Blair ‘panders to media’
Tony Blair has been criticised by his former aides for using a style-over-substance mode of government that panders to the media.
The prime minister has been accused by eight former Downing Street aides of often trying too hard to be seen to be doing something, and not giving new policies enough consideration before launching into them, reports The Independent.
In a new Radio 4 series, Bill Bush, former head of research for Mr Blair, cites the prime minister’s plan for police to march drunken yobs to cashpoints to pay on-the-spot fines as one such initiative that was “unnecessary”, and implemented in order to be seen to be doing something.
The former aide said: “It is important to get the balance right between the media advisers saying we have to say something and the policy advisers saying we should say something when we have something to say.
“I would say most of the time, government gets that balance right – but not always.”
Geoff Mulgan, a former Downing Street head of policy, adds that many policies were unsuccessful because they were a product of ” ‘initiativitis’, knee-jerk actions responding to events or something in the media”.
The two-part series, Look Back at Power, begins on Monday.
Tony Blair will today make his first public appearance since returning from holiday, and will announce measures to make parents of anti-social children more accountable.
