Sorry! Childish, I know, but I cannot resist alliterative 'jokes' at the expense of Oliver Kamm despite my insistence that I am second to none in my admiration for him. The fact that his name, and his opinions, crop up here so often is proof of the attention I pay him. He is enormously erudite and writes impeccable English, so it is a pity really that he is wrong quite so often. For example, in a recent post he stated that "Tony Blair has been an outstanding prime minister. " I hasten to make clear that this was not the main point of his essay but merely a 'throw-away remark' in support of an attack on Labour party activists in general, and Harriet Harman in particular - so he's not always wrong! However, 'by their throw-away remarks shall ye know them'! Let us consider that judgement.
Firstly, "the economy, stupid"! It would be a cheap shot, of the sort I like to indulge in, to point out that if there has been any success in the British economy Mr. Blair had very little to do with it, not least because he wouldn't know the difference between "endogenous growth theory" and the endive he nibbled on over the dinner table at Granita when he handed the Treasury over to 'oor wee Gordie Broon' in return for the keys to No. 10. I call that a cheap shot because if the economy has done well during his premiership then, irrespective of his arrangement with his Chancellor, he is entitled to some of the kudos. But has it done well? To be fair, it hasn't done badly, with better growth than Europe but it hasn't been a patch on the USA, and the 'new kids on the block', China and India, are racing away from us. Also, like a newly diagnosed cancer patient, the worst is yet to come. That sluggish tiredness that first indicated that all was not well is likely to erupt in all sorts of painful symptoms fairly soon. Real unemployment is hidden by the massive increase to the state payroll - which also includes the state pension schemes yet to be paid for! Like multiplying cancer cells, the growth of bureaucracy is exactly the same type of sickness that produced the over-mighty unions of the post-war period. Sooner or later another 'Maggie' will be needed to take them on. Anyway, let us be fair and give Mr. Blair a C- for the economy.
Now let us turn, briefly, to "Education! Education! Education!" I say 'briefly' because it must be obvious even to the most purblind observer that our schools are spiralling down, out of control (like most of their pupils), and heading for an almighty crash. The fact that so many Labour nabobs, including Mr. Blair, himself, try everything to avoid sending their children to "bog-standard" comprehensives tells you all you need to know about our school system. Some commentators suggest that Mr. Blair, in the final few years of his stewardship, has recognised the problem and tried to deal with it but I would remind them that it was in his first years that he wriggled his kids into a special school. As for higher education, it's a joke - in bad taste! One only has to cruise the 'blogosphere' and read the vacuous witterings of so-called university graduates to know that all is not well. By any fair, objective standard, no-one could say with hand on heart that our education services have improved under Mr. Blair, indeed, I would say, along with just about every report on the subject that comes out, that it has deteriorated badly. E+ for that subject, Mr. Blair, and you only get the '+' for your last minute pathetic attempts to retrieve the situation.
Now for "the envy of the world", except that no-one copies it, our wonderful NHS! The only good news, as far as I can see, is that it is now very close to implosion. The lighted train of gunpowder that is fizzing its way towards the main arsenal is, of course, the unbelievably huge debts incurred by hospital trusts in the various Private Finance Initiatives (PFIs). Unable to face up the Great British Public to the unpalatable fact that there is no such thing as a free lunch or a free operation, Mr. Blair (and 'oor we Gordie), foisted this con trick on to us in the knowledge that by the time the bills came to be paid they would be long gone. The whole scam is an example of how the private sector in collusion with cynical politicians can run rings around the state bureaucracy, but the sheer size of this one will have repercussions on the national economy as well as finishing off the wretched NHS. (For a more detailed look at the NHS from the inside, please read the post that will follow this one.) The general practitioner service is now so expensive, with GPs earning £200k pa, and so useless that you can't find one over a weekend or a holiday, that it begs the question of why we bother with it at all. Sorry, Mr. Blair, but another 'E' for this one - and without even a '+' to make it look better.
Finally, because if I don't finish this soon I'll be here until midnight, let us consider the warp and woof of our blessed Isle. Is it a more pleasant place in which to live than it was ten years ago? Do our city centres offer a safe and secure space in which to do our work and enjoy ourselves in the evenings? Are our young people of an easy-going, good-natured disposition? Do our public officials earn our respect and gratitude for a job well done on our behalf? Are our police forces concentrating their efforts on thieves and villains, and are our courts dishing our suitably stern punishments to malefactors? In a phrase, do we feel safer? Finally, after ten years of Mr. Blair's regime, do we feel our trust in the political caste has increased?
Take that as a 'no', shall I?
You will notice that with my usual good taste I have avoided the worst 4-letter word of them all - Iraq! Frankly, there is nothing much more to be said on the subject. The fact that Oliver remains convinced of its brilliance says more than I could concerning his, and Mr. Blair's, judgement of state craft, and I write that as some one who supported the invasion.
""Tony Blair has been an outstanding prime minister. " Sorry, Oliver, I don't think so.
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