I just posted this on Twitter. Tony Blair was speaking at 8.10 on BBC Radio 4.
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We need policy making that is devoid of tribalism and personal ambition/enrichment.
In saying ‘take politics out of policy making’ it suggests that Tony Blair thinks politics is defined by tribalism and personal ambition/enrichment…. which tells us more about Tony Blair than about improving our political discourse.
Agreed
If what Blair means is that dogma should not override evidence, then I can agree. I can’t see any other interpretation that makes any sense at all.
(Adding this here so as not to derail the excellent geopolitical history below)
Blair is simply spouting the usual neoliberal bullshit.
Lenin famously distilled politics to two words – “who, whom.” All policy making is inherently political, Who gains? Who doesn’t? Who loses?
Taking politics out of policy is thinly veiled neoliberal code for leaving everything to the market, freeing the private sector from government “interference.” It is nothing but a utopian fantasy (pace Abbey Innes) with the intended effect of keeping Blair and his donors filthy rich and without scrutiny whilst leaving the rest of us living in an increasingly dystopian hellhole
Much to agree with, even with Lenin
@Stewart,
I couldn’t agree more, Stewart. The “let’s leave politics out if it, and let the technocrats decide” is exactly the same as “the hidden curriculum” in education. I.e. the apparently “common sense” and allegedly “value free” approach is so weighed down with assumptions and value judgements, you can almost hear it rattling as it moves.
“Taking the politics out of decsion-making” is Neoliberal for “My way, or No Way” and “There’s No Alternative”!! We all need a Neoliberal Translation App.
Much to agree with
Don’t expect sense from Anthony Aloysius (St John) Blair.
Black comedy perhaps…….
B.Liar remains a politician, dealing in politics & with politicians.
Thus according to his logic, he should have nothing to do with policy.
He is even madder than I thought. Bonkers.
Thank you and well said, Mike.
Not just mad, but shallow and not very well informed.
Soon after becoming PM, Blair had to engage on the return of Hong Kong to China. He was not aware of the opium trade and western predations on imperial China and, when educated, wondered why the Chinese can’t get over their history. That’s a regular phrase in his circle, except for Zionists, of course.
He has spoken twice in South Africa in the past decade. His first was about religion and political developments at Cape Town’s mining indaba. His understanding of, especially Islam, was cliched and embarrassing.
A more recent speech was why Africa should not abandon the west and neoliberalism. Again, no understanding of how other countries developed.
My parents and much older brother lived for a time, in the late 1930s in the treaty port of Swatow in China. Mum and five year old brother had to leave with what they could carry when the Japanese attacked the City. It was part of the little mentioned family story. When I was at college we had a term on modern Chinese history and I Iearnt more about how the Treaty Ports came to be. I can understand how the Chinese talk of a century of humiliations and how that might affect the present. A 4,000 year old civilisation tends to take the long view (except during the Cultural Revolution)
Later -like ten years ago-I was to learn of the debate in the US after China became the ‘People’s Republic of China’. The Republicans mainly put it in terms of ‘who lost China?’ Truman was President at the time. What arrogance and ignorance. China was never theirs to lose.
I agree with your comment about Zionists. The western stance on Gaza is throwing away much of our influence in the developing world.
Politicians should learn how others see their history. I am biased but a knowledge of history is vital for sensible foreign policy.
Much to agree with
Thank you CS.
Always appreciate your insight and inside information!
@ Ian
Having taught History, but in Scotland, where the Atlantic Slave Trade is an essential module, I am constantly amazed at how little of the British Imperial period has been covered.
The curriculum almost seems to have been designed to conceal the British East Africa Company, East India Company and the China Wars.
It is as if we are still in that colonial mindset.
I’m fascinated by Chinese and Japanese history and geography and only wish we had far better knowledge of the Asian cultures, and wish I had the option to study these. (Same applies to South America btw).
There were European regional studies ONLY when I did my degree, even though SOAS was just across the road.
No wonder foreign policy is so poor.
Well said CS.
As an aside, my partner’s best friend is orginally from China – escaped in the 1950s (father lawyer mother accountant – grandfather imperial court etc – they were told stay & die or leave & live). Brits did not want them – but the Irish did. If you have ever wondered who set up the first Chinese restaurant in Dublin – well now you know. The European inflicted all sorts of horrors on the Chinese – not just drugs but Christianity – Taiping rebelllion anybody? (which happaned almost at the same time as the drugs war – UK vs China).
Mad as a hatter…….. long before he left office.
And still not well.
Thank you and well said, Richard.
Blair’s sock puppets in the then shadow cabinet have been promoting this dangerous idea since I became involved with regulatory policy last November.
What they really mean / want is for private sector interests / Blair’s owners and donors to run the show out of sight / mind of the public, just like monetary policy.
Simplistic nonsense, like politician short-termism, is put around these ideas. These ideas must be repulsed.
Thanks
And agreed
I expect Tony Blair’s enthusiasm for Artificial Intelligence as the saviour to all mankinds problems has nothing to do with Euan Blair’s tech company, Multiverse, recently acquiring Searchlight. A fledgling AI company.
It will be a pure coincidence.
https://www.searchlight.ai/blog/acquisition-searchlight-is-joining-multiverse
Thank you, Jeanette.
🙂
Euan B and Sunak are friends and business partners.
Weird….
Blair is a money-making self-aggrandising conman who arrived on the coat-tails of Kinnock’s pink revolution. Like Milburn, Murphy and many others, he used the Labour Party as a step on the road to millionairehood. He may well have had some socialist principles initially, but they were very soon abandoned. He and so many others should not be allowed near policy-making ever again. Unfortunately, Starmer is influenced by him and surrounded by old Blairites like Cooper, Smith, even Milburn.
Thank you to Ian above.
Thank you, Richard, for the reply “weird”.
I don’t find it weird at all. These friendships and business associations are not uncommon amongst neo-liberals and citizens of nowhere.
This is the business equivalent of the “cousinade” of Harriet Harman and Kitty Usher in Labour and Virginia Bottomley and Jeremy Hunt in the Tory party and Stella Creasy and the Cayzer family in politics and business. I notice Creasy’s family links and fortunes have been scrubbed from the internet.
I thought Blair’s comments on AI showed how out of touch he is with the problems ordinary mortals have in getting through to a human being in many companies which rely on ‘AI assistants’ who can rarely answer the question/deal with the issue. What should be a 2 minute job turns into a marathon of time and listening to infuriating repetitive music. Blair talked about electronic health records. How will it be ensured these aren’t hacked by either criminals for money or hostile foreign governments intent on mayhem and how long before such personal information is sold on the dubious grounds of research? All this chat about the wonders of AI frequently seems to me to be a cover for getting rid of human employees, ignoring the customer and focusing on profit, share holder value and top management pay and bonuses.
Much to agree with