Politics
Press attack Tony Blair over his new memoir
The British press (the left-leaning section of it, obviously) are somewhat disgruntled by Tony Blair's new memoir, called A Journey. Barely a week old, it is already an instant classic. Blair's memoir is a little more revelatory than some would like, detailing parts of his sex life and an apparent drinking problem during his Premiership years. He also said that although he cried for the lives lost in Iraq, he doesn't regret his decision to join the invasion of the country. The parts that have really riled though are his economic policy recommendations, as well as the heavy-handed way he deals with his rival and former friend, Gordon Brown. David Miliband, a Labour leadership candidate, rejected Blair's near-endorsement of the current coalition government's economic policy of deficit-cutting. Miliband agreed that the deficit should be cut, but not in the Tory way that Blair suggested. Most controversially of all, the former Prime Minister called Gordon Brown a strange man with zero emotional intelligence. He detailed meetings where he and Brown had clashed over policies, which the press say will open old wounds in the Labour party, as the basic philosophical differences between Blair and Brown are the difficult question of Old Labour vs New Labour, something the party has yet to resolve. Blair's years in 10 Downing Street will continue to shape Britain for years to come, so you really may want to lay your hands on a copy of The Journey. Read more: The Guardian on the Gordon Brown Affair, AP, The Guardian on Miliband's response and SAPA, via City Press.
0
Become an Insider