Entertainment For Lively Minds
Great Timing by Word, a 2 page spread of Murdoch's anus
Posted by cornishmanc on 13 July 2011 - 12:57pm.
Opened my copy of The Word whilst watching PMQs at Westminster and the first thing that greets me is two pages of our-former-glorious-leader's thoughts on leadership (presumably dictated to him by R. Murdoch esq.).
Considering his trappist approach to the current hacking shit-storm, is this unfortunate timing by The Word?
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tried to read it
but it was like wading through shit (Do I have to finish an article to have an opinion?)
I liked it
I've very little time for Tony Blair generally, but I thought it was really interesting, and The Rules format worked well. I don't think you have to agree with someone - or even like them - to find an interview absorbing. This was very good magazine content, IMHO.
Tony Blair
I didn't make the association that was made by the OP. Thinking about it now though the idea of what it supposedly represents in the light of what has been reported over the past week rings hollow and strikes me as irrational bordering on hysterical.
On the contrary I think it's a coup for the magazine and for that particular series which I've found informative and thought-provoking, one of the best the magazine has ever run. Blair fits into logically.
Tony Blair is an interesting character, part of the global political elite. This is true whatever one thinks about him. Then again I'm not someone driven by political ideology to the extent that my view of people is monopolised by it. The censorious tone becomes a very narrow focus very quickly.
Therefore, irrespective of one's personal opinion or ideology I would have assumed that Word readers would interpret the piece without the need to resort to vilification.
Obviously I was wrong.
Fair Do's
Maybe I should have avoided a NOTW or Sun-style headline. I absolutely respect the right of Messers Ellen and Hepworth to put what the hell they like into their magazine and yes in a sense the timing is brilliant for The Word.
I am not driven by political ideology, I have agreed strongly with varying aspects of all three of our major parties' policies. I just dislike self-serving disingenuous verbiage being given yet another platform.
I don't object to a former tour-manager or A&R manager being given the platform to promote his/her book but I feel uncomfortable having what James Medd happily admits is essentially a promo piece for Blair's memoirs in my favourite mag.
I detected absolutely no sense of mea culpa in anything he has done in his public life. Most of the previous contributors to The Word have included examples of where they have fucked-up, it illuminates where they also get it right.
OK
I made the wrong assumption that your vitriol came from an ideological position.
I CANn relate to your concern about the article serving as a puff piece but again I would assume that Word readers would interpret it in more than one context. That said the main context is, in my view, the theme of the series in which the article appeared and on that basis it's valid IMO even if some compromise has been made to feature it. On balance it's better that the piece exists than not.
Blair was, on many levels, a great leader and politician. I can say this while still considering him a deeply flawed and compromised individual. By the same token being a "great politician" often has very little to do with ideology and ethics and more to do with playing the political system and climbing to the top of the shit heap. That takes leadership skills as much as anything else and so it's interesting in that context alone to have a glimpse of his mind-set in Word magazine.
I am prejudiced against Blair but I would be lying if I didn't say that I find him a fascinating individual and at some level I have a guarded respect for his obvious attributes even if I dislike intensely where he directed them and how he used them.
Good points
The more we hear from people in power, the better.
Blair is/was an operator-supreme and continues to walk along the corridors of power and influence and as such what he says has importance.
But I still think he is a C***
As a politician
he does not monopolise that summary assessment.
Great leader?
Yes, in that people followed him. And a politician: yes, there's no denying that. He was only a politician in the old tradition of self-serving, not for his people.
See how he inherited his little bit of the world and the state it was in at the time? And contrast it to how it looked in 2007 - and even now?
The grinning little wanker: just 'cos he had a bit of a band once, that's the only justification for putting him in. That, and giving him the chance to try and con-vince everyone again that what he thought he was doing was guided by good intentions and so was GOOD.
Honestly, I can't think of anyone who has contributed to the down fall of this country, especially single-handedly.
A wanker with that large a majority, first time 'round, which he duly wasted on doing - well, what? And, then, just as we couldn't believe that he'd do it again, he did it again...
Remind me, and answers on a proton, please: exactly what did he do of any use? It's out-weighed by the other stuff.
Going for a lie-down now. Not like him: he's still walking around free...
Well...
Things that I liked were:
Introduction of the minimum wage
Signing up to the social chapter
Starting Lord reform
Scottish Parliament
NI Peace process
Turning around the oil tanker of decline for our schools and hospitals
Major investment in our science base
That's off the top of my head. A bit more than a proton's worth.
He started...
I would've started with:
* independence of the Monetary Policy Committee (good idea, v. simple);
* minimum wage (definitely good, no brainer0;
* Social Chapter (has its merits);
* Starting Lord's reform (good idea, not properly implemented);
* Scottish Parliament (it's really only a half-job and is it really as good as it could be?);
* NI peace process (been going on for years, the sticking point being that Sinn Fein wouldn't be seen dead in the same room as the (formerly) Conservative & Unionist Party (well done, would've probably happened anyway);
* Schools (great: now everyone must go to Uni even tho' they can't read, spell or add up. So what happened?);
* NHS? Ha! (cack-handed reform and reform and again);
Loads started but only a few things really finished. THAT's a waste of 2+ terms each with a massive majority. Who couldn't fail to get elected when the whole country was Anything But Tory.
What a waste of 2 terms of govt...
I haven't got to that one yet
Did the interviewer attempt a citizens arrest?