Tony Blair on Nick Robinson's Show

[Ban-jani]

I ddin't suddenly decide that tories were deserving of insults because of one incident, and no I have no issue with intimidating tories at conference, I never said I would hang a banner saying hang the tories, not my style, I hate the rags and have no issue giving them verbal abuse on derby day, it is no different to me at conference tories.
I was sat in the brittons last one with FBU and Unison members when a section of conservatives who had booked upstairs fora meeting came in the beer garden, we had a good debate with some on why they believed austeriy was right, no abuse, some of the young ones wouldn't engage and went upstairs, as we were beneath them and they had nothing to say to us,. They got a couple of jeers and they gave it back.

If only life was that simple, as your last paragraph, it isn't some right wingers despise the left, some left wingers depsise the right it's as tribal as anything else.

Personally I like to debate rather than fight, but an efirgy hung up for a day really isn't gonna get me worked up.

Intimidating Rags at a football match isn’t going to lead to a risk of democracy is it?

There’s a line to be drawn and if it’s a few jeers and a bit of banter then I’d obviously be happy with that but if it gets to violence and aggression, which we’ve seen creeping into Momentum, then that’s where we need to draw the line.

If the line is crossed and intimidation does actually begin to frighten people then what’s to stop it keeping people from the ballot box? Who does that help?

Maybe a recently turned 18 who was unsure about which way to vote saw the effigy or the mob that gathered outside the conference shouting abuse, maybe being afraid decided who they vote for. This isn’t what we should be about as a country.

You don’t win arguments by abuse or throwing eggs or flower at people, or hanging effigies with a call to hang your opposition.

Debate them, take the piss a bit but be respectful. I sure as hell don’t want the Labour Party be known for a hooligan element.

No doubt I’ll ironically be called something that closely resembles a snowflake or the equivalent.

 

[Ban-jani]

PUP are non-existent these days Paul, the DUP nicked their voter base.
Agree with the other part, after 10 years of austerity the UK badly needs some left wing policies.

Any chance of a response? You know considering you assumed I was pardoning the Tories getting in bed with the DUP by criticising Corbyn.

 

[urban genie]

Intimidating Rags at a football match isn’t going to lead to a risk of democracy is it?

There’s a line to be drawn and if it’s a few jeers and a bit of banter then I’d obviously be happy with that but if it gets to violence and aggression, which we’ve seen creeping into Momentum, then that’s where we need to draw the line.

If the line is crossed and intimidation does actually begin to frighten people then what’s to stop it keeping people from the ballot box? Who does that help?

Maybe a recently turned 18 who was unsure about which way to vote saw the effigy or the mob that gathered outside the conference shouting abuse, maybe being afraid decided who they vote for. This isn’t what we should be about as a country.

You don’t win arguments by abuse or throwing eggs or flower at people, or hanging effigies with a call to hang your opposition.

Debate them, take the piss a bit but be respectful. I sure as hell don’t want the Labour Party be known for a hooligan element.

No doubt I’ll ironically be called something that closely resembles a snowflake or the equivalent.

Not by me

 

[aguero93:20]

Any chance of a response? You know considering you assumed I was pardoning the Tories getting in bed with the DUP by criticising Corbyn.

My response would be that it's no grounds to attack Corbyn and to work against him when he's trying to get the Tories out of government. You know Blair made friends with the IRA too? No GFA otherwise.

 

[Ban-jani]

My response would be that it's no grounds to attack Corbyn and to work against him when he's trying to get the Tories out of government. You know Blair made friends with the IRA too? No GFA otherwise.

Are you suggesting we just shut up criticising the man because he stands against the Tories?

That’s a ridiculous argument to make considering many of us don’t think he’s fit to run the party into the next GE and there’s many who want the party to be in the best shape it could be.

Add to that he voted against his own party more times than anyone, it’s a bit rich to ask for blind loyalty to Corbyn when he never granted it elsewhere.

Blair was the leader of this country and massively contributed to a peace deal in NI that put a stop, well not a complete stop but almost, to infinite fear, suffering and violence.

Even Blair’s most ardent critics give him credit for NI.

Corbyn befriended several members of the organisation many years prior to this whilst they were carrying out terrorist attacks on British citizens.

Surely you can see the difference?

 

[aguero93:20]

Are you suggesting we just shut up criticising the man because he stands against the Tories?

That’s a ridiculous argument to make considering many of us don’t think he’s fit to run the party into the next GE and there’s many who want the party to be in the best shape it could be.

Add to that he voted against his own party more times than anyone, it’s a bit rich to ask for blind loyalty to Corbyn when he never granted it elsewhere.

Blair was the leader of this country and massively contributed to a peace deal in NI that put a stop, well not a complete stop but almost, to infinite fear, suffering and violence.

Even Blair’s most ardent critics give him credit for NI.

Corbyn befriended several members of the organisation many years prior to this whilst they were carrying out terrorist attacks on British citizens.

Surely you can see the difference?

This is my point, if there's that strong a feeling that he's not wanted as a leader, why not start up a new party? Staying within Labour and sniping only favours the Tories.

 

[Ban-jani]

This is my point, if there's that strong a feeling that he's not wanted as a leader, why not start up a new party? Staying within Labour and sniping only favours the Tories.

Well I’ll ignore the fact you’ve ignored my point on NI and will respond to what you’ve put there.

You’re a decent poster and I’ve alwayd felt that.

As I alluded to earlier, I think you make a good point there in terms of where it probably will go.

Hell, it may even be a good thing having a proper 3 party system, as opposed to 2, however there’s a huge risk it could just hand the Tories the next 20 years and that works for no one.

 

[aguero93:20]

Well I’ll ignore the fact you’ve ignored my point on NI and will respond to what you’ve put there.

You’re a decent poster and I’ve alwayd felt that.

As I alluded to earlier, I think you make a good point there in terms of where it probably will go.

Hell, it may even be a good thing having a proper 3 party system, as opposed to 2, however there’s a huge risk it could just hand the Tories the next 20 years and that works for no one.

You already have a 3 party system with the SNP.

As for NI, whatever Corbyn has done in the past it's a match beside a bonfire compared to putting the DUP into government in the middle of Brexit negotiations.

 

[blueparrot]

This is my point, if there's that strong a feeling that he's not wanted as a leader, why not start up a new party? Staying within Labour and sniping only favours the Tories.

Thats what happened with the SDP, back when, but rather tthan those labour mps that left for the new middle ground party being the one to topple the Tories it was those that stayed and gradually won the party back from the militants, a journey started by Kinnock that led to Blair, Brown, Prescott and Mandelson.
I know Blair is saying they may have lost the Labour party but the SDP story shows how hard it is for a new party to win long term support. Maybe this time it's different but both ways look a difficult road. Those that stay though probably start with a die hard base around 30%, and see that as something it would take years for a new party to build up. Posted else where the SNP are the example of a party breaking the 2 party system but it took them a long time to convince non independence voters they had a whole range of policies that they were willing to make work for all aspects of government alongside their long term aim of an independant Scotland.

 

[aguero93:20]

Thats what happened with the SDP, back when, but rather tthan those labour mps that left for the new middle ground party being the one to topple the Tories it was those that stayed and gradually won the party back from the militants, a journey started by Kinnock that led to Blair, Brown, Prescott and Mandelson.
I know Blair is saying they may have lost the Labour party but the SDP story shows how hard it is for a new party to win long term support. Maybe this time it's different but both ways look a difficult road. Those that stay though probably start with a die hard base around 30%, and see that as something it would take years for a new party to build up. Posted else where the SNP are the example of a party breaking the 2 party system but it took them a long time to convince non independence voters they had a whole range of policies that they were willing to make work for all aspects of government alongside their long term aim of an independant Scotland.

Blair, Brown, Prescott and Mandelson

All got behind the party.