Do you hate Tony Blair?

[Horwood Beer-Master]

...A great PM first has to be a strong PM...

I don't agree this necessarily follows. A truly great PM could be a PM who picks a great and strong cabinet in whom they can have confidence enough to let them get-on with their jobs.

I'd disagree with you, there. John Major was perhaps the most collegiate of modern PMs and his government was a complete failure, despite the strength of his Cabinet...

I thought the whole point of Major's government was that the cabinet was crap?

[Horwood Beer-Master]

...He's allowed state funded faith schools and academies to start teaching creationism in the UK...

What's worse is the sickening manner he brushed that one off..,

In the end, it is a more diverse school system that will deliver better results for our children and if you look at the actual results of the school, I think you will find they are very good

I always liked Blair. He seemed like a knowledgeable fellow...

Really?

...Regardless of his domestic policies...

Those of us who live in the UK don't have the luxury of disregarding such things.

...No, Blair was a Third Way socialist, a sort of Thatcherism-esque, pragmatism based socialism.

i.e. "Not socialism"

[Posse Comitatus]

His new book is pretty good though.

[owtth]

His new book is pretty good though.

What's it about?

[Tigger]

What Pappa said. Plus, Blair is a cunt.

[Coito ergo sum]

...He's allowed state funded faith schools and academies to start teaching creationism in the UK...

What's worse is the sickening manner he brushed that one off..,

That whole thing seems to be catching. Obama here in the States is a big fan of the Faith Based nonsense.

I always liked Blair. He seemed like a knowledgeable fellow...

Really?

Yes. Of course, the amount of footage of Blair in our news is bound to be much less than in the Brit news. However, what I saw of him in the rare clips of House of Commons Question and Answer sessions and his speeches, he comes across as quite well-spoken and intelligent.

...Regardless of his domestic policies...

Those of us who live in the UK don't have the luxury of disregarding such things.

Clearly, the lens through which you folks see him is different than that which an American would see him. There are only so many hours in the day, and keeping tabs on British Parliamentary politics is fairly far down on the list of things to study in-depth. So, I can only say that, not being well-versed in his day-to-day politics, I always liked the guy.

...No, Blair was a Third Way socialist, a sort of Thatcherism-esque, pragmatism based socialism.

i.e. "Not socialism"

In my book, that's a plus. Not socialism = better than socialism, generally speaking.

[Horwood Beer-Master]

His new book is pretty good though.

What's it about?

I'm sure it's fiction whatever it's about.

[owtth]

I used to think that smug bastard might actually bring about change. Then I learned better. Then I saw Obama in the US and thought he might bring about change. Then I learned better. Yet every time there's an election in Ireland I think it might just bring about change. I haven't learned shit.

[Posse Comitatus]

He has brought about change though.

[owtth]

Yes he has bridged the cap between Tory and labour by being a half-assed representation of either one.

[Tigger]

He has brought about change though.

So did the plague.

[Posse Comitatus]

Yes he has bridged the cap between Tory and labour by being a half-assed representation of either one.

Oh really? Details pls.

[Horwood Beer-Master]

...However, what I saw of him in the rare clips of House of Commons Question and Answer sessions and his speeches, he comes across as quite well-spoken and intelligent...

These two things are all too easily conflated.

I recall in the immediate aftermath of Blair stepping down as PM, on some BBC discussion show (it may have been 'This Week') they were discussing Blair's legacy, and one of the guests they had on was a senior Labour figure (I don't remember who, but someone well known) who Blair had worked under during the 80's.
Anyway, this senior Labour figure, who otherwise was pretty-much heaping praise on Blair, made one throwaway remark which seemed significant to me, he said that Blair seemed to him to possess "a remarkable lack of intellectual curiosity for a politician" (or words to that effect anyway - I may not have that quote word-for-word correct, this was some time ago).

[Coito ergo sum]

I used to think that smug bastard might actually bring about change. Then I learned better. Then I saw Obama in the US and thought he might bring about change. Then I learned better. Yet every time there's an election in Ireland I think it might just bring about change. I haven't learned shit.

The bad part, on the US side of the pond, is that Obama promised change, and actually delivered. Only the change he delivered, won't buy a warm cup of spit.

[Coito ergo sum]

...However, what I saw of him in the rare clips of House of Commons Question and Answer sessions and his speeches, he comes across as quite well-spoken and intelligent...

These two things are all too easily conflated.

I recall in the immediate aftermath of Blair stepping down as PM, on some BBC discussion show (it may have been 'This Week') they were discussing Blair's legacy, and one of the guests they had on was a senior Labour figure (I don't remember who, but someone well known) who Blair had worked under during the 80's.
Anyway, this senior Labour figure, who otherwise was pretty-much heaping praise on Blair, made one throwaway remark which seemed significant to me, he said that Blair seemed to him to possess "a remarkable lack of intellectual curiosity for a politician" (or words to that effect anyway - I may not have that quote word-for-word correct, this was some time ago).

the thing is - I watched him in the British Iraq War hearings - what? Like 6 months ago or so - not long ago anyway. They televised them on C-SPAN here, as I recall. He did fabulously, and his command of the facts was quite good. If he was not intelligent, he would not have been able to handle those hearings as well as he did. Even if he was lying through his teeth, he had to be not only well-spoke, but also intelligent to do as well as he did.