what they perceive as his socialist credentials, or rather lack of as they see it, are wondering what comes next and whether his leaving really will be good for the party.

[adrian mcmenamin]

Yes, it was a great speech. I don't mind admitting I cried tears mixed of pride, joy and celebration - we had done a lot as a party and a government - and of sorrow, because this was his last.

Having said that, I am not sure it quite matches Kinnock at Bournemouth in 85. That will stand as a monument to the enduring power of rhetoric as surely there would have been no Prime Minister Tony Blair and quite possibly no Labour Party had Neil Kinnock not decided to take his political life in his hands and launch an all out attack on Militant.

Sadly I cannot claim to have seen Bournemouth in the hall, but Tuesday will live on as a great memory and you are right to say its power was precisely in its simplicity.

[Harold Hamlet (South England)]

Where were you when Tony Blair made his farewell speech? In the hall; the conference Bar; somewhere else? We'll all remember.

For those who missed it, there's always the farewell tour (Shhhh! Venues are being booked for the autumn).

By the way, a special limited edition T-Shirt will be released just before the tour, targeted at hardcord fans. "Stop the War" on the front; and, in small letters on the back, "After the Cluster Bombing", set against a background depicting a bomblet shower.

[BlairSupporter]

Don't know if this thread is still live, so I'll make it quick to test it and post later if it works.

Blair supporters click through here please if you need to get away from the Guardian CiF ranters!

http://keeptonyblairforpm.wordpress.com

[BlairSupporter]

Ref: Frank Schnittger's post:
"... but it seems to me that anyone who is not a member of the Labour Party must now be thinking we have taken collective leave of our senses and that Brown is unattractive and untrustworthy."

Yes, Frank we do think that. I am not a Labour person but I am a great admirer of the Prime Minister. I think he has been an outstanding political figure at home and internationally - possibly the best of his generation worldwide.

It beggars belief that he was made to feel that he had no option but to announce his resignation within a year. I know it's easy for me to say, but why didn't he call Brown's bluff and say, "No, Gordon, I said I'd serve a full term before the election, and so I will. If you don't like it, resign. In fact resign or you're sacked!"

As I said - easy for me to say. But at this time, with all the wrath of the political classes raining down on him because of Iraq, his previously acquiescent Cabinet should have continued to support him or THEY should all have resigned. Of course they wouldn't do THAT, would they? And the PM might have feared a confidence vote if he faced down or sacked Brown. If the Prime minister lost that vote, then the government might well have fallen as well as him.

Blair has political nous flowing out of the knife wounds in his back so he would have worked all this out, and obviously dismissed this option. He wouldn't want the relegation of the Labour party for another ten years or more to be seen as HIS legacy. Especially since he has been its saviour in the last ten or more years. And since he is blamed for all the troubles of the world these days, it seems, that might well have been his legacy. Politics is such a cruel business. They say it always ends in tears.

His deparure will be such a loss to the country. So, so sad.

Ref: Seasider
"Labour has dropped its best striker ever for missing a couple of goals. We must be mad!"

Yep, seasider, mad's the word!

I watched the video from the conference again the other night for the first time since the conference. You know, I don't like to admit this, cos I'm usually dry-eyed at funerals(!), but I had to wipe a tear away. That speech is unmatched in SO many ways, aided by its emotional prescience and intensity. Good to know that the wordsmiths in the press agreed.

But I have a little blog for people of conscience and common sense to meet like minds. It's at:
http://keeptonyblairforpm.wordpress.com