Tony Blair Farewells?

It's a change of party leader, not a change of government. Though OP seems like a bit of a wind-up

The Blair years have been good for the millions of workshy santi-social scrounging cum who fill Britain - we now have people who will never need to work a day in their life as they have absolutely no need or encouragement to do so - well done Tone.

I of course meant scum, but cum in this case is quite an appropriate typing error.

i hope you don't think i'm having a go at everything you say smedder but i'm going to disagree with you again. i think this workshy attitude started under thatcher. she threw a lot of people out of work and lo and behold they didn't starve or go homeless and their children saw that and now see no real reason to make an effort. i do agree however that blair never turned that around when he had the opportunity.

I'm too young to remember the thatcher years with adult eyes, but as you say, Blair has had ten years to sort things out and to blame his failings on her is quite unsatisfactory (to me anyway). I'm fairly sure that kids at school whose parents were unemployed (and there were a lot) were really on the breadline, had terrible clothes and never went on holiday; whereas now any self respecting benefit scrounging chav has all the designer gear, an ipod, sky tv, the latest phone and goes to spain twice a year. I'm not a snob btw John, far from it, I just hate this new generation of wasters and everything they believe in / stand for, plus how they look, behave etc.

#14. I think the workshy attitude was in existence prior to Thatcher - I left school in 1981 to start an apprenticeship and there were a good few, experienced "wasters" even then. Now I think we are witnessing the grandchildren of that benefit generation coming through.

With reference to Blair, he brought the concept of "spin" into the general face of the public, intentionally or not. It must be mentioned that the way in which New Labour mastered the media was amazing. This took political stage management to new levels but may have created even more negativity towards the political classes in general. My own thinking is that many now feel that the Political parties are now far removed from the people as a whole. A class apart as it were, whose interests are far removed from their own. Between the two major parties in the UK there is little difference as both try to ride the wondersome "Third way".

Firebrands seem few and far between in any party nowadays.

However, the one thing that I do really find disappointing is the use of PFI's originally hatched under the previous Tory administration. The use of such, like a bad, expensive debt, will reverberate for decades. The expanded use of such begs the question of where taxes are spent and to what extent?

Okay, random thought rant over for now.

#4 Against:

- Devolution and the mirage of regional devolved power.
- Lower of respect for the office of PM and politicians in general.
- the emasculation of PMs question time.
- popularist politics; the politicising of issues that once had a free vote.
- doubling of criminal and other legislation, including restrictions on the freedom of speach.
- cutting of troop numbers and military spending at a time of war.
- spin.
- a spring board for the likes of David Cameron.
- increase in tax burden.
- Tax Credits what a laugh!
- ASBOs (and another mirage that resolve crime!).
- policing/health care etc by targets (bad luck if you crime/illness isn't that months flavour).
- city acadamies (school for new Fagan's!).
- banning of hand guns and an unprecidented rise in gun crime.
- the highest level of UK migration since WWII....! (actions speak louder than words).

IN short a politician who made up for a lack of substance and sincerity with popularism and spin that appealed to the lowest common denominator; the average socialist!

In my books the 27 June may replace 5th November as a day for burning effigees and fireworks!

27th June is like Alan Coren's my birthday so its a bit like an early birthday present for me. I was until 1993 a member( for 18years) of the Labour Party rising to be the local big wig( Chairman of Constituency Labour Party - Mo Mowlem' s Campaign organiser) When Blair and Mandelson took charge I knew that socialism was dead in the Labour party so I left and have not regretted my decision and all my predictions have come true infact they have been overtaken by the rightward shift of the LP. So I will not miss Blair and the sooner we get back to a real Labour Party the better.

The simple answer is that we are all saving up for the day "That Bloody Woman" dies. It costs a lot for stakes, axes & garlic after all