[Politics] Tony Blair doubts Labour can be 'taken back by moderates'

Biscuit · Sep 7, 2018

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-45438855

Speaking on Nick Robinson's Political Thinking Podcast, Mr Blair said: "I don't think the British people will tolerate a situation where, for example, the choice at the next election is Boris Johnson versus Jeremy Corbyn.

"I don't know what will happen and I don't know how it will happen.

"But I just don't believe people will find that, in the country as a whole, an acceptable choice. Something will fill that vacuum."

He said there was a large constituency of voters who backed "socially liberal, progressive" politics but also believed in "a strong private enterprise sector alongside a state that is capable of helping people".

Mr Blair's name has been linked with the formation of a new "centre ground" party, although he has never publicly backed the idea.

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Whatever you think of the man personally, Blair was a proper leader and the Labour Party were electable under his tenure. Corbyn, rightly or wrongly, is seen as far too left. This perception allows the Tories to move further right without a decent opposition keeping them in check. So, will Labour still be the second largest party come the next GE? Or is the country calling out for a new 'centre ground' party, as Blair suggests? Should the Lib Dems not be capitalising to 'fill that vacuum'?

I await a friendly, civil and thought provoking debate where both sides discuss the issues at hand in a grown-up fashion. :lolol:

TSB · Sep 7, 2018

Centrists such as myself are completely unrepresented in Westminster.

Having said that, a party founded by Tony Blair wouldn't go anywhere.

Biscuit · Sep 7, 2018

TSB said:
Centrists such as myself are completely unrepresented in Westminster.

Having said that, a party founded by Tony Blair wouldn't go anywhere.

Totally agree. His name is too toxic, unfortunately.

KZNSeagull · Sep 7, 2018

Biscuit said:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-45438855

Speaking on Nick Robinson's Political Thinking Podcast, Mr Blair said: "I don't think the British people will tolerate a situation where, for example, the choice at the next election is Boris Johnson versus Jeremy Corbyn.

"I don't know what will happen and I don't know how it will happen.

"But I just don't believe people will find that, in the country as a whole, an acceptable choice. Something will fill that vacuum."

He said there was a large constituency of voters who backed "socially liberal, progressive" politics but also believed in "a strong private enterprise sector alongside a state that is capable of helping people".

Mr Blair's name has been linked with the formation of a new "centre ground" party, although he has never publicly backed the idea.

----

Whatever you think of the man personally, Blair was a proper leader and the Labour Party were electable under his tenure. Corbyn, rightly or wrongly, is seen as far too left. This perception allows the Tories to move further right without a decent opposition keeping them in check. So, will Labour still be the second largest party come the next GE? Or is the country calling out for a new 'centre ground' party, as Blair suggests? Should the Lib Dems not be capitalising to 'fill that vacuum'?

I await a friendly, civil and thought provoking debate where both sides discuss the issues at hand in a grown-up fashion.

Vince Cable has announced his retirement and in his speech stated that the worst kept secret in Westminster is that many on all sides of the house are looking at creating a new centre ground party, so the Lib Dems will no longer be able to claim the centre ground as their own (not that they do anymore anyway really). Watch this space is his message, so maybe interesting times to come. Something certainly has to change, that is for sure.

Eeyore · Sep 7, 2018

KZNSeagull said:
Vince Cable has announced his retirement and in his speech stated that the worst kept secret in Westminster is that many on all sides of the house are looking at creating a new centre ground party, so the Lib Dems will no longer be able to claim the centre ground as their own (not that they do anymore anyway really). Watch this space is his message, so maybe interesting times to come. Something certainly has to change, that is for sure.

Yes, we could have a socially democratic party and the liberals could form an alliance with them... :lolol:

ManOfSussex · Sep 7, 2018

The Lib Dems need to totally re-brand - name, symbol, colour, everything - and reach out to the centrists within the Labour and Tory party, in my opinion. The current left wing/right wing states of The Labour and Tory parties is here to stay.

It doesn't help matters when you already have a ready made alternative party in Scotland to vote for.

Blue Valkyrie · Sep 7, 2018

We need something new for sure. Too many *swivel eyed loons* about now.

TSB · Sep 7, 2018

ManOfSussex said:
The Lib Dems need to totally re-brand - name, symbol, colour, everything - and reach out to the centrists within the Labour and Tory party, in my opinion. The current left wing/right wing states of The Labour and Tory parties is here to stay.

It doesn't help matters when you already have a ready made alternative party in Scotland to vote for.

Which is who I would vote for, if I could.
Which is an interesting 180 for me, as I recall loudly booing Salmond in London once.

lawros left foot · Sep 7, 2018

The last time Labour became a real Socialist party, the light blue Tories start a new party.

SDP, anyone?
And we all know how that ended up.

Gwylan · Sep 7, 2018

Brighton Lines said:
Yes, we could have a socially democratic party and the liberals could form an alliance with them...

One of the reasons the SDP didn't make a big impact in the long run is that they were nearly all disaffected Labour members (one Tory MP quit). If a centrist party is to make a splash, it has to pull in centre right politicians too - I can't really see that happening.

The Labour Party has split at least twice, the Conservatives are more united. But a centrist party that only attracts Labour members would mean Tories in government for a long time (as several Labour politicians have pointed out this week)/

BBassic · Sep 7, 2018

Personally don't think it matter which party gets into power or goes pop or rises from the ashes like a phoenix because it's still going to end up in round after round after round of "whataboutery".

"They messed this up so we need to do this"
"Ah yes but you messed that up so we had to do that"
"Yes, well, what about"

If they could just stop trying to score points for cheap laughs in the Commons once in a while and actually sat down they might f**king achieve something.

Bollocks to the lot of them.

happypig · Sep 7, 2018

I voted for Corbyn as leader and I would say I broadly align with a lot of his views. I realise that some of my views are not shared by the majority in this country (Unilateral disarmament, abolition of the monarchy) but others are (Renationalising the railways).
Since becoming leader, Corbyn has turned out to be a rather ineffective Leader of the Opposition (whatever party is in gumment, they need a strong LotO to hold them to account) and I don't think he has enough appeal to the "middle of the road" voters, be they left-leaning Tories, centerist Labour or pragmatic Greens, to be elected and form a strong government; He should have been tearing Theresa May and her rag-tag band of chancers a new ********, that he hasn't speaks volumes.
I think it's time for him to stand aside for a leader who will appeal to the majority of voters.

Pavilionaire · Sep 7, 2018

So what choices do the electorate have?

1. A hard-left Labour Party led by 70-year old anti-Semite Jeremy Corbyn (already one GE defeat under his belt)..
2. A hard right Brexit-supporting Tory Party led by a weak robot with no sense of rhythm.
3. A centrist party with a handful of MPs, a 75-year old leader, a whole ton of baggage and a Pro-EU agenda that has no hope of appealing to Leavers.

On that basis I'd say a broad consensus middle ground party supporting a Second Referendum on the terms of the EU Deal stands to get a sizeable vote, but only if they get big hitters from both Left, Right and (preferably) outside of politics to give it that "non-establishment" sprinkle that worked so well for Trump and Macron.

The likes of Soubry, Grieve, Umunna, David Miliband should go for it. I'd also like to see Gina Miller in the mix.

That would be a party I could get enthusiastic about.

GT49er · Sep 7, 2018

happypig said:
I think it's time for him to stand aside for a leader who will appeal to the majority of voters.

That's a bit like saying we should drop Murray for a younger faster striker who will score twenty five goals a season. Just like Labour needing a leader who'll appeal to mainstream voters, we haven't got one!

Ernest · Sep 7, 2018

TSB said:
Centrists such as myself are completely unrepresented in Westminster.

Having said that, a party founded by Tony Blair wouldn't go anywhere.

There is no such thing as a 'centrist'

Papa Lazarou · Sep 7, 2018

Pavilionaire said:
So what choices do the electorate have?

1. A hard-left Labour Party led by 70-year old anti-Semite Jeremy Corbyn (already one GE defeat under his belt)..
2. A hard right Brexit-supporting Tory Party led by a weak robot with no sense of rhythm.
3. A centrist party with a handful of MPs, a 75-year old leader, a whole ton of baggage and a Pro-EU agenda that has no hope of appealing to Leavers.

On that basis I'd say a broad consensus middle ground party supporting a Second Referendum on the terms of the EU Deal stands to get a sizeable vote, but only if they get big hitters from both Left, Right and (preferably) outside of politics to give it that "non-establishment" sprinkle that worked so well for Trump and Macron.

The likes of Soubry, Grieve, Umunna, David Miliband should go for it. I'd also like to see Gina Miller in the mix.

That would be a party I could get enthusiastic about.

I would support such a party.

GT49er · Sep 7, 2018

Pavilionaire said:
So what choices do the electorate have?

1. A hard-left Labour Party led by 70-year old anti-Semite Jeremy Corbyn (already one GE defeat under his belt)..
2. A hard right Brexit-supporting Tory Party led by a weak robot with no sense of rhythm.
3. A centrist party with a handful of MPs, a 75-year old leader, a whole ton of baggage and a Pro-EU agenda that has no hope of appealing to Leavers.

On that basis I'd say a broad consensus middle ground party supporting a Second Referendum on the terms of the EU Deal stands to get a sizeable vote, but only if they get big hitters from both Left, Right and (preferably) outside of politics to give it that "non-establishment" sprinkle that worked so well for Trump and Macron.

The likes of Soubry, Grieve, Umunna, David Miliband should go for it. I'd also like to see Gina Miller in the mix.

That would be a party I could get enthusiastic about.

So basically you just want a Remain party that will find a way to cancel Brexit? Well, there's 17M who won't be voting for that then!

Goldstone1976 · Sep 7, 2018

Ernest said:
There is no such thing as a 'centrist'

Really? Is that not a decent description of someone who is right of Corbyn's Labour and left of the Tories?

Machiavelli · Sep 7, 2018

Papa Lazarou said:
I would support such a party.

I wouldn't.

Thunder Bolt · Sep 7, 2018

A centrist party would need to attract the Scots and Welsh away from the independent parties representing them at the moment. Labour & the Tories went downhill when they lost the regions.
Everybody is pulling further and further away from each other, and it will take a crisis, and an exceptional leader to start uniting people again. I can't see that happening, so it will probably be coalition governments in future, which may not be such a bad thing.

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[Politics] Tony Blair doubts Labour can be 'taken back by moderates'

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