The day came. Convention dictates that all prime ministers eventually join the Order of the Garter – even the ones, like James Callaghan, that nobody actually voted for.
And let me be clear that I have no loyalty to the Labour Party: I’m a political centrist who believes ministers should let us hold on to most of our money and generally keep the ship of state afloat.
There are aspects of Tony Blair’s behaviour that I find objectionable: his toe-curling money-grubbing from dodgy dictators after leaving office; his refusal to accept the Brexit result.
However, there are many things to appreciate. He was the Labour leader who understood the concerns of Middle Britain, instead of dismissing them – as the Left so often does – with a sneer.
He was open-minded and pluralist, which allowed him to promote liberal policies in an essentially conservative country.
His open-minded and pluralistic attitude allowed him to promote liberal policies in an essentially conservative country.
The wealth redistributed by Old Labour was through brutal taxation, particularly on the middle class. New Labour was focused on the growth of the economy. The party that is business friendly understood prosperity, which increased revenue.
Blair celebrated aspiration rather than demonizing it. He promised to be ‘tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime’. Police numbers rose 12 per cent during his premiership.
However, he recognized the need to tackle poverty and despair in order for crime to fall.
Blair’s foreign policy was where he really stood out. Many young people don’t understand the horrors of Irish republican terror that hung over London before the Good Friday Agreement of 1998.
I still believe Britain was right to overthrow Saddam Hussein. Friendships are rarely won by true leadership
Blair, who saw Islamism as a threat to liberal democracy after 9/11, took steps against domestic extremists, and he also defended the British values, which included freedom, tolerance, and the rule law, and reaffirmed them abroad.
Many people disagree with him about Iraq. While I admire their ideas, I believe that Britain was right to overthrow Saddam Hussein. True leadership rarely wins over friends.
In recent years, he was a voice for reason regarding the pandemic. His early support for mass testing and the exemption of lockdown to those who had been vaccinated was a key point. Many lives – and businesses – might have been saved had ministers listened.
Tony Blair made Britain a more open, tolerant and compassionate country. He also stood up to help those in need overseas. That is what a statesman leaves behind, regardless of his faults or mistakes. He deserves to be acknowledged for his accomplishments.