Come back Blair, all is forgiven. That is the message in a new ComRes poll for The Independent. Tony Blair, it seems, is the only senior Labour figure who could transform the party's electoral prospects. With Gordon Brown as Prime Minister, the Tories are on course for an overall majority of 182. Blair would cut that to just 20 seats, perhaps enough to put Labour within striking distance by the next election.
It's a good job for Brown that Blair stood down as an MP, so he can't make a comeback as leader even if he wanted to (and his party wanted him).
Although the figures are embarrassing for Brown, he won't mind too much. ComRes also found that none of the real alternative Prime Ministers - David Miliband, Alan Johnson, Jack Straw, Harriet Harman or Ed Balls -- would do any better than Brown. Full details in tomorrow's paper and at ComRes.
I suspect that you would find it easier to raise the dead than to bring back Blair!
You'd need to find a constituency with not just a strong stomach but also complete devoid of any knowledge of his previous record. I'd also be very surprised if any sitting labour MPs would willingly give up their seat for him and if they did few would again vote for him as leader. Politicians may be morally bankrupt, self serving and incompetent fools but they do possess highly tuned survival instincts. Bringing Blair back into government as PM would be the quickest route to oblivion for the labour party.
Posted by: flipped | Saturday, 06 September 2008 at 02:19 PM
But just imagine how handy the Parliamentary Immunity from Prosecution might be for him...
Posted by: Neil McGowan | Sunday, 07 September 2008 at 12:19 AM
Anyone who calls for the political return of B(liar), other than for facing the International Court for trial--for war crimes--must be evil, or stupid. This man has destroyed any credibility in British Justice, British foreign policy and "democracy" itself. He is a craven charlatan, who takes refuge in the masses now, of Roman Catholicism--even this despicable ruse to gain a formidable body of moral support is not beyond his Machiavellian mind. Those who made him "Peace Envoy to the Middle East" have contempt for decent people and justice. The Senators of Ancient Rome played such games with their Plebians.
Posted by: Diogenes | Sunday, 07 September 2008 at 11:02 AM
Diogenes is spot on. How short a memory the media has !
Blair not only destroyed the credibility of Britain but has done terrible damage to the civil liberties of this country. This was not socialism but neo conservative yankee pandering. The man is not to be revered as a great leader but more to the truth a traitor to the British public. Brown could get labour back on track by not following the Bush administration. If Brown had the balls for real change and real social change he could win the next election. Give back the civil liberties conned out of our hands over the charade of global terrorist threats. (The IRA did more damage). Seize the utility companies and put back into public ownership and avoid this hike in bills which is nothing to do with oil rises. Give the Labour party a new direction based on common sense and then they could win. Yet common sense which I bang on about day after day is seriously lacking in any political party. We need a total political revolution in the UK and world. Talking about peace and common sense is not a criminal offence and a revolution based on peace will win through. Everyone should demand these politicians to be what they are elected to be, OUR SERVANTS. I challenge any politician to any open debate on any issue and I garuntee I will make more sense and win more public opinion and all on my own. Common sense needs no spin.
Posted by: John Finningham | Sunday, 07 September 2008 at 04:58 PM