Old wounds reopened: Blair publishes his memoirs
By Ian Dunt
Old wounds over Iraq, the Blair/Brown feud and the deficit were reopened today with the publication of Tony Blair’s memoirs.
The former prime minister revealed that the power struggle between himself and then-chancellor Gordon Brown was worse than anyone had really understood at the time.
Mr Brown lacked political instincts and was a “strange guy”, Mr Blair wrote.
“Political calculation, yes. Political feelings, no,” Mr Blair said.
“Analytical intelligence, absolutely. Emotional intelligence, zero.”
Mr Blair writes that he knew Mr Brown becoming prime minister was “never going to work” but that he could not resist his rise to power.
Blair on Brown: ‘No instinct at all’
“Was he difficult, at times maddening? Yes. But he was also strong, capable and brilliant, and those were qualities for which I never lost respect,” Mr Blair wrote.
“When it’s said that I should have sacked him, or demoted him, this takes no account of the fact that had I done so, the party and the government would have been severely and immediately destabilised and his ascent to the office of prime minister would probably have been even faster.”
Mr Blair argued that Mr Brown lost the election because he failed to stay in the New Labour mould and did not convince the public that he would deal with the deficit.
The Tories siezed on that message as proof Mr Blair supported their economic agenda.
“Tony Blair believes the private sector should lead recovery. We agree with that,” said Treasury minister Mark Hoban.
In a remarkably personal style, Mr Blair also discusses his decisions on Iraq and his struggle with his alcohol consumption.
Speaking about the number of casualties which resulted from his decision to go to war in Iraq, the former PM said his feelings came from a “sense of sadness that goes beyond conventional description or the stab of compassion you feel on hearing tragic news”.
He added: “Tears, though there have been many, do not encompass it.
“I feel desperately sorry for them, sorry for the lives cut short, sorry for the families whose bereavement is made worse by the controversy over why their loved ones died, sorry for the utterly unfair selection that the loss should be theirs.”
Blair on Bush: A true idealist
But in an interview with Andrew Marr set to be shown on the BBC tonight, Mr Blair all-but encourages western forces to undertake military action against Iran – in a series of comments similar to what he said to the Chilcot Inquiry earlier this year.
Mr Blair also admitted he was drinking at the “outer limits” of recommended consumption, with the PM reportedly having a spirit and mixer before a meal, followed by several glasses of wine.
Blair on alcohol: ‘It had become a prop’
Mr Blair is careful to conclude the book with his assessment of Labour’s defeat the general election, arguing that Mr Brown failed because he deviated from the New Labour formula.
The peace envoy to the Middle East argued that Labour should have followed the ‘third way’ on the deficit mapped out by Alistair Darling, which is to concentrate on the pledge to cut the deficit in half in four years.
The comments will be interpreted as a statement of support for David Miliband, the perceived ‘continuity candidate’ in the Labour leadership race.
Blair on David Miliband: ‘He might win’
Blair memoirs: Labour leadership contenders respond
The shadow foreign secretary has been careful to disassociate himself from ‘Blairism’ by arguing that the term ‘New Labour’ was a thing of the past.
He was forced to distance himself from an endorsement from Peter Mandelson on Monday, after the former spin doctor and business secretary warned Labour members against the more left-wing agenda of competitor Ed Miliband.
The decisive way in which he insisted he was “sick and tired of the old battles of the past” hinted that he is wary of the effect Mr Blair and Lord Mandelson might have on his campaign.
While the book may remind Labour members of Mr Blair’s hugely divisive and controversial time as prime minister, it is not clear if his association with David Miliband will be entirely harmful. Some Labour members may be pleased to be reminded of an electorally and economically successful period of recent history.
