Well, the long awaited announcement finally came yesterday and it's official - he's going. Surely this must have been the longest goodbye in history! I am talking about Tony Blair, just in case you were not keeping up. His election didn't fill me with unbounded joy and his departure hasn't provoked any great excitement from my point of view. I'm glad he's going, at least we won't have to deal with that insincere grin anymore, but I can't summon up much enthusiasm when all we can look forward to is more of the same or something equally bad.
It seems to me that anyone who willingly seeks public office is probably unsuitable, why would anyone want to? On the other hand if nobody did it we would be in a worse mess - or would we! I went to a County Council meeting once, it was nerve-racking as I had to speak to the meeting in connection with my responsibility as a school governor. I made sure I was dressed smartly for the meeting in order to create a good impression, but I was astounded when I met the counsellors. I had never seen so many weirdoes and misfits in one room before! Two or three had clearly escaped from a home for the bewildered, a number had obviously made contemplating their own navels a career choice, several appeared to be classic examples of Narcissistic Personality Disorder and almost all of them were casual to the point of being downright scruffy, in fact not to put to finer point on it a couple of them could have done with a bath! And we wonder why local government is in a mess!
Anyway back to Blair. His announcement seems to have sparked the media to embark on endless reviews of the last 10 years. Hours and hours of rambling on about what he will be remembered for. Personally I don't think history will be kind to him, I think that he will be remembered for Iraq and for spin. We mustn't forget 'Two Jags John' he is on his way out too. He has one distinct advantage over Blair, he's real! I can't quite bring myself to dislike him, at least what you see is what you get. So what will he be remembered for - services to the English language of course!
This insistence on reviewing the career of Blair and Prescott really has gone too far. Since yesterday Radio 4 has found it necessary to remind me of John Prescott's affair on 3 separate broadcasts - no wonder I am off my food! I guess it is a remarkable achievement in one sense, it is surprising that one woman should have found him attractive, but two is truly incredible! So far there has been no suggestion that Tony Blair has 'strayed' but I think most of us would find it understandable if he did!! Sometimes we don't find out about such things until years later and very occasionally it reveals an aspect of their character that we could not have imagined. John Major for example, his dalliance with Edwina must have required intestinal fortitude (to borrow a phrase from Fred Flintstone). If he could tackle that surely he could conquer the world!
Just one last word on the subject of spin. Robbie has a very annoying phrase, it drives me mad but I haven't managed to stop him saying it. When he tells me about his day (he always tells me in great detail!) he will say 'Fudge turned round and said ......' or ' I spoke to network rail and they turned round and said ......' I imagine the entire railway industry spinning like Whirling Dervishes. No wonder there is no joined up thinking, they must all be too dizzy to think straight!!
No comments:
Post a Comment