Tony Blair ‘Discussing Situation’ in Gaza and Open to Role in Effort to End Crisis

THE GUARDIAN: Former UK PM has let it be known he is available to help but his office denies he has been offered specific job

Tony Blair at Downing Street before the Remembrance Sunday ceremony. The former PM has an office in Israel, his spokesperson said. Photograph: Tayfun Salcı/Zuma Press Wire/Shutterstock
Tony Blair, the former British prime minister, has let it be known that he is available if needed to help in an effort to end the growing crisis in Israel and Palestine.

His office, however, denied a report in the Israeli press that he had already been offered a specific job.

Blair has built extensive contacts in the Middle East, and he worked as special envoy for the Quartet – the UN, the US, the EU and Russia – after leaving Downing Street in 2007, trying to build the Middle East economy.

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, would not reject a role for Blair. Both the EU and UN have Middle East envoys.

Blair has strong contacts with the Gulf states. In an earlier period, he played a role behind the scenes encouraging Hamas to change its stance towards Israel, but he has always been implacably opposed to the direction of the Iranian leadership. » | Patrick Wintour, Diplomatic editor | Monday, November 13, 2023

UK Is Weaker Because of Brexit, Says Ex-British PM Tony Blair | #shorts

Tony Blair tells us why Brexit was such a dumb move.
God Almighty! The Tories have f****d up this country, good and proper! – © Mark Alexander

Peter Hitchens on Trade Unions, Tony Blair and the End of the Monarchy | Downstream

Premiered Jan 15, 2023 | This week’s guest is an iconoclast, although he may not be comfortable being labelled that way given his devotion to christianity. Among his colleagues on the right, he stands out as someone who is genuinely thoughtful and perhaps as one of the few who could be described as a genuine conservative. Aaron meets Peter Hitchens to discuss abortion, the Soviet Union, and how to make a good cup of tea.

War in Ukraine: The Economist Interviews Tony Blair | The Economist

Apr 12, 2022 • Tony Blair, former British Prime Minister, talks to Zanny Minton Beddoes, The Economist’s editor-in-chief, about the war in Ukraine. He gives his opinions on how to deal with Vladimir Putin, the retreat of Western foreign policy and the future of geopolitics.

Islamism Remains First-order Security Threat to West, Says Tony Blair

THE GUARDIAN: In speech marking 20 years since 9/11 attacks, former British PM warns that non-state actors may turn to bio-terrorism

The west still faces the threat of 9/11-style attacks by radical Islamist groups but this time using bio-terrorism, Tony Blair has warned.

Blair also challenged the US president, Joe Biden, by urging democratic governments not to lose confidence in using military force to defend and export their values.

In a speech to the defence thinktank Rusi marking the 20th anniversary of the 11 September 2001 al-Qaida terrorist attacks on the US, Blair, who was British prime minister at the time , and supported military interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan, insisted the terrorist threat remained a first order issue.

He suggested “the pressure of short-term political imperatives is giving both allies and opponents of liberal open societies the belief that ‘our time is over’”.

He said he found it deeply depressing to hear western opinion claim “that we are foolish in believing that western notions of liberal democracy and freedom are exportable or will ever take root except in the somewhat decadent terrain of western society.”

He insisted that “despite the decline in terrorist attacks, Islamism, both the ideology and the violence, is a first-order security threat; and, unchecked, it will come to us, even if centred far from us, as 9/11 demonstrated. Covid-19 has taught us about deadly pathogens. Bio-terror possibilities may seem like the realm of science fiction; but we would be wise now to prepare for their potential use by non-state actors.” Read all the article and watch the video » | Patrick Wintour, Diplomatic editor | Monday, September 6, 2021

Photo : A screenshot taken from the accompanying video.

Tony Blair Criticizes US Exit from Afghanistan

I was no particular fan of Tony Blair, but I agree wholeheartedly with what he says in this short video clip. The man is spot on in his assessment. I realize that some people have disliked what I had to say on current British and American politics, but I believe that what I have said is in accord with what Tony Blair has just said. I, too, like Joe Biden. I think he is an honourable man and a man with his heart in the right place. I feel sure that his intentions are good; and it must be said that he has already, in his short time in office, done some very good things for America. But I really think that he should not have taken the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan at this time, and certainly not as abruptly as this. This decision is going to haunt America and it will cause a lot of problems for Europe and the rest of the world. It will ultimately cause a lot of problems for America itself, too. That is what I believe. – © Mark

Tony Blair Says Tories and Labour Engaged in ‘Populism Running Riot'

THE GUARDIAN: Former PM lambasts parties and says upcoming election is ‘weirdest of my lifetime’

Tony Blair has said neither Labour nor the Conservatives are seen as fit to win the general election, accusing both parties of peddling “fantasies”.

The former prime minister, one of the architects of New Labour who was speaking at a Reuters Newsmaker event in London, said Britain’s biggest parties were engaged in “populism running riot” and it would end in tears.

Blair has repeatedly called for Brexit to be reversed and said the right thing would have been to hold a second referendum followed by a general election.

He described the poll on 12 December as “the weirdest of my lifetime”, adding: “The truth is: the public aren’t convinced either main party deserve to win this election outright. They’re peddling two sets of fantasies and both, as majority governments, pose a risk it would be unwise for the country to take.”

Blair, who guided Labour to three election victories, said people “rightly” did not trust Boris Johnson with a “blank cheque”. He said though Labour were promising a revolution, “the problem with revolutions is never how they begin but how they end”. » | Haroon Siddique | Monday, November 25, 2019

British PM Tony Blair: Brexit or Not, Britain Will Remain a Great Country | Morning Joe | MSNBC

Former British PM Tony Blair discusses the latest in Brexit, his best guess for what happens in October at the end of the extension, the rise of populism and why he says 'if a populism of the left fights a populism of the right, the right wins.'

Tony Blair: 'This Government Is in a State of Dysfunction' – BBC Newsnight

Power-Mad Tony Blair Defends Billionaire Festival

Galloway Blasts Tony Blair for Taking Saudi Money

Anya Parampil examines criticism of former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair for his refusal to cut ties with Saudi Arabia in the face of Washington Post Contributor Jamal Khashoggi’s murder. Blair has been paid nearly $12 million by the Saudi Kingdom for “consulting” services since he left office. Former Member of U.K. Parliament and presenter in the documentary The Killing$ of Tony Blair, George Galloway, joins In Question to discuss Blair’s legacy.

Ex-UK PM Blair Says No-Deal Brexit Possible, But Unlikely

Sep.06 -- Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair discusses the UK's path to Brexit, the potential for a second Brexit referendum, and the rise of populism in Europe. He speaks with Bloomberg's Francine Lacqua on "Bloomberg Surveillance."

Tony Blair on Brexit's Second Referendum | The Economist

Tony Blair, Britain's former Prime Minister, spoke to Anne McElvoy, The Economist's head of radio, for The Economist asks podcast.

Tony Blair on Brexit, Labour, and Populism – BBC Newsnight

Evan Davis interviews former Prime Minister Tony Blair.

To Brexit or Not to Brexit: Uncut Interviews with Tony Blair and Nigel Farage

Tony Blair on Brexit – Full Interview

Britain's former prime minister told euronews EU leaders should act on lessons learned from Brexit, and believes 2018 will see a shift in public opinion against leaving the bloc.

UK Court Protects Tony Blair from War Crimes Suit

The UK High Court has blocked a war crimes suit against Tony Blair for the Iraq invasion, but that won't stop the effort to hold him accountable, says author and activist Chris Nineham

Tony Blair on Corbyn and the Lessons of the 2017 General Election (Full Interview) - BBC Newsnight

Newsnight's editor Ian Katz speaks to former Prime Minister Tony Blair about Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, the future of the Labour party and the lessons of the 2017 general election.

Tony Blair: 'Jeremy Corbyn Could Become PM' - BBC Newsnight

Former prime minister Tony Blair tells Newsnight’s Ian Katz he now accepts that Jeremy Corbyn may be elected prime minister on a left-wing platform.

Alastair Campbell vs Tony Blair: Will Corbyn Become Prime Minister? | GQ Politics | British GQ

Tony Blair, the three-term Labour prime minister, is returning to fight for progressive politics in Britain and around the world.