Reading the Guardian earlier (yes it's official I am middle class/aged/brow) I actually found myself thinking that it would make a great read. I am not a fan of political memoirs normally, because despite being vaguely interested in politics as they pertain to me, I find politicians quite narcissistic and self serving and their memoirs usual revolve around scoring some petty argument of about which no one really cares!
However I respected Blair as a prime minister (and I think the history books will show his premiership as some of the best years this country saw this century) and unusually I would quite like to hear his point of view.
Since he left office three years ago there has been no end to the carping about his private successes, his accumulating wealth, his position as a global force in negotiating an interfaith 'truce' in the Middle East. He rarely gets a fair deal from the press - what do they expect him to do - put on his carpet slippers, throw away his political experience and stay home and play with the baby? The recent furore over his £4 million book advance is a case in point. Before he made the statement about what his intentions were (FOR HIS OWN MONEY!) the press were harping on about his greedy money grabbing ways. Now he has announced he is to donate ALL OF It to an armed forces charity they are bleating about him showcasing his philanthropy!! Surely even if you loathe the man and everything he stands for this one incident shows he will never get a fair deal from the media!
I don't normally 'talk politics' but for some reason the launch of this memoir has stimulated my political juices!
The cartoon on the left amused me ... mainly because I am critiquing these sort of images for my thesis - so I just thought given my rantette about the Blair witch hunt project it would add a little light relief and some humour!
On the Ph.D front - little was achieved today as I was otherwise engaged!!! Now the students are beginning to return in their droves to Dundee I was faced with the unenviable task of reuniting my young cousin with his belongings (stored for the summer in the garage) ... as it turns out one car load was sufficient!
I deliberately avoided the Blair interview. Politicians almost invariably wind me up and I didn't feel like being would up...
ReplyDeleteIt looks like the illustration of the emancipated young woman has moved from the left to the right... Much like the Labour party...
Agree with SD on this one. Labour all my life. May or may not prove to have been a great PM (time will tell), but I can't take the mad intensity and the unshakable belief he has in his own infallability - and before you ask he is NO relation!
ReplyDeleteThere has been the same sort of journalistic response to Blair's memoir here in Australia - lambasting or idolising him for his time in office (not too balanced one way or the other), and then commenting on the 'obscene' amount of the advance, and then the 'how dare he' (what a show off!) donate the money to a 'worthy cause' angle. As you point out, is it not, hmmmm, his own money? Reporters seem to want to do anything to stir up controversy! Oh well let's hope it helps sell lots of his book!
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