Archive for the 'Margaret Thatcher' Category

Ten years on

Tuesday, May 1st, 2007

birthdayIf it is true that all political careers end in failure, there is a strong underlying assumption that politicians never leave office at the time of their own choosing.

Had Margaret Thatcher left on her tenth anniversary, she would have gone in the most favourable circumstances. The next two years were the unhappiest possible for her. By contrast Tony Blair is going deeply mistrusted and unpopular.

I suspect that ultimately attitudes will level out, especially when Gordon Brown takes over. I would like to suggest that those Labour MPs who have been baying for his blood will begin to miss him. We will not!

Posted in Parliamentary Life, Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair | No Comments »

A pale shadow of the Iron Lady

Friday, February 23rd, 2007

thatcherOne of my regrets is only becoming a Member of Parliament after Margaret Thatcher had left the House of Commons. She may have excited controversy but she was one of the most formidable politicians of our age.

When the Falklands War took place, and the lead up to the first Iraq war, the preparation and detailed thought were comprehensive to a degree. Listening to Tony Blair at last being interviewed on Radio 4 yesterday, what a contrast. Going to war is not about being some moralising Sir Galahad. Of course there has to be a moral base to foreign policy, but Blair has fallen into the trap of identifying countries in black and white and apocalyptic terms. His powerful and dramatic description of problems in speeches all too rarely translate into properly thought out actions. The sheer functional incompetence in all government departments is breathtaking.

Would Margaret Thatcher have gone to war in Iraq without demanding (and getting) the closest involvement in deciding critical issues like post-invasion security, control and governance? Of course not.

Tony Blair has liked to suggest he is something of an heir to Thatcher. However his legacy, by comparison, will be a woefully anaemic one. 

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