Blair's Schoolyard Statement - *Updated*

I was watching TV footage of Blair speaking from the playground at the north London school he visited this afternoon.

The lines on his forehead were making a statement of their own. Did anyone else notice the very large and pronounced letter "W" which formed whenever he frowned?

When the petition first launched, it was open to abuse:
http://digital-lifestyles.info/display_page.asp?section=cm&id=3669

But even after a clean-up and the introduction of a human-read-email feature, some very silly names appear to be slipping through.

That petition smacks of total desparation to me.

The whole lokking at his feet thing struck me as being a typically contrived performance. Wasn't it just a return to the infamous "Masochism Strategy"?

Also, it might be worth noting that he said that this "will be my last party conference as party leader." This from a man who chooses his words with notorious care.

Guido seems to think it's significant. Having read Blair's statement again, he may have a point. At no point does Blair commit himself to stepping down as PM.

He won't give a date for stepping down as Prime Minister, because as soon as he does so, he is admitting defeat and looses authority.

I'd say that he has already lost his authority.

He soooo wants to go and be a statesman in the Middle east... Where we know they will heed every word he says, they will listen to him as if he is the personification of wisdom. Well that's what he thinks.

Blair's performance was a manipulative disgrace.
The faux-apology (for something he feels was not his fault), the head to one side, looking up through his lashes, contrite, but somewhat embarrassed by the dis-unity and spectacle; willing to share his feelings with us all, hesitently, and with pregnant pauses for effect. Just enough anger in his voice to show his pain at the situation.

Blair was doing a Princess Di "There are three people in this marriage" performance. He beieves he's a put-upon People's Premier, and Gordon is Camilla.

I notice he couldn't be arsed with a verbose apology to UK and Iraqi people when his lies led us into an illegal war causing the deaths of 300,000 innocent people. But that was his fault, wasn't it?

And why does he think the Westminster bubble should suddenly "listen to the people" and get on with governing? When 2 million of us marched through the streets of London protesting before the war, did he listen to our voices and concerns then?

TIM IRELAND link --- check it out !

The Tim Ireland link is a must read.

Derek Draper's theory was precisely the idea that Blair would resign as party leader but not as PM. See this article from the Guardian comment blog in April 2006

I am surprised at the lack of comments about the fact that a school allowed itself to be used by Tony Blair in making this statement. The next few months are likely to be peppered with incidents in which TB tries to show that he is going out on a high note (trying to prove that he has a lot of support, trying to show that he never did anything wrong)and these are quite likely to attract demonstrations to remind people that he has done things wrong and ought to be creeping away in shame. It is quite wrong for schools (or Blue Peter, or Songs of Praise) to allow themselves to be part of this. It is wrong for a school to put its pupils out of school in the middle of the day to allow this to happen, and then to berate pupils in the street for getting involved in what was happening on the street. Watch out for this sort of thing happening at a school near you!