Politician of the Decade

It’s that time of the year when we should reflect upon what has happen in the past 12 months. This period of reflection almost always results in the dishing out of awards. Michael White has been deciding upon his politicians of the decade and Iain Dale has been announcing the result of his readers poll. So I thought I’d get in on the act.

Before I get into this and tell you who I think has been, please consider the following. This accolade (to use the word loosely) does not necessarily have to go to a politician whose aims you agree with. This honour (again, I use this word ironically) should go to somebody who has been a good politician, meaning a good communicator, a master of timing and excellent leader. Only two politicians fit that criteria as far as I’m concerned and I would not identify with the politics of either. They are David Cameron and Tony Blair.

Why Cameron? He has made the Tories electable. He has rebranded the Conservative party and  redefined its relationship with the press. Cameron has been in the right place at the right time, he is an excellent communicator and he is an excellent leader of the Conservative party. Does that mean he’ll be an excellent Prime Minister? Of course it doesn’t. His brand of conservatism will be bad for the country. In terms of Conservative party leadership he has done a brilliant job. The Conservative party is punctuated by discipline. Whether this will last if the Conservatives were to become the governing party is open to conjecture. But for the time being he is doing well.

However, the politician of the decade has to be Tony Blair. Blair was a mastery of timing. He left at a time which was right for him. He was a consummate communicator; equally at home in intellectual circles as in the Commons. And most importantly he was an astute leader, who managed to keep the Labour party united during his period as leader whilst nullifying the left wing of the party. He made ideological mistakes and policy errors as far as I am concerned. Iraq was wrong. Deregulation was wrong. The gap between rich and poor has widened. However, he still managed to leave office largely loved by his party and heralded in the media.

So Tony Blair, you are without a doubt the politician of the decade. You may have been wrong on many issues but your political skills are unbelievably good. Congratulations, I’m sure my endorsement will mean a lot to you.

European Council President Chosen

So it looks like the European Council didn’t listen to me and decided to choose Mr Herman van Rompuy as ‘El Presidente’. Shame. The Belgian Prime Minister is quite clearly a consummate politician who has managed to stabilise to a certain extent, the long and punctuated divisions which exist in Belgium. Unfortunately though, he seems to have been chosen by the French and German governments because he will play the President-cum-Chair role. However van Rompuy may yet stop traffic in Washington and Beijing. Only time will tell.

So that leaves Tony Blair, the assumed favourite for the job at a loose end. That is not to say that he isn’t engaged in other projects. But having expressed an interest in this role, it is obvious he would like to return to front line politics in the near future. So what next then? How about this for an outside bet? Phil Wilson steps down from his Sedgefield constituency paving the way for a return to British politics for Blair. Together with Gordon Brown, they lead Labour into a fourth term of government. Prime Minister Brown and Chancellor of the Exchequer Blair lead Britain out of recession and into a prolonged period of sustainable growth…

No? I don’t think so either.