The Hand of History

The ten year anniversary has just past and the announcement has been made today, it is time for the hand of history to give Blair the judgement he has been waiting for. Blair has an ambiguous relationship with history: he uses it when it suits - to justify decisions; but is overtly conscious of his historical place within Labour party and British history. "Historic third term" and "legacy" have been Blairite mantras since 2005. So prepare yourself for a political cottage industry as despite our apolitical tendencies, the last ten years will be trawled over in the finest detail until you're wishing that John Major won a second term in 1997. Standby for a barrage of Blair's soundbite gems ("shoulder to shoulder"; "elected as New Labour; govern as New Labour"; "I can apologise"), endless repetitions of Oasis / D:Ream montages of 1997 euphoria and early attempts to create a political revolution, and Blair and Bush taking that pointless red carpet walk before denouncing the Left, Islamists and all the other Iraq doomsayers. Prepare to undergo a re-appraisal of your entrenched views and conclude that despite spin, failed public sector reforms, cash for honours, government resignations, ID cards, crime and Middle East policy, we could have done a lot worse. Blair for all his failings has not plumbed to Thatcher - Major dark depths and Cameron will only seem like TB2 with a quiff. Gordon's enigmatic nature gives him a clean slate to take over and I think he will represent a beautiful three year interregnum. So the Blair era has coincided with dramatic global political, social and cultural changes, which he has surfed upon and reacted to very well, but as a visionary, a revolutionary or a great leader - he hasn't come that close.