A statement from Blair’s office said that he “took the view then and is strongly of the view now that the programme of social and economic change under way in Saudi Arabia is of immense and positive importance to the region and the world … the relationship with Saudi Arabia is of critical strategic importance to the west, and that therefore staying engaged there is justified... The renewed engagement of the US and western nations with Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman illustrates why this decision was correct"
Tony Blair turns off commenting on all his UA-cam videos, which tells me that he doesn't appreciate free and open discussion and doesn't want people to read or share opinions of his material. He strikes me as someone who prefers to be left alone in his own little bubble with his own thoughts and ideas, surrounded by people who agree with him. That's an unhealthy way to be for someone who's supposed to be a political expert. "Listen to me, but I don't want to hear what you have to say".
Blair should apologise to the relatives of a million dead Iraqi’s and the parents of dead British soldiers, who haven’t got his extreme wealth-they have to crowd fund for justice. He should be standing trial at The Hague
He’s a war criminal. I’d spit on him if I found him on the street. There should be no rehabilitation. He ignored two million marchers begging him not to enter into the illegal war and he thought he knew better. He should be shamed the rest of his life.
I think the newer comments on this video explain why the UK is done. It's not the politicians, it's the people. The politicians reflect the people. For example, regardless of whether you hate the guy or not he was right then and has proved to be right now regarding Brexit, 4 years later. But all anyone can do is say how they won't listen to the man because they hate him. So we have a public that is doomed to fail because it can't listen to facts or logic as it is always clouded by emotion. This is the basis of populism and why it has been so successful in this country. Emotion masquerading as logic. The concept that two things can be true at the same time is baffling to this country (i.e. Blair can be bad and yet right at the same time). It's going to take a long time for our country to get back to a sort of logical thought process. I'm not holding my breath.
I think the person lacking logical thinking is you. The logical conclusion should be that he should be in prison. Then maybe, after he has served the sentence for taking our country to an illegal war where thousands died, and millions suffered horribly, and are still suffering, he can come back and give his opinions. But otherwise it's such a privileged position to tell everyone they are the problem, when you are still alive and not suffering.
Best Prime Minister you must be joking, Blair kept many of Thatcher’s laws and policies in place. Had he reversed them the UK would not have been in the mess it's in today.
Not really. Blair's govt were going to introduce PR but ignored it, they continued the privatisation of the NHS when they could have reversed it and somehow managed to build less council housing than the Tories
Simply disagreeing with Israel's actions will have you labelled as an Anti Semite. James joined the press demonisation of Corbyn over this very issue. He played right into their hands. He talks the talk but when it came to a real traditional Labour that would actually make a difference, he rejected it and now supporters Sir Kid Starver.
Everyone has the Wright too think and believe In what they like. The hole part of FREEDOM OF SPEECH is too say what you like .what a world it would be if we all agree.
@serverthanos9124 Difficult to forget that Blair should be serving a long prison service ( probably a ‘lifer ) , he is more ‘oily’ than BP and She’ll combined ).
We use Tony Blair as a verb to describe sellout in Canada. e.x. "Wow the NDP really pulled a Tony Blair, they'd do anything to get attention from corporate media!"
@@jamespaul6315 if you like needless wars and the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people so that the military industrial complex can make a few more dollars on top of their trillions.
@@bipolarminddroppings Invaded a country and decimated it with the premise of weapons of mass destruction he never found and without UN approval! How is that any different from what Putin is doing at Ukraine?
As much as I like JOB he really did go easy on Blair. If that had been a conservative in that chair then the interview would have been much more probing.
This was conducted in 2019 - JOB's job at that point was still very much about picking apart Brexit nonsense. Does seem this interview was done under that pretence, with a tiny bit of Iraq war thrown in because it would be absurd not to.
He just admitted it:We "we kow towed" to the Status Quo! Nothing will change until the "Estabishment" is held to account for it's disingenuity and contempt for anyone who questions the "official line"
He stiĺl continues to live while flag draped coffins of our servicemen served an illegal occupation. Isis, taliban and other terrorist groups replaced a sovereign dictator who was safer world than today.
The only man who has defeated the Tories in how many years? We shouldnt overlook what his government did manage to achieve and how bad things have been since they left power. Labour has a serious problem when it comes to chosing an electable leader that will appeal to centerists and floaters. Starmer may be the best of a bad bunch, but failure to win this time and labour may as well give up.
But he did that by becoming Tory Lite and - as Starmer now - feeding off huge anger and disappointment at the Tories. I think Thatcher said her best achievement was Blair's 'New Labour'.
You're ignoring that the media puts Labour at a huge disadvantage automatically. The overwhelming majority of major news publications in the UK is right wing and biased against Labour, usually clinging to any Labour scandal as long as possible while sweeping tory ones under the rug. People who read between the lines to find a balanced view of current affairs are few and far between.
@@eddieingalls534that quote from Thatcher is simply her playing politics. New Labour was not like the Conservatives at all, and it certainly wasn't one politician causing the whole rebrand.
Has anyone noticed that the EU is moving closer to increased federalism and closer to right wing policies? Most Brexitiers believe this to be dangerous and want no part of it. It's not just about making more money
Oh Tony, we know the truth, and all the lies you told, your interview should have been held at the Hague 😉 and being against Israeli aphartide is NOT anti semetic!
He'll pay for his crimes before his maker, no? Always reminds me of a man who's trying to justify the unjustifiable to fool himself. That smile is pure demonic.
Like him or loathe him Blair still speaks more sense than half of Westminster put together. He even predicts Johnson in this interview ie 'if Teresa May doesn't succeed they will go for a harder-Brexit supporting PM' (the interview is several yrs old for anyone who decides to start screeching at me)
The Iraq war was bad but I'll never forgive him for throwing away a once in a generation to radically change this country after the landslide in 1997. Instead we had another Tory government with a red flag stuck on top.
Thatcher once said that her biggest achievement in politics was Tony Blair. Meaning that, new labour meant the death of any real "left wing" party in Britain.
I'm quite surprised by this, absolutely disgusting for someone like James O'Brien who always talks with a voice of moral outrage to provide a platform for Blair's rehabilitation.
I can't agree. We should always be open to dialog, however strong your views. Shutting people down and not allowing them to be heard just leads to insinuation and half-truths. Better to hear what they have to say, even at the end of the day, if changes nothing. Also, this is from 2019.
@@MaterLacrymarum There's no obligation to assist in the rehabilitation of a war criminal by actively providing them a platform. Creating a platform for someone is not a neutral act, it is an active act of support and complicity. Moreover, even liberals like Karl Popper acknowledge the paradox of tolerance: tolerating intolerant views in society can end up undermining tolerance in society, or even ending it. So, in order to have a tolerant society, we must not tolerate intolerant views which would lead to the death of tolerant society. So that means some views _are_ beyond the pale, and should not be expressed in the context of civil society. I would include in this the views of a war criminal like Blair.
Blair kept on telling labour conference that we could not renationalise the railways because of the eu 4th rail package. The margin of 1% win for brexshit could have been Blair and browns fault for negating rail nationalisation resolutions from 97 to 2010 they turned parts of the the left away from the eu
It’s somewhat disappointing to see how comfortable James is around corrupt people such as Blair. Why didn’t he ask him about the millions of dollars given to him by such shady figures
If he had stayed out of Iraq and Afghanistan and not raided private sector pensions, Blair would on balance have been the best PM in living memory. Yes there were other things that people will rail against. But nothing on the scale of these items.
James pulling punches while talking to a war criminal is not what I was expecting or hoping for. Starstruck and weak at the knees. You should take up softball sir.
Best thing about this is the quote "When you decide you divide" and that was my biggest takeaway from Brexit - that democracy is much more about compromise and conversation than it is about voting. A vote decides but it also divides but the essence of democracy is to understand and respect and compromise.
Laudable sentiment. Often not much use in practice. much of the time, compromise sin't possible. You have to decide if, I don't. know, fox hunting is going to be legal or not. Sure, compromise and be inclusive when you can. But this sentiment doesn't help one bit when that isn't really an option.
While Tony was 'disappointed ' no weapons of mass destruction were found in Iran,, the rest of us were rather relieved. Rather revealing, dont you think?
Should be in jail for war crimes got the blood of millions of people on his hands took us into an illegal war and is treated like the best thing since sliced bread its sick
I have to say James is an excellent interviewer. It takes a lot of diplomacy to make your interviewee confront and comment on issues issues they'd rather ignore without feeling under attack.
One of them is the most successful prime minister of the last 30 years and the other has the one of the biggest radio audiences in the country, so it's hard to know what your issue is. If you want to get away from public schoolboys, you'd better emigrate.
Perhaps ( although i doubt it ) this Biden administration and their allies in the Republican party will one day be held accountable for the needless slaughter in the Ukraine proxy war.
How is criticising Isreal similar to Antisemitism? What kind of nonsense is this? Antisemitism has no place in any society. Ofcourse any one can criticise Isreal's policies.
All the other issues the EU posed which led to the Brexit vote, could have been mitigated by simply addressing the mass immigration issue, which people were chastised for being concerned about for decades, ever since Blair was in office. That 2015 surge with Merkel welcoming unlimited numbers was the final death knell. If immigration had been managed with a view to integration and to do that, means heavily limiting the numbers, I think we’d still be in the EU. Their tactic of simply shaming those with these concerns rather than addressing the problem got what you least wanted Tony, a majority voting to leave.
The point was Brexit was never going to deliver more control of our borders. Many remainers were with you on immigration. But less cooperation with France was not the answer. That was always going to lead to more illegal immigration
@@hmq9052 The question is why is there still an impasse in getting a handle on the sheer scale of immigration. It seems to continue unabated and remain the elephant in the room. While some remainers may have been concerned about immigration, I think it’s safe to say the majority of them are in favour of the scale we’ve seen and many would even enjoy seeing it increased.
@@TheFragilityOfIdeas I don't think so. I think they've seen the benefit of legal, skilled immigration and the benefits of legal, unskilled immigration to do the jobs we don't want to. We could cap it any time we wanted to in the EU. We often didn't do that because our economy was benefitting.
I think that the first 5 years or so of Blair's premiership was a big success with a lot of achievements (bare in mind that the Tories opposed many of their policies that went on to be successful), while the second 5 years or so was certainly not a success with the disastrous decision to invade Iraq and other blunders. However I'd imagine that Blair himself would view the second 5 years as more succesful than the first, as he was 'bolder' - quite a few of the policies during the 1997-2001 first term were already established before he came party leader in 1994.
Blair has a lot to answer for on his watch immigration and public spending went out of control. Twenty years on we are still dealing with issues from the his era and then off course the issue of Iraq.
@@randle-s9y Agree, Starmer will have no money to spend. Blair was very lucky taking over very low public debt. If Starmer starts spending the financial markets will do what they did to Liz Truss.
One thing that I found disturbing was his reference to "When I was in Power." It was only later in the interview when he referred to himself as "Leader of the Party" (Depending on the consequence of the answer).
I thought he was quite blunt with him actually. Similar to his radio show really. Or do you refuse to believe working class people can be ignorant or bigoted?
@@HopeIsFleeting doubtless ignorance exists in all strata, but O’Brien is demonstrably rude and prejudiced to who he perceives are an worthless underclass whilst time and time again behaving in an obsequious manner to war criminals who share his neoliberal ideology .I’m tired of his hypocrisy .
I won't disregard everything Tony Blair says because of Iraq. Tony is a very intelligent, articulate man. However, he should be taking part in this interview from a jail cell.
His point around 9 minutes in is absolutely spot on. Its ok though, we can spend £350m a week extra on the NHS and take back control, make our own rules and so on.
I listen to you regularly James. You are normally spot-on with your political views. This was far from that. You would rather be kind to a war criminal than a man who wanted radical change to the corrupt system we currently live under. You're not the man I thought you were. My expectations need to be lowered again.
@@SenorPenor1337How long did it take you to realise cutting public services wasn't sustainable? Was it the Surestarts for single mums, scrapping crisis loans for the unemployed or when your village green stopped getting cut?
I think part of the reason Brexit happened was because it was obvious the referendum was held on a false premise. It was absolutely obvious the outcome that the government wanted. But they held it, pretending they were giving people a choice with every intention of swaying it it favour of what they wanted. Cameron’s world tour of slagging off his own country made me vote leave. I would never have voted leave without that. Blair summed it up perfectly by accident. Politicians think they know best and only ask the electorate because they have to. Brexit was probably a the biggest F-off in history. Weirdly Mrs May was probably the only person in government that seemed to understand that.
It’s nice to see James beaming with smiles & cheeky laughter (…makes it obvious it’s an old recording - amid all the doom & gloom of present day recordings!) 😩😏🤣 I must admit, I benefited considerably from Blair’s New Labour government (especially in my later teenage years). However, I resented him during, and campaigned against, the Iraq invasion - and couldn’t believe what we were getting into. It was a horrible situation, and a horrible decision that rightly still bothers him. I do believe, though, in listening to him, and appreciate the insight he has to offer and the magnitude of the job he had. Thanks for sharing this interview, I did enjoy it 🙏🏻
He's smiling because they're sparring politically and he finds it intellectually stimulating. I understand you may never have experienced such feelings.
It feels like you don't mention that this interview is from four years ago in the title or at the start of the video because less people would watch it. Seems a bit disengenuous to hide the date at the bottom of the description that you only see if you click "show more" The only reason I clicked is to hear a new interview, I don't want to hear them discussing what Teresa May might do in parliament.
O'Brien really missed an opportunity to explore whether Blairs decision to go to war was built on deceipt or not, and turned into "are you liked abroad or not". Christ.
Best leader labour have had in 40 years, would never vote for him due to a number of issues such as multi cultural policies, the euro etc but you can see he’s sincere and right on a number of issues such as Israel, education
Watching Blair defend Israel shows how successful their campaign to label ANY criticism of Israel as anti-Semitic has been. Pathetic.
Blair is pulling the strings in the Labour party as we speak.
What they did to Corbyn was criminal, Blair is the ultimate sell out
@@b00ts4ndc4ts
Explain.
(You appear to be very well-connected, poppet)
@@robertcottam8824 you better believe it sweet heart.
@@b00ts4ndc4ts
Not without anymore evidence than a ‘crank off the internet’…
No. That would make my approach as absurd as yours.
Nice to see him take some time off accepting millions from oligarchs and dictators to participate in this interview
You would if you could.
@@orangewarm1 nope. Not all humans are crooked and I'm sorry you've formed this view on life
This was made in 2019, 4 years ago...
Couldn't agree more! The man is quite mendacious
A statement from Blair’s office said that he “took the view then and is strongly of the view now that the programme of social and economic change under way in Saudi Arabia is of immense and positive importance to the region and the world … the relationship with Saudi Arabia is of critical strategic importance to the west, and that therefore staying engaged there is justified... The renewed engagement of the US and western nations with Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman illustrates why this decision was correct"
Tony Blair turns off commenting on all his UA-cam videos, which tells me that he doesn't appreciate free and open discussion and doesn't want people to read or share opinions of his material. He strikes me as someone who prefers to be left alone in his own little bubble with his own thoughts and ideas, surrounded by people who agree with him. That's an unhealthy way to be for someone who's supposed to be a political expert. "Listen to me, but I don't want to hear what you have to say".
Unless it's absolutely unavoidable, Politicians will never admit to having made a mistake.
That's true of almost all people.
Yeah you could apply that to any internet forum or comment section.
Blair should apologise to the relatives of a million dead Iraqi’s and the parents of dead British soldiers, who haven’t got his extreme wealth-they have to crowd fund for justice.
He should be standing trial at The Hague
People tend to forget his government negotiated peace in northern Ireland. A very significant achievement.
And then he sacked the incredible woman who achieved it (Mo Molan) and his croney took credit. Charming.
There's no point in giving with one hand and then taking away with the other.
True, but we’re biologically hardwired to remember the negative. Iraq was a huge mistake, but he delivered Scottish devolution.
His government just happened to be present when peace became possible.
I would have thought the people who fought for 40 years were more responsible
He’s a war criminal. I’d spit on him if I found him on the street. There should be no rehabilitation. He ignored two million marchers begging him not to enter into the illegal war and he thought he knew better. He should be shamed the rest of his life.
Don’t spit. It’s disgusting.
@@robertcottam8824so is he
War criminal? Really?…wasn’t he involved in getting rid of a tyrannical war criminal?
You ignore the 45 million cheering him on from their armchairs
Unfortunately it wasn't illegal & he is not legally a war criminal but he should be.
I think the newer comments on this video explain why the UK is done. It's not the politicians, it's the people. The politicians reflect the people. For example, regardless of whether you hate the guy or not he was right then and has proved to be right now regarding Brexit, 4 years later. But all anyone can do is say how they won't listen to the man because they hate him. So we have a public that is doomed to fail because it can't listen to facts or logic as it is always clouded by emotion. This is the basis of populism and why it has been so successful in this country. Emotion masquerading as logic. The concept that two things can be true at the same time is baffling to this country (i.e. Blair can be bad and yet right at the same time).
It's going to take a long time for our country to get back to a sort of logical thought process. I'm not holding my breath.
Quite right
I think the person lacking logical thinking is you. The logical conclusion should be that he should be in prison. Then maybe, after he has served the sentence for taking our country to an illegal war where thousands died, and millions suffered horribly, and are still suffering, he can come back and give his opinions. But otherwise it's such a privileged position to tell everyone they are the problem, when you are still alive and not suffering.
@@mspacific1550 you’re exactly the type of person in the uk I’m talking about. Thanks.
@@mspacific1550 and the man(Blair) is still actively at it…spreading his poison
@@SuperALBSURE Sorry if informed people like me are a problem for you and your fellow apologists.
The Iraq War destroyed his legacy. Without that he'd be remembered as the best PM since war era Churchill, but he's made his bed.
Best Prime Minister you must be joking, Blair kept many of Thatcher’s laws and policies in place. Had he reversed them the UK would not have been in the mess it's in today.
Not really. Blair's govt were going to introduce PR but ignored it, they continued the privatisation of the NHS when they could have reversed it and somehow managed to build less council housing than the Tories
@@keithparker1346Well it would've been worse under Labo--- oh... It wasn't though was it?
@@alfsmith4936 what would have been worse?
😂😂😂😂😂😂
3/4 in. No mention of the Pandora papers. Come on James.
Also, criticizing Israel's apartheid state does not make one an antisemite.
It does, because powerful zionists say it does.
Simply disagreeing with Israel's actions will have you labelled as an Anti Semite. James joined the press demonisation of Corbyn over this very issue. He played right into their hands.
He talks the talk but when it came to a real traditional Labour that would actually make a difference, he rejected it and now supporters Sir Kid Starver.
No mention of pandora papers because...
This interview was in 05/03/2019.
Pandora papers was in 03/10/2021.
@@philwill0123 fair enough.
Funny how much genuinely nicer O'Brien is when talking to someone he largely agrees with.
Everyone has the Wright too think and believe In what they like. The hole part of FREEDOM OF SPEECH is too say what you like .what a world it would be if we all agree.
Aren't we all like that?
@serverthanos9124 He was responsible for the deaths of thousands of people. Nobody noticed Brexit.
He would always agree with 'CHARLES LYNTON'.
@serverthanos9124 Difficult to forget that Blair should be serving a long prison service ( probably a ‘lifer ) , he is more ‘oily’ than BP and She’ll combined ).
We use Tony Blair as a verb to describe sellout in Canada.
e.x. "Wow the NDP really pulled a Tony Blair, they'd do anything to get attention from corporate media!"
What’s it like there, having to use pronouns you don’t believe in?
Blair was a great pm though
@@johnnunn8688What's it like being deaf, dumb and blind?
@@jamespaul6315 if you like needless wars and the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people so that the military industrial complex can make a few more dollars on top of their trillions.
What does the verb Trudeau describe???
Bojo and his pals should be in prison
Yes comrade, let's build that gulag for everyone who does not align with our ideology
And Blair shouldn’t? 🤡🤡🤡
@@jeffsimon9594 Nothing to do with ideology, it's to do with Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson actually breaking actual laws.
@@ogribiker8535 And your Tony DIDN'T??
@@dougierobertson6358 In what court was he found guilty and for what crime?
Loved Blair but he clearly still hasn't quite resolved in his head the disaster that was Iraq as being his legacy.
How can you be so comfortable with that person? He should be in Jail for what he did to Iraq.
What? Liberated them from one of the most brutal dictators in history? Yeah, what a crime!
@@bipolarminddroppings Invaded a country and decimated it with the premise of weapons of mass destruction he never found and without UN approval! How is that any different from what Putin is doing at Ukraine?
At the cost of over 1m iraqis.
Worst decision ever made. It was thuggery and illegal and horrific. Puke
Agreed
THIS INTERVIEW IS SEVERAL YEARS OLD.
yyyyyyes, as it said in the description. Why shout about it?
@@JT-si6bl nooo...there is no message to that effect on my Android screen. Anywhere. In any section. Lucky you!✌️
Thats pretty obvious in the first 30 seconds.
There is no need to shout about it.
Obviously!
Unless O'Brien has lost 30 Pounds overnight, that much is obvious 🙄
As much as I like JOB he really did go easy on Blair. If that had been a conservative in that chair then the interview would have been much more probing.
Who would have thought?
Why didn't he ask him about 'CHARLES LYNTON'??
Of course he did, he’s the most mindlessly pro labour political commentator out there.
Was that sarcasm?
J O’B is a Tory!
This was conducted in 2019 - JOB's job at that point was still very much about picking apart Brexit nonsense. Does seem this interview was done under that pretence, with a tiny bit of Iraq war thrown in because it would be absurd not to.
He just admitted it:We "we kow towed" to the Status Quo! Nothing will change until the "Estabishment" is held to account for it's disingenuity and contempt for anyone who questions the "official line"
He stiĺl continues to live while flag draped coffins of our servicemen served an illegal occupation. Isis, taliban and other terrorist groups replaced a sovereign dictator who was safer world than today.
The only man who has defeated the Tories in how many years? We shouldnt overlook what his government did manage to achieve and how bad things have been since they left power. Labour has a serious problem when it comes to chosing an electable leader that will appeal to centerists and floaters. Starmer may be the best of a bad bunch, but failure to win this time and labour may as well give up.
all they achieved was to flood the uk with immigrants
But he did that by becoming Tory Lite and - as Starmer now - feeding off huge anger and disappointment at the Tories. I think Thatcher said her best achievement was Blair's 'New Labour'.
Well, he was allowed to defeat them bh the powers that....
You're ignoring that the media puts Labour at a huge disadvantage automatically. The overwhelming majority of major news publications in the UK is right wing and biased against Labour, usually clinging to any Labour scandal as long as possible while sweeping tory ones under the rug. People who read between the lines to find a balanced view of current affairs are few and far between.
@@eddieingalls534that quote from Thatcher is simply her playing politics. New Labour was not like the Conservatives at all, and it certainly wasn't one politician causing the whole rebrand.
Has anyone noticed that the EU is moving closer to increased federalism and closer to right wing policies?
Most Brexitiers believe this to be dangerous and want no part of it.
It's not just about making more money
I never thought Tony Blair would get let off by James so easily.
Seriously?
Why? He agrees with Blair unanimously.
@palerider955 How on Earth is he "anti-Britain"?
Both Catholics
He’s on the same page as Blair-a Neo-Liberal.
Oh Tony, we know the truth, and all the lies you told, your interview should have been held at the Hague 😉 and being against Israeli aphartide is NOT anti semetic!
Agree
He'll pay for his crimes before his maker, no? Always reminds me of a man who's trying to justify the unjustifiable to fool himself. That smile is pure demonic.
He changed to being a Catholic so he could get absolution for his sins.
War criminal, let's get that right first.
Like him or loathe him Blair still speaks more sense than half of Westminster put together. He even predicts Johnson in this interview ie 'if Teresa May doesn't succeed they will go for a harder-Brexit supporting PM' (the interview is several yrs old for anyone who decides to start screeching at me)
Best PM since Churchill
"Half"?
I could go to 75% maybe . . . ?@@Ashok_Regiment
The Iraq war was bad but I'll never forgive him for throwing away a once in a generation to radically change this country after the landslide in 1997. Instead we had another Tory government with a red flag stuck on top.
Yeah so much worse than mass obliteration and death isn't it
Obama did the same in 08
Thatcher once said that her biggest achievement in politics was Tony Blair. Meaning that, new labour meant the death of any real "left wing" party in Britain.
And being a Tory in disguise is what kept him in power for 11 years, we never seem to learn.
I would be happy if he were given the chance to speak, at his war crimes trial.
😂😂😂
100 PERCENT,YES PLEASE
He's not a war criminal. look up the definition of it. Hussain 100% was, however.
@@ukbloke28 Hence my suggestion of a trial.
I'm quite surprised by this, absolutely disgusting for someone like James O'Brien who always talks with a voice of moral outrage to provide a platform for Blair's rehabilitation.
I can't agree. We should always be open to dialog, however strong your views. Shutting people down and not allowing them to be heard just leads to insinuation and half-truths. Better to hear what they have to say, even at the end of the day, if changes nothing. Also, this is from 2019.
This is an old interview right. Maybe he might act differently today.
and if James O'Brien wouldn't do this interview today, instead of 2019, he should come out and apologise for it.
@@MaterLacrymarum There's no obligation to assist in the rehabilitation of a war criminal by actively providing them a platform. Creating a platform for someone is not a neutral act, it is an active act of support and complicity.
Moreover, even liberals like Karl Popper acknowledge the paradox of tolerance: tolerating intolerant views in society can end up undermining tolerance in society, or even ending it. So, in order to have a tolerant society, we must not tolerate intolerant views which would lead to the death of tolerant society. So that means some views _are_ beyond the pale, and should not be expressed in the context of civil society. I would include in this the views of a war criminal like Blair.
Partial Disclosure with James O'brien
Blair kept on telling labour conference that we could not renationalise the railways because of the eu 4th rail package. The margin of 1% win for brexshit could have been Blair and browns fault for negating rail nationalisation resolutions from 97 to 2010 they turned parts of the the left away from the eu
He's collecting the dividends from his decisions now though in the form of oligarch donations, so I don't think he cares for the criticism
It’s somewhat disappointing to see how comfortable James is around corrupt people such as Blair. Why didn’t he ask him about the millions of dollars given to him by such shady figures
Why is it corrupt to earn money?
great interview. thank you
If he had stayed out of Iraq and Afghanistan and not raided private sector pensions, Blair would on balance have been the best PM in living memory. Yes there were other things that people will rail against. But nothing on the scale of these items.
Blair didn't invade Iraq a coalition of over 40 different countries did He did however play a major role in bringing peace to northern Ireland
But we did invade Iraq - based on dodgy "intelligence" that was rejected by the UN.
Also were are you getting 40 countries from? That's obviously made up.
And you think Bobby Sands would’ve supported that surrender? His own sister said he wouldn’t and her clan never would.
Nonsense bush invaded iraq we just went along with it because he had promised bush the rest of the troops was miniscule in comparison
Yes he did. Those are weasel words from a weasel.
James pulling punches while talking to a war criminal is not what I was expecting or hoping for. Starstruck and weak at the knees. You should take up softball sir.
Obrien is in awe of this murderer.
Both Catholics
What a music star......he adopted politics so well. The change over was seamless 👍 may you sit on the scales of judgment when your cold heart stops
I enjoyed this conversation
JOB’s expression looks like a sixth former meeting his political hero. Sick.
Best thing about this is the quote "When you decide you divide" and that was my biggest takeaway from Brexit - that democracy is much more about compromise and conversation than it is about voting. A vote decides but it also divides but the essence of democracy is to understand and respect and compromise.
Thatcher did pretty well for 11 years under the ethos of "conviction not compromise", "the lady's not for turning", etc
@@seamuspadraigsanders431 yea exactly, especially when Liz Truss brought your world leading economy to new heights
So don’t ever vote on anything😂😂😂
@@lestrem11 obviously not the answer, but if a vote is so decided, hear both sides and find a compromise
Laudable sentiment. Often not much use in practice. much of the time, compromise sin't possible. You have to decide if, I don't. know, fox hunting is going to be legal or not. Sure, compromise and be inclusive when you can. But this sentiment doesn't help one bit when that isn't really an option.
We all have our opinions on Mr Blair’s actions, but you have to admit, he is a very astute politician.
conman
I think you getting astute mixed up with conniving, treacherous and sinister 😂
crafty liar you mean?
So a highly capable liar then.
War criminal
James, I don’t understand how you can sit there and shake this mass murderer’s blood soaked hands 🩸
Because Blair is a centerist and not Corbyn.
@@TMan786 that’s irrelevant
@@Salman_Saho Then what's the explanation?
@@TMan786 His political spot on the spectrum should have little bearing on his moral compass.
@@TMan786 I just posted it but they deleted it
Why is this only being released now on youtube, we needed this at the time not behind a paywall
It was always free. It's a podcast episode.
While Tony was 'disappointed ' no weapons of mass destruction were found in Iran,, the rest of us were rather relieved.
Rather revealing, dont you think?
Should be in jail for war crimes got the blood of millions of people on his hands took us into an illegal war and is treated like the best thing since sliced bread its sick
I am shocket to see ,James let him getaway so easy with Iraq😮 and beeming like a fan boy
I have to say James is an excellent interviewer. It takes a lot of diplomacy to make your interviewee confront and comment on issues issues they'd rather ignore without feeling under attack.
Look at these smug private school boys thinking they have a clue about people in this country
One of them is the most successful prime minister of the last 30 years and the other has the one of the biggest radio audiences in the country, so it's hard to know what your issue is. If you want to get away from public schoolboys, you'd better emigrate.
As an American, it's quite enjoyable to see former politicians held appropriately accountable. Cheers!
If it was appropriate he'd be in prison
You think a interview is being held accountable he should be in prison for a very long time
There's no mug shot of Blair like there is of Trump. We've not quite held him to account yet for Dr Kelly's "suicide"
Perhaps ( although i doubt it ) this Biden administration and their allies in the Republican party will one day be held accountable for the needless slaughter in the Ukraine proxy war.
appropriate would be this taking place at the Hague... but that's for non white people.
How is criticising Isreal similar to Antisemitism? What kind of nonsense is this? Antisemitism has no place in any society. Ofcourse any one can criticise Isreal's policies.
I mean, he literally said as much.
great interview
throughly enjoyed
All the other issues the EU posed which led to the Brexit vote, could have been mitigated by simply addressing the mass immigration issue, which people were chastised for being concerned about for decades, ever since Blair was in office. That 2015 surge with Merkel welcoming unlimited numbers was the final death knell. If immigration had been managed with a view to integration and to do that, means heavily limiting the numbers, I think we’d still be in the EU. Their tactic of simply shaming those with these concerns rather than addressing the problem got what you least wanted Tony, a majority voting to leave.
And this is why you need to be out. The EU can't function with rabid xenophobes. Please stay on your Island and watch what happens without migriation.
The point was Brexit was never going to deliver more control of our borders. Many remainers were with you on immigration. But less cooperation with France was not the answer. That was always going to lead to more illegal immigration
@@hmq9052 The question is why is there still an impasse in getting a handle on the sheer scale of immigration. It seems to continue unabated and remain the elephant in the room. While some remainers may have been concerned about immigration, I think it’s safe to say the majority of them are in favour of the scale we’ve seen and many would even enjoy seeing it increased.
@@TheFragilityOfIdeas I don't think so. I think they've seen the benefit of legal, skilled immigration and the benefits of legal, unskilled immigration to do the jobs we don't want to. We could cap it any time we wanted to in the EU. We often didn't do that because our economy was benefitting.
@@TheFragilityOfIdeasbecause capitalism needs cheap labour.
Have you not worked that out that?
Came for the black and white view of this man you guys did not disappoint
People really forgetting what a scumbag saddam was 😂
JOB flirting and fawning like a smitten but lightly argumentative schoolgirl.
How refreshing to hear an interview where there is a proper discussion, and genuine listening on both sides.
Why was the obvious question not asked; Why aren't you in The Hague Mr. Blair?
Because the answer is obvious. "6 inquiries, cleared 6 times."
@@sama2086 Cleared by who? Not the ICC.
We also joined the EEC without knowing what it meant.
Sorry, but the sight of him still makes me nauseous. Can't sit through this.
Both of them
Then don’t, poppet.
I shudder to think what you’re doing to your blood pressure.🩸
@@robertcottam8824I’d make yours rise
@@petelawless811
I don’t think you’re quite my type, darling. Kind of you to offer, though.
Have you tried the docks?
Why are LBC recently reuploading old interviews?
Because they're out of ideas...
I’d trust Tony Blair to sort Britain out better than anyone else in politics at the moment.
take your medicine
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
What a ridiculous thing to say he should be in prison for his war crimes
Yes and you're the reason we ended up with Boris.
Absolutely. Couldn't agree more. Despite Iraq, as a politician, he would tie this current lot in knots before he's even had breakfast.
Blair was in Palestinian for 3 + years, and all he is done is got retch from israeli money 💰 and Palestinian are still dying
I think that the first 5 years or so of Blair's premiership was a big success with a lot of achievements (bare in mind that the Tories opposed many of their policies that went on to be successful), while the second 5 years or so was certainly not a success with the disastrous decision to invade Iraq and other blunders. However I'd imagine that Blair himself would view the second 5 years as more succesful than the first, as he was 'bolder' - quite a few of the policies during the 1997-2001 first term were already established before he came party leader in 1994.
Blair has a lot to answer for on his watch immigration and public spending went out of control. Twenty years on we are still dealing with issues from the his era and then off course the issue of Iraq.
I actually agree.
Steady growth plus a fiscal surplus.
It all went t!ts pretty quickly afterwards though
@@randle-s9yHe found it easy to become very popular while spending our money.
@@VincentRE79 inherited a very healthy economy from the tories.
Starmer will be taking on a basket case
@@randle-s9y Agree, Starmer will have no money to spend. Blair was very lucky taking over very low public debt. If Starmer starts spending the financial markets will do what they did to Liz Truss.
He didn't listen to David Kelly,,,when you Look into Blair,s eyes what do you see?
Love thoee cute little smiles James beams to his evil hero
Tony your great actor, he pulls or his senses to make himself looks like a genuine human, serial killer.
Weapons of mass destruction. Bullocks.
It’s important we take a moment to remember the real victim of the Iraq War. Tony Blair.
James O’Brien was too soft this interview
Sadam Hussain might have had an opinion on that
@@andrewashdown3541, sense the tone 😊
David Kelly.
yh poor tony Blair, he only made about £100+million after the war. how can he put food on his family with that???
How can this interview be recent? I.e within 3 months before 28 August 2023?
Sir Tony Blair Lord of war
One thing that I found disturbing was his reference to "When I was in Power." It was only later in the interview when he referred to himself as "Leader of the Party" (Depending on the consequence of the answer).
James O'Brien seems to be taking a break here from bullying ordinary working class callers, instead he bows and scrapes to a war criminal
I thought he was quite blunt with him actually. Similar to his radio show really. Or do you refuse to believe working class people can be ignorant or bigoted?
@@HopeIsFleeting doubtless ignorance exists in all strata, but O’Brien is demonstrably rude and prejudiced to who he perceives are an worthless underclass whilst time and time again behaving in an obsequious manner to war criminals who share his neoliberal ideology .I’m tired of his hypocrisy .
George Bernard Shaw wrote " Politics is the last refuge of a scoundrel". As true today as it was 100 years ogo
He hasn't aged well! That's what dealing with the devil will do to you! Lots of innocent lost lives hanging around his neck
Aged well? He's 70 for goodness sake
@@LeComtedeSaintDomingue stevenhunter is clearly ignorant of what 70 year olds actually look like.
Don't worry you got the dealing with the devil part right
The price of joining the dark side of the force
I won't disregard everything Tony Blair says because of Iraq. Tony is a very intelligent, articulate man. However, he should be taking part in this interview from a jail cell.
His point around 9 minutes in is absolutely spot on. Its ok though, we can spend £350m a week extra on the NHS and take back control, make our own rules and so on.
Not long before he claims the NHS has WMD.
By the time we got our subsidies back etc we were actually spending £140 million a week.
I listen to you regularly James. You are normally spot-on with your political views. This was far from that. You would rather be kind to a war criminal than a man who wanted radical change to the corrupt system we currently live under. You're not the man I thought you were. My expectations need to be lowered again.
Spot on
Still has that rictus grin I see.
The UK was a much stronger country with Blair as PM.
Tbh we were even doing alright with Cameron... until he sold everyone out with Brexit
The stench of corruption was very strong.
@@SenorPenor1337 Austerity!!! how did that work out? The only thing it achieved was cutting every service in this country to the bone!!!
@@SenorPenor1337How long did it take you to realise cutting public services wasn't sustainable? Was it the Surestarts for single mums, scrapping crisis loans for the unemployed or when your village green stopped getting cut?
@@SenorPenor1337how he is the rat that gave away the country’s power to unelected criminals in Europe
I think part of the reason Brexit happened was because it was obvious the referendum was held on a false premise.
It was absolutely obvious the outcome that the government wanted. But they held it, pretending they were giving people a choice with every intention of swaying it it favour of what they wanted.
Cameron’s world tour of slagging off his own country made me vote leave. I would never have voted leave without that. Blair summed it up perfectly by accident. Politicians think they know best and only ask the electorate because they have to. Brexit was probably a the biggest F-off in history. Weirdly Mrs May was probably the only person in government that seemed to understand that.
Corbyn was a lifelong supporter of Brexit - hence his lukewarm remain performance in the referendum campaign.
Nice James O’Brien giving Tony a pass
James you look thinner than I imagined your radio persona
It’s nice to see James beaming with smiles & cheeky laughter (…makes it obvious it’s an old recording - amid all the doom & gloom of present day recordings!) 😩😏🤣
I must admit, I benefited considerably from Blair’s New Labour government (especially in my later teenage years). However, I resented him during, and campaigned against, the Iraq invasion - and couldn’t believe what we were getting into. It was a horrible situation, and a horrible decision that rightly still bothers him.
I do believe, though, in listening to him, and appreciate the insight he has to offer and the magnitude of the job he had.
Thanks for sharing this interview, I did enjoy it 🙏🏻
He's smiling because they're sparring politically and he finds it intellectually stimulating. I understand you may never have experienced such feelings.
I couldn’t think of a worse pairing
James is one of the best but Blair should be in jail for war crimes.
@MrRailjunkie James puts a front on!!! it pays a mortgage and private school.
@@MrRailjunkie he is a coward who couldn't debate a cabbage.
2004 was the end of our country .and yes they did damage our way of life ..and itwas your fault .blair the butcher of Iraq.
Blair is a prize shyster, he has all the predictive power of the Oracle of Delphi. Also I understand his son is now worth £74M
First 4 years he did a great job. But after that.....
For all ,said about Blair , he’s one of the best liars in the political arena..
We have often seen the common sock gap but to see the lesser spotted shirt button gap is a privilege indeed ✨
Its funny that his next door neighbour is Paul Oakenfold -- who is about 5 times richer than Blair, with the theme from Big Brother.
the guy who composed tubular bells
Mike Oldfield created Tubular Bells.
Thought James O'Brien was going to start crying at some point....HAHAHAHAHAH
Thought I could watch this, but NO.
WHY and HOW can anyone listen to this man (or Bush)?
I wonder if cameraman would be able to check the picture and suggest Sir Anthony to get his shirt in order
The EU has always been the favourite scapegoat of the hard of thinking.
It feels like you don't mention that this interview is from four years ago in the title or at the start of the video because less people would watch it. Seems a bit disengenuous to hide the date at the bottom of the description that you only see if you click "show more" The only reason I clicked is to hear a new interview, I don't want to hear them discussing what Teresa May might do in parliament.
History will be much kinder to Blair than the UA-cam comments section...
I doubt it
Why a war criminal still given a platform.
O'Brien really missed an opportunity to explore whether Blairs decision to go to war was built on deceipt or not, and turned into "are you liked abroad or not". Christ.
One of biggest war criminal in the world
I couldn't think of a worser room to sit in. 🤮🤮
I love the Guy and will forever do.
Best leader labour have had in 40 years, would never vote for him due to a number of issues such as multi cultural policies, the euro etc but you can see he’s sincere and right on a number of issues such as Israel, education
Even with his criminal record??? 'CHARLES LYNTON' corruption 1st class!
Hes wrong on Israel 😂
Sorry to admit how distracting the shirt gap is