A thousand years of history?

Not a major pronouncement, but a useful summary of Tony Blair’s views on the euro crisis in an interview with France 24, which I missed last week.

He was clear about his wish to have “tightened” fiscal policy 2005-06. “I didn’t win that one” (against Gordon Brown), he admitted, “but it was marginal”. It was the global financial crisis that was more important in destroying the UK public finances than Brown’s borrowing during the boom years.

At one point the interviewer asks how long it would be before the UK adopts the euro: “One thousand years?” I don’t know if he realised that this was Gaitskell’s phrase when he rejected Common Market membership in 1962. Blair thought it wouldn’t be that long, although did not offer an alternative date. But he did reject the suggestion that the country simply had to take a “leap of faith”. Blair replied: “The leap-of-faith concept is what got us into this problem.”

He is right about that, at least.

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• ragething

  “The leap-of-faith concept is what got us into this problem.”

  really? where was that caution before!?!?!?

• FergalFury

  We had another clod go on about a thousand year state. Came to a sticky end as I recall. Lets see, likes to start wars? Check. Erodes civil liberty? Check. Uses media as method of suppressing dissent? Godwin’s Law? Nah, Tony as Adolf.

• Toocleverbyhalf

  How lovely to see Mr B again. The nation has sorely missed his clearly annunciated good sense.

  But why was the interview on a French news site in English, I thought he could parler more than just un peu de français, and from where did they get the man with the startled eyes to question him?

• http://www.facebook.com/pcashwood Phillip Ashwood

  It is England thats not ready for Europe rather than the other way around and money aside. The people and the attitudes seem fixed in a grandeur born of winning a war that finished over 70 years ago and that has not really dealt any long term success to either side and in many cases a war which continues today. Only a handful of families that held the economic power before continue to thrive as they did back then whilst our attentions are drawn to the importance of recycled technology ideas, environmental pleas and our own daily struggle to survive. If England is to fully accept its own entry in to Europe as a willing partner it needs to wise up and accept and understand the ways of others and their national family attributes beyond the stereo-typical. To put aside competition and work as a union along with our Global counterpoints and improve productivity whilst reducing stress, and apply a stronger work ethic.