Blair’s gaffe
In a speech today at a Labour Party rally held in his old constituency of Sedgefield, former Prime Minister Tony Blair publicly threw his weight behind incumbent Prime Minister Gordon Brown. While some may have been surprised or even amused by Blair’s endorsement of Brown, given their strained relationship, what I found most interesting was ...
In a speech today at a Labour Party rally held in his old constituency of Sedgefield, former Prime Minister Tony Blair publicly threw his weight behind incumbent Prime Minister Gordon Brown. While some may have been surprised or even amused by Blair's endorsement of Brown, given their strained relationship, what I found most interesting was Blair's description of Conservative Leader David Cameron's campaign slogan "Time for Change" as "the most vacuous [slogan] in politics."
In a speech today at a Labour Party rally held in his old constituency of Sedgefield, former Prime Minister Tony Blair publicly threw his weight behind incumbent Prime Minister Gordon Brown. While some may have been surprised or even amused by Blair’s endorsement of Brown, given their strained relationship, what I found most interesting was Blair’s description of Conservative Leader David Cameron’s campaign slogan "Time for Change" as "the most vacuous [slogan] in politics."
"Time for Change." Sound familiar? The slogan, of course, sounds eerily like Barack Obama’s "Change We Can Believe In." But the Tories haven’t just cherry-picked a popular catchphrase from the Obama campaign; in addition, they’ve hired a number of campaign strategists and consultants who’ve worked with candidate and President Obama, including media-savvy former White House Communications Director Anita Dunn.
What’s so risible about Blair’s comment is the awkward position in which it puts him: by mocking Cameron’s "Time for Change," he also mocks Obama’s "Change We Can Believe In." There just really isn’t any way to simultaneously skewer "Time for Change" and hold up "Change We Can Believe In" as a paradigm of pith and profundity. Not exactly the nicest way to thank the guy who awarded you "first friend" status, is it?
On the other hand, maybe Blair’s comment will throw some cold water on "change" enthusiasts. The change conceit does, after all, make for a vacuous campaign slogan. Given the highly polarized contemporary political atmosphere in the United States and the United Kingdom, to say that electing a president or prime minister from the opposition represents Change is nothing but an empty truism.
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