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John Rentoul
John Rentoul is chief political commentator for The Independent on Sunday, and visiting fellow at Queen Mary, University of London, where he teaches contemporary history. Previously he was chief leader writer for The Independent. He has written a biography of Tony Blair, whom he admired more at the end of his time in office than he did at the beginning.
You can contact John in the comments area or email him at j.rentoul@independent.co.uk
You can contact John in the comments area or email him at j.rentoul@independent.co.uk
Long ago I was involved in a brief campaign run by The Independent to "Save Clare Short". It was one of Andrew Marr's little amusements. It was the year before Labour was elected; she had been demoted from the transport brief to international development and Tony Blair was sufficiently irritated with her repeated crime of Being Annoying to think of ditching her altogether.
Funny how some love-hate relationships never die. Yesterday, she was back, Being Annoying about Blair's Presidential Medal of Freedom, which he will collect at the White House next week. She said:
Unlike the seagreen mother of principle herself who, er, went along with it, making it all possible. At least Blair had the defence that he believed in it.
Short's commentary is a reminder of why Blair has not yet collected his Congressional Gold Medal, awarded in 2003. He could do without all the boring cliches of poodledom (Short took another cliche for a short walk, and managed to step on it, saying that Bush and Blair "have been glued at the hip"). Next week's medal ceremony has already brought out the unthinking antiwar elements in an utterly predictable froth.
So why is Blair travelling to America to collect this meaningless gong? Politeness, I suspect. If the outgoing First Ally wants to pin a bauble on your chest in the Rose Garden, you don't say what you think, as Blair did of the House of Lords: "It is not my scene."
Funny how some love-hate relationships never die. Yesterday, she was back, Being Annoying about Blair's Presidential Medal of Freedom, which he will collect at the White House next week. She said:
“It is for services rendered. I think that it is rather good. It symbolises the whole thing. Bush is a disastrous president. Iraq was the most disastrous element of his presidency. Blair, by going along with it, made it all possible."
Unlike the seagreen mother of principle herself who, er, went along with it, making it all possible. At least Blair had the defence that he believed in it.
Short's commentary is a reminder of why Blair has not yet collected his Congressional Gold Medal, awarded in 2003. He could do without all the boring cliches of poodledom (Short took another cliche for a short walk, and managed to step on it, saying that Bush and Blair "have been glued at the hip"). Next week's medal ceremony has already brought out the unthinking antiwar elements in an utterly predictable froth.
So why is Blair travelling to America to collect this meaningless gong? Politeness, I suspect. If the outgoing First Ally wants to pin a bauble on your chest in the Rose Garden, you don't say what you think, as Blair did of the House of Lords: "It is not my scene."
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