Guardian Utd (August 9): Former Labour allies round on Blair

[Jack Rabbit]

From the Guardian Unlimited (UK)
Dated Monday August 9

Former Labour allies round on Blair
By Patrick Wintour, chief political correspondent

Some of Tony Blair's oldest and closest ideological allies in the Labour party abandon their support for his leadership today, saying he is endangering the viability of the party, eroding trust in politics and embracing a market ideology largely indistinguishable from the Conservatives'.
The vehement assessment is made by Renewal, an influential quarterly Labour journal which has long advocated the modernisers' cause and for which ministers and Labour MPs regularly write.
Mr Blair attended a Downing Street seminar last year celebrating its first decade and is listed on its editorial advisory board, along with five other serving ministers: Patricia Hewitt, David Miliband, Ruth Kelly, Margaret Hodge and Alan Johnson.
There are three former cabinet ministers on the board: Alan Milburn, Robin Cook and Clare Short.

This is also posted in editorials, but I would like to see what kike of discussion it gets here.

Aznar
Berlusconi
Blair
Bush
Howard

[RogueTrooper]

1. I think Blair will be gone soon

As it is looking increasingly likely that JK will win in November I can see the Labour Party dumping Blair for Gordon Brown. I cannot imagine that this article is a coincidence.

[D-Notice]

2. Unfortunately

The fact it mentions Cook, Short & Milburn will means it'll be spun as embittered ex-ministers & so it'll be ignored, no matter how right they are :-(

[truthspeaker]

3. Yeah, Robin Cook who was so pessimistic about Iraq he quit as FM

Oh, wait, he turned out to be absolutely right. They should call themselves the "I told you so" coalition.

[RogueTrooper]

4. He quite has leader of the house

he lost his job as fm after the 2001 general election.