The question of what remains is always very present when someone leaves, but often there is no good answer. Tony Blair was British Prime Minister for ten years. As a Labor politician, he has won three elections, two of them with majorities that have not existed since Winston Churchill: 179 seats were in 1997, 167 four years later; even populists like Boris Johnson can only dream of such numbers. Blair was the darling of many Britons for years, but the road from darling to the nation’s idiot can be short. So what remains of Blair’s time as Prime Minister, that is the question again: smart driver or unscrupulous blender, modernizer or minister of war? Many British people even gave their answer in the form of a digital signature.
Buckingham Palace published its usual list of honors to be bestowed on some British citizens on New Years. Emma Raducanu, the tennis player, receives a medal, and other public figures are also on the list. Blair stands out: the palace announced that he will be made a knight and member of the “Order of the Garter”. This is the highest honor that the British monarchy can award, the number of members of the order is limited to 24. Every prime minister usually receives this special accolade, but few have had to wait as long as Blair – he resigned 14 years ago. Only the unpopular Edward Heath had to wait longer; Blair’s predecessor, John Major, took half as long as Blair’s now.
Some media speculate that Prince Philip blocked Blair’s appointment for a long time, Philip was not exactly a friend of the ex-prime minister. Others see the long hesitation as a sign that the Queen and her advisors have noticed how divided the people are about their former head of government.
Tony Blair carried away many Britons with his enthusiasm for “New Labor”, he was a key figure in the peace process in Northern Ireland, that is the unanimous opinion in Great Britain. Only, such successes become relative when a prime minister leads his country into a dubious war in Iraq. And the justification for it – alleged weapons of mass destruction, the non-existence of which is well documented – has at least bent.
“Prime ministers are not elected to go to war.”
Shortly after the honor became known, a petition started calling for Blair to return the title to the Queen. Blair did “irreparable damage” to the British constitution and the fabric of British society, the petition said. He was “personally responsible to have caused the deaths of innocent innocent lives in various conflicts”. For this alone he should be called to account “for war crimes”. Least of all deserves “any public honor, especially an honor from Her Majesty the Queen”. Almost 1.1 million people signed on Monday afternoon.
Keir Starmer, who as Labor leader like Blair once tried to convince voters with business-friendly politics for the middle of society, has defended Blair. Like all prime ministers, he deserved the honor. There was even support from political opponents: Michael Gove, an influential minister in the Johnson administration, spoke out in favor of Blair. He is an “outstanding statesman” and should receive the honor.
In a BBC documentary about the relationship between Prime Ministers Blair and Gordon Brown, there is a moment when Blair’s former chief of staff, Jonathan Powell, sets out Blair’s dilemma in a single sentence. Powell tried on the one hand to support his boss, on the other hand his wife and daughter took part in the demonstrations against Blair and the war. Now Powell says, “Prime Ministers are not elected to go to war.”
Blair and Bush have exaggerated the threat posed by Saddam Hussein
Blair wanted people to at least listen to him when he explains his decision to go to war in Iraq, which he regards as “the toughest, most momentous and painful decision of my ten years as prime minister”. He was aware that it would cost him affection, but he saw it as his obligation to act without looking to the next election, says Blair himself in the documentary: “The only guide you can get in such Decision-making questions can follow is: do what you think is right. Doing nothing has its own consequences. “
For Blair, it was important to be a strong and reliable partner with the US, and President George Bush desperately wanted this war, whether or not with weapons of mass destruction as an excuse. Blair, the politician of the left-wing Labor Party, succeeded the conservative-right Republican Bush. Investigative reports later suggested that both knew beforehand that Saddam Hussein’s regime posed a far lesser threat than presented.
In the BBC documentary, Blair is asked how he sees his legacy. Blair hesitates for a moment, then says, “The question about the legacy is not answered by me. It is answered by the story.”