This entry was posted on
Wednesday, September 13th, 2006 at
10:37 am and is filed
under Page 3 – News in Briefs, Tony ‘King Blair.

What better way to achieve unity than to launch an attack?

Ignore the almost uniquely positive view of Blair’s performance at the TUC conference (and Blair – again – attempting to claim the moral high ground by climbing to the top of the mountain of bodies he has created).

Instead, simply note how closely Blair’s stance matches that of the editorial, and the ‘opinion’ of the girl who appears on Page 3 with her jugs out.

Also note the poisonous attacks against ‘lefties’ who – we are assured – are wholly responsible for repeated attempts to undermine the Labour Party and will no doubt hand power back to the Conservatives if allowed to continue their rampage unchecked.

Tony Blair:

“You are entitled to do this. But you must realise those who are hostile to a Labour government and everything we want to achieve, you are doing precisely what they want. Not very sensible.”

Tony Blair:

“And now we have had three terms of Labour government for the first time ever in 100 years of trying. And every year I’ve come to the TUC as prime minister. But remember the 18 years before, when you never had sight nor sound of a prime minister. For 18 years, you were addressed by the leader of the opposition. The problem with that title is that it’s true to what it says on the tin: the leader opposes. The leader doesn’t do, because he has no power to do anything. However difficult it is, however fraught our relations from time to time, make no mistake: I want the TUC to carry on being addressed by a Labour PM, not go back to being addressed by the leader of the opposition.”

Rebekah Wade:

“What an irrelevance unions have become. The orchestrated walkout by placard-waving hardliners as Tony Blair spoke to the TUC was petulant and stupid. As well as downright disrespectful to the man who, no thanks to them, got their once unelectable party into power after 18 years in opposition. These deluded dinosaurs think that by childishly hollering “troops out” at the PM they speak for us all. They should remember this: Blair was re-elected by the British people just 16 months ago, despite all the flak he was taking over Iraq. If it wasn’t for him the TUC would play host each year to the leader of a permanent opposition. How conveniently these fools forget the enormous changes Blair brought about for their members – and which the TUC should unreservedly applaud: economic stability, more people in work and a minimum wage. Instead Bob Crow thinks it is somehow within his remit to accuse Blair of killing thousands of British servicemen. Meanwhile the TGWU’s Tony Woodley naively expects the Prime Minister to publicly apologise to the TUC for the Iraq war. What planet are they on? OK, so they opposed the Iraq invasion. But surely they and their members should now welcome the new democracies – and union rights – in place there and in Afghanistan. Gordon Brown did well to stand firmly behind his boss and publicly condemn the protests. That’s the kind of outspokenness The Sun demanded of him if he’s to look like a PM-in-waiting. We look forward to more of it at the party conference this month. Blair rightly pointed out with some anger that the turmoil union hardliners seem set on causing within Labour plays into Tory hands. But you wonder if they don’t feel more at home yelling slogans from the opposition trenches anyway. The Bob Crows of this world won’t be happy until Labour is back in the hands of the 1970s-style Lefties voters no longer tolerate. Many Sun readers are in unions. They want and deserve a modern, progressive movement which is in touch with 2006, not this backwards-looking rabble. What a breath of fresh air that would be. How delighted Blair must now be to have given his last TUC speech. Yesterday’s troublemakers were in a minority. But the rest were too timid to send him off with anything but a 23-second ripple of applause. It was a disgracefully lacklustre farewell for a Labour Prime Minister of nearly ten years’ standing. Union membership is collapsing, and no wonder. In another few years they’ll struggle to fill a conference hall.”

Sexy Ami (who was sad to see Tony Blair booed at yesterday’s TUC conference):

“Delegates were daft to jeer and walk out when Blair was speaking. I’m just glad that Gordon Brown backed Blair on this occasion”

On this occasion. Aren’t you glad we live in times when glamour models can have their words so carefully chosen for them?

UPDATE (14 Sep) – OK, folks… it’s all over. Move along… nothing to see here!

Zoe (24, from London) is relieved that Tony Blair and Gordon Brown have finally ended their rift. She says: “Hopefully they can get on with running the country and end all the bad blood. I think the whole bust-up didn’t do them – or Labour – any favours.”