Tony blair

Tony Blair usually grows rather awkward when asked about the current direction of the Labour party under Ed Miliband. Clearly afraid of appearing a backseat driver, the former Prime Minister tries as hard as he can to avoid delivering any kind of verdict, other than a vaguely supportive bundle of words. He certainly did the latter in his interview on Marr this morning, but Blair also made some important points about how crucial this year will be for Labour. He said: 'So I understand the Labour party message. And by the way, what Ed’s trying to do is tougher than what I had to do. When I became Labour leader, we’d lost four elections. This is attempting to bounce back and win after a heavy defeat.

Tony Blair gave a speech today in which he proposed a 'Grand Bargain' to revive the European Union. One of the proposals in this grand bargain is - and Blair is clearly speaking entirely without self-interest - that there be an elected president of the European Commission or European Council. The former Prime Minister told the Council for the Future of Europe in Berlin: 'Let me make a few quick reflections. A Europe-wide election for the Presidency of the Commission or Council is the most direct way to involve the public. An election for a big post held by one person - this people can understand. The problem with the European Parliament is that though clearly democratically elected, my experience is people don't feel close to their MEPs.

Under the alias ‘Director General of the Russell Group’, a certain Dr Wendy Piatt has slammed the government’s policy on student visas. In a quote to the Independent, she warns: ‘as ministers crack down on abuse of the system, they must be careful about the messages they send to the world's best and brightest students.’ Surely this cannot be the same Dr Piatt who rose through the ranks of Tony Blair’s favourite think tank, IPPR, before being seconded to the Labour team at the Department of Education in 2002? The same Dr Piatt who later became a senior Downing Street aide under the Labour government? We should be told! Her Labour links do not end there.

Around the time that speculation was mounting about Tony Blair's possible return to British politics last month, I went to a public discussion about faith and public life by the man himself and Rowan Williams in which Charles Moore was both participant — or should I say, combatant — and moderator. It was, as you’d expect, a lively affair in which the two Catholic converts took radically dissimilar views on most things, and Islam in particular. In retrospect, one of the remarks that strikes me as remarkable was Mr Blair’s throwaway contention that inter-faith discussion should be conducted on terms agreeable to the faiths in question.

Far from being upset about Archbishop Desmond Tutu repeating something he first said nine years ago, Tony Blair should be proud of his achievements in Iraq. This aspect of Blair’s legacy was raised again over the weekend when Tutu pulled out of an event where he was due to share a stage with the former Prime Minister. It is curious that while Tutu refused to associate with Blair he has happily endorsed the ‘Global March to Jerusalem’. Its members include Ahmed Abo Halabiya who is part of the Hamas administration in Gaza. During a speech he told followers: 'Have no mercy on the Jews, no matter where they are, in any country. Fight them, wherever you are. Wherever you meet them, kill them. Wherever you are, kill those Jews and those Americans who are like them.

The Red Fort in Soho went multi-coloured last night as politcos from across the spectrum gathered to celebrate Keith Vaz’s 25th year in Parliament. Top of the a-list was Tony Blair, fresh from lunch at Downing Street with the Queen. No sign of his wife, again, but his son Euan was pressing the flesh. If the rumours that he wants to follow in his father’s footsteps are true, then this was the perfect event for him. Disgraced Phil Woolas was loitering in the shadows. The sacked MP for Oldham turned lobbyist was making a rare public appearance. But it was the presence of Home Secretary Theresa May which got tongues wagging.

It may be unpopular to say, but there is reason to be charitable to Tony Blair and his latest warnings about Islamist extremism. The former Prime Minister gave afascinating interview to Charles Moore in yesterday’s Telegraph where, inter alia, he talks about the challenge of militant Islam. 'The West is asleep on this issue,' he tells Moore. Blair has been more vocal and unequivocal on the issue than almost any other politician in recent years. He notes that the success of his Africa Governance Initiative faces 'this threat above all others'. Failed states in the Horn of Africa have accentuated this, while one of the unintended consequences of the Libyan revolution has been to strengthen Islamist militants in northern Mali – an area the size of France.

What is it, do you suppose, that Tony Blair has learned in the five years since he ceased to be Prime Minister that would make him a better Prime Minister now? That the Brazilians speak Portuguese, perhaps — this was a fact apparently unknown to him hitherto. What else? Blair has done an interview with Andrew Marr during which he said he would very much like another crack at leading our country, and that the last five years had been very useful and he’d learned lots of stuff which would enable him to do the job better.

A few years back the radio disc jockey John Peel died. Some public sorrow was expressed and soon Tony Blair issued a press release explaining his personal sadness. A little while later someone else who was popular died and the same thing happened. A few days later still and hundreds of thousands of people were killed and many more made homeless by a Tsunami out East. For several hours Blair was silent. Some media jumped on this and whipped up public expressions of shock. ‘Why has our Prime Minister not expressed sadness about the Tsunami deaths?’ and so on. I don’t know why Blair took a few more hours than was then normal for him to issue a personal grief-o-gram. But I doubted then, and doubt now, that it was because he was jubilant about the disaster.

Michael Gove has caused a storm this morning, with his proposal to split GCSEs. The Mail has the scoop, but, essentially, this is in a bid to improve standards — Gove plans to replace GSCEs in maths, English and the three sciences, which will be awarded separately rather than as a block, with something similar to the old O-level; he also want more rigorous exams in history, geography and modern languages. Modules are also to be a thing of the past; Gove’s curriculum will be a test of memory as well as a test of understanding. Courses may be completed in 2 years or 3 years (ie, aged 17), depending on candidates' ability. Finally, Gove wants to introduce a new certificate for those pupils who are not academically inclined.

Labour has only ever won a general election from the autumn of 1974 onwards when its leader has been called &"Tony Blair”. Four other leaders tried, but they were not called &"Tony Blair,” and Labour paid the price. I find it hard to credit the left’s failure myself sometimes, and, equally, find it easy to understand how Labour supporters became riddled with self-hatred and self-doubt as they saw ‘their’ Blairite government in action. But it is going a bit far for Paul Kenny of the GMB to deal with the compromises of the past by calling on Labour to declare the Blairte think tank Progress an anti-party organisation and ban it     I won’t detain you for long with the obvious objections.

While summer party season is warming up, is the work drying up for Cherie Blair?  At last night's Renaissance Photography Prize at the Mall Gallery, Mrs Blair took full advantage of being introduced as Cherie Booth QC. 'As a barrister there are important people for me here - solicitors!' She went on to name check the sponsors Freshfields in a brazen nudge for their work. The short-listed photographers and breast cancer charity of course played second fiddle. *** Crossing the road to the annual Beating the Retreat on Horse Guards Parade, crowds were anticipating a royal to receive the salute and oversee proceedings. Drum roll please, trumpets ready, here comes — Sebastian Lord Coe. Cue audible groans.

George Osborne and Michael Gove are two of the Cabinet ministers closest to the Prime Minister. In their appearances before the Leveson Inquiry, they have both made clear that they are not interested in some giant new regulatory system for the press. Indeed, the vigour with which Gove made this argument rather got under the judge’s skin, while Osborne openly mocked the kite-mark system that Leveson is so interested in. The implicit message to Leveson was: propose something too big and you might as well post your final report to the Long Grass at the back of Downing Street.   Now, both Osborne and Gove are to the right of the Prime Minister politically, and both are less inclined to seek consensus than the PM.

Gordon Brown’s appearance at Leveson is yet another reminder of his stubborn refusal to ever admit error. The contrast between his and Tony Blair’s testimony is striking. One is left wondering how Brown ever became Prime Minister. Brown is maintaining that he didn’t get too close to the Murdochs, and that he never knew or encouraged his special advisers to brief against Tony Blair or other colleagues. Taking Brown at his word, the latter suggests that his operation was even more dysfunctional than we thought. One thing worth noting is that Brown has denied wholesale Rupert Murdoch’s claim, made on oath, that Brown called him after The Sun withdrew its support from Labour and told him that he had no choice but to 'make war' on the company.

The Cameroons have long taken comfort in their belief that Ed Miliband will never be Prime Minister. They have seen him as a firebreak between them and electoral defeat. Three things have driven their conviction that the Labour leader will never make it to Number 10. First, their belief that he fails the blink test: can you see him standing outside Number 10? Second, the next election will almost certainly be fought on the economy, Labour’s weakest area. Their final reason was a sense that he would never get the full support of those on the Labour side who know how to win elections. But recent events suggest that this confidence that Miliband will lose the next election might be misplaced.