What is so special about a rich MP?

Never said you did bring them onto the thread, grumppa, but you did suggest they were my uniform, being from a Northern mining village.

Yes, I did say that, obieone, but Monica made the distinction between members and voters and criticised me for not doing so.

How do you know I don't, dj? And I didn't bring flat caps and clogs on to the thread.

Didnt you yourself say Blair only pretended to be one in your post of 19.46pm last night, dj?

Sorry, Monica, but you are actually insulting lots of members of the labour party who say that Blair only pretended to be one. Some of them are my friends. I object most strongly to your comments.
I reject completely that they think like terrorists.

I do not need to reread Animal Farm or 1984.
1984 is what this government is practising, with overseas wars that we hear about using drones, not actually taking part in. Ministry of Peace revolving round permanent war but pretending there isn't one.
Ministry of Plenty, rationing food to the poor. What does that make you think of?
Ministry of Truth, DWP, doctoring evidence.
In fact every government department uses Newspeak. Jeremy Hunt trying to pretend that he didn't mean what everyone thought he meant just today?

Read them both Monica but I think both would be better used as examples of Blair's behaviour than anyone else's. When he first joined the Labour party he described himself as 'soft left'. He was a member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, claimed to have come to socialism through Marxism and disliked the right wing of the party. His views shifted considerably during his time in office. The reasons for this are debatable. Some think his earlier statements were just made to gain approval. I really don't know. However I think all parties have the right to expect members to adhere to certain principles and to leave the party if their views are not in line with these. Other politicians have done this and crossed the floor. Why didn't Blair? He just got out-jumped before he was pushed!!!

In this case 1984 and its 'unpersoning' is the most approriate.

' All pigs are equal but some are more equal than others ' oh yes indeed.

durhamjen i think you are deliberately misunderstanding me. My comments referred quite clearly to those in the current labour party who are saying, 'Blair wasn't Labour; he just pretended to be to get elected'. It did not refer in any way to the electors who voted for Tony Blair

I will now repeat what I said about these current labour party members, and I would make it clear that these comments refer ONLY to the sub-group of labour party members who think like this. It does not accuse anyone of being a terrorist but makes it clear that the thought processes that lead to these remarks are analogous to those used to justify the Stalinist purges and are the similar to the thought processes that lead people to embrace extremist views, and eventually actions.

It reminds me of the worst excesses of the communist years and the purges and show trials under Stalin and Mao. First you accuse someone of being a traitor and not a true member of the party, and expel them then you try them then you kill them. If many on the laft wing of the labour party have even begun to think like this I find it very worrying. That is thinking like a terrorist.

Perhaps you should reread 1984 and Animal Farm.

Not every post is solemn and literal. Some are there to add colour and light to the thread.

I've never worn clogs or a flat cap, grumppa, any more than you wear pearly king clothes.

I think you are going a bit over the top there, monica.
I am a northern mining constituency voter. I am not a terrorist or thinking like one. If I were, I would expect a knock on the door.
Only those in Blair's constituency of Sedgefield voted him in. The choice of the party leader was nothing to do with those in the North East mining districts who voted for him, unless they were party members.

In his early years Blair brought in the minimum wage, the human rights act and the freedom of information act. He has since said he wished he hadn't brought in the latter two of those.
He also called the party New Labour to distance itself from the working class roots. It was Blair who left the Labour party, not vice versa.
Like many others, I left the Labour party because of him. Lots of us have rejoined because it is no longer a Blairite party. How does that make any of us terrorists, or traitors?

Aren't they dj's uniform?

What has class to do with it grumppa , surely not the clogs and flat cap again ?

Looks as if the northern mining constituency voters must have been New Labour, not Socialists at all. Bunch of class traitors!

Tony Blair was a member of the Labour party for many years he was selected as candidate by a northern mining constituency who elected and re-elected him over at least 4 parliaments.

I find it quite frightening when people, and there are a significant number, start stating that he wasn't really a labour supporter, just an interloper who fooled them (for how many years?). It reminds me of the worst excesses of the communist years and the purges and show trials under Stalin and Mao. First you accuse someone of being a traitor and not a true member of the party, and expel them then you try them then you kill them.

If many on the laft wing of the labour party have even begun to think like this I find it very worrying. That is thinking like a terrorist.

Not likely to happen with Corbyn as leader, which is why Labour has no chance of winning the next election, whenever that may be.

You can sign as many petitions as you like, but the reason Blair was elected was because he appealed to more than just the grass-roots Labour supporters. Corbyn just hasn't got that appeal - although he's got four years to work on it...

Blair wasn't Labour; he just pretended to be to get elected.
No Labour party would have both Tories and Libdems voting for them, which is what happened to my knowledge.

One is left wing Labour, one is right wing Labour. Both still Labour.

Sorry if I misunderstood obieone but your meaning isn't at all obvious, please could you explain it for me. It sounded quite condemnatory to me, but it seems I have the wrong end of the stick.

Some forget there is socialism and new labour ,

Where on earth does it say I hate them?
Why on earth would you think my post meant that I would never support Labour? Again

I dont even understand your last sentence so I will leave things there.

That's a bit of an oxymoron! But does it mean that you just hate them because they stood for Labour- in other words whatever Labour does you would never support them? I can understand people feeling Blair was too right wing for them because they believe in Labour values but surely anyone with middle to right views would approve of him?

They are opposing sides, but still in the same camp.

Blair hated in the country now, yet he is being condemned for his Tory values , Corbyn who is very the opposite is mocked by the same people who despise Blair

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tony-blair-tax-avoidance-trust-consultancy-earnings-a6987351.html

Well said, Eloethan.
We lefties do not trust Blair.

www.theguardian.com/business/2016/apr/12/blairs-add-manchester-flats-to-property-empire-before-stamp-duty-deadline