The Times interview with Cherie Blair | Speaking for Myself: book extract (part 1) Tony Blair is advising Gordon Brown during his current turmoil and has told him how he can win the next general election, Cherie Blair reveals in The Times today. She says that Mr Blair would have stood down before the 2005 election if only Mr Brown had been prepared to implement her husband's public service reforms. Mr Blair suffered a "crisis of confidence" over Iraq and feared that he had become an electoral liability. But with Mr Brown "rattling the keys above his head" he decided he had to stay and fight for his domestic legacy.
The Times interview with Cherie Blair | Speaking for Myself: book extract (part 1)
Tony Blair is advising Gordon Brown during his current turmoil and has told him how he can win the next general election, Cherie Blair reveals in The Times today.
She says that Mr Blair would have stood down before the 2005 election if only Mr Brown had been prepared to implement her husband's public service reforms.
Mr Blair suffered a "crisis of confidence" over Iraq and feared that he had become an electoral liability. But with Mr Brown "rattling the keys above his head" he decided he had to stay and fight for his domestic legacy.
Tony Blair would have resigned ahead of the 2005 general election if Gordon Brown had not dragged his feet over the pace and direction of public service reform, Cherie Blair claims today.In an interview with the former premier's wife which accompanies extracts from her forthcoming memoirs, she also says Blair is advising Brown on how to win the next election, and she says Blair believes Brown can beat David Cameron - explicitly contradicting Lord Levy, who only last month said that Blair had told him he believed Cameron could not be defeated by Brown. "Lord Levy doesn't know anything," she told the Times. "I know that Tony thinks Gordon could win the election, and I know that he has spoken to Gordon about how he could do that. Tony has given Gordon advice. He and Gordon talk to each other - even now."The irony of Brown being advised on election strategy by the man over whose head he "rattled the keys" of No 10 for many years will not be lost on MPs or voters who have turned sharply away from Labour.
Tony Blair would have resigned ahead of the 2005 general election if Gordon Brown had not dragged his feet over the pace and direction of public service reform, Cherie Blair claims today.
In an interview with the former premier's wife which accompanies extracts from her forthcoming memoirs, she also says Blair is advising Brown on how to win the next election, and she says Blair believes Brown can beat David Cameron - explicitly contradicting Lord Levy, who only last month said that Blair had told him he believed Cameron could not be defeated by Brown.
"Lord Levy doesn't know anything," she told the Times. "I know that Tony thinks Gordon could win the election, and I know that he has spoken to Gordon about how he could do that. Tony has given Gordon advice. He and Gordon talk to each other - even now."
The irony of Brown being advised on election strategy by the man over whose head he "rattled the keys" of No 10 for many years will not be lost on MPs or voters who have turned sharply away from Labour.
Moving to the right, as Blair will undoubtedly advise, isn't going to get it done, because I'm afraid the Tories have already cemented the image of the centrist party. The best Brown can do is move to the left under the banner of "New Beginning," and start hammering away at issues Blair promised to deal with but never did.
Moving to the right is just going to hand the Tories ammo to say that nothing has changed under Brown. It won't be treated as Brown being moderate but rather as him bringing "the same old socialism" that Junior's Prison Bitch governed with. Conservatives want live babies so they can raise them to be dead soldiers. - George Carlin
