Blairism 2024 update
The Times magazine carried a 6 page interview with Tony Blair on April 21st. Blair who has previously claimed that he makes only rare public utterances has been popping up more frequently. What his personal influence on Starmer and likely Starmer Government is and will be remains a matter of speculation.
For anyone familiar with Blair’s worldview the long interview has few insights. There is a lot on the Tony Blair Institute. A very well-funded global institution advises mostly dodgy Governments around the world. Blair’s claim is that the aim is to make them less dodgy. Given that Israel is one and Blair remains on speaking terms with Netanyahu a view can be taken.
Whatever the Starmer-Blair relationship is, there is little question that consultants from TBI will play important roles in a Starmer Government.
The interview also references Blair’s abiding obsession with ID Cards and new technology. Given that Blair himself still has zero social media presence (TBI does have) we may also take a view on this.
However there are actually some interesting points. Blair argues that the twentieth century divide between a Big State and public spending and a free market no longer works. New Labour said that 25 years ago and PFI and the Third Way were deployed and got nowhere. Even so the relationship between Government, public spending and the market is clearly wildly awry currently so its an important issue.
Blair also argues that political systems with PR allow new political forces and ideas to emerge. However with FTP in the UK political change is worked through within existing parties leading to a Tory Party a long way from traditional Toryism and a Labour Party in flux.
A conclusion is not mentioned but Blair has previously argued for a reconfiguration of progressive or centrist politics. A sort of New New Labour.
One might conclude that in 2024 he really is Yesterday’s Man still trying to sort things that didn’t work after 1997. Perhaps that is where official British politics is though
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