Like the British soldiers in Iraq,Tony Blair put on a brave face as he took on the danger of a heart operation with a smile and " I'll be back for another five years".
Well, I suppose he might have come out of the operation in the hospital equivalent of a body bag if the operation had gone wrong but I doubt that there was any possibility of that. It was pretty obvious that the most serious thing about it was the associated spin. I doubt that the danger was any more real than the urgency to perform the operation so soon after the conference. After the final curtain on this years conference had fallen we were presented with the heart scare to pull in the simple and the not so simple. And it worked ! Efficacious publicity announcing his retirement and the insidious manipulation of the Iraq war dissenters. Blair's secret weapon on standby in case things didn't go well at the conference ? And although it didn't go brilliantly for Blair, it was all his "behind the scene" team could have hoped for. The idea of a convenient heart attack is nothing new in the world of politics. They are as deliberate as moments of politic- sexual indiscretion are deliberate and not one off mistakes of judgement they would have us believe.
There is something about Blair's expression and face which gives the impression that he isn't telling the truth . As regards Iraq he certainly didn't. It is a pity that he has a slight caste in his eye. This makes him look shifty but I will leave you to decide whether it is genuine shiftiness or the misfortunate natural eye caste inherited from an ancestor. Most people think that he has a fascinating charisma which makes me question my sensibilities because I find him completely lacking in any kind of charismatic leadership.

I wouldn't put anything past this guy . A man who creates a spurious reason to take Britain into a war which keeps the coffin makers wealthy and the tears flowing down the cheeks of weeping mothers and grieving wives and yet believes that his decision to commit the country to war was justified, is not man to be respected for his integrity. Blair's " protecting the world from terrorism " is a noble sentiment condoned only by his own hubristic arrogance, fuelled by his megalomania and endorsed by "Tony's cronies." and esoteric neophytes. If there is something extraordinary about Blair it is his ability for self deception. He is the Prime Minister of England and Bush is the President of the United States. They are referred to as being the most powerful men in the world .They might have the most powerful jobs but as leaders of men, their power comes not from within but from their appointment obtained by any means both fair and foul. Take away the power represented by their positions and what do we have leaders? No way . What we have is a president who took power by fraudulently manipulating the voting system with what is the real power behind the presidential throne, money. Then we have the a prime minister with the English equivalent via the academic pathway of Oxford and Cambridge which still has the edge on any other academic institutions. Even if Blair has the money now ( a 2.6 million pound house) he certainly didn't have it before he was Prime Minister .

So New Labour's conference circus is over until 2005. Blair the ring master gave a performance lacking in his usual instant "spray on sparkle" and very much in the shadow of Gordon Brown who outshone him and gave a genuine impression of what being a politician should really be like even if we are in the 21st century. But then who is interested in political virtual reality when one can have the virtual fantasy version performed by the main clowns who enter the ring . Most notable being side kick Prescott who excelled himself with his performance of mediocrity. I suppose when you have the choice of driving one of two Jaguars , live in an expensive luxury house and eat at expensive restaurants as well as the favourite fish and chip shops and the "fritto misto" knocked up at home ,you lose the anger of deprivation which motivated your youth . Tony Blair didn't suffer from this anger , his motivation was more middle class illusion which made him believe that he was something special. Perhaps he was but not because he was a really special person, more that he was the chosen puppet operated by the strings pulled by that section of the Oxbridge establishment which began to control the foundations of what was old labour. Not very different from another section of the Oxbridge establishment which became the new force behind the Conservatives which is probably why there is little difference between the two parties. Labour or Conservative undergraduates powered by egos and a thirst for the same celebrity status that the contestants of big brother styled programmes. No wonder the world is in such a mess. Without the genuine altruism there can only be political confusion and mayhem , something of which we have a large international and national surfeit.

If Mr Blair thought that Iraq was going to dissolve into the mists which are rising from the political autumn of 2004, he was very much mistaken. He must feel that he is living in a permanent nightmare . That is unless his personal distortion of reality is so far advanced that he cannot see the truth. History has a long list of people who made decisions based on their own warped perception of things . Royal families didn't have a good track record which is why so many of them disappeared.

After the Royals came the people ( mostly men) who had a similar style as Mr Blair's messianic visionary presentation . In the middle ages, thousands of witches were burnt all over Europe with a similar passion . The witches of Salem were persecuted by zealous people who convinced themselves that the hand of god guided their actions. Like Blair, the witch finders were convinced that their decisions were righteous as opposed to an evil represented by their actions. As late as early in the 20th century, fools, who happened to be high ranking generals, made decisions that were death warrants for the rank and file soldiers. Whole regiments were annihilated by decisions which were based on decisions which were not only wrong but evil in intent and expedition . When Lord Curling took on the Zulus in the 19th century, his ignorance and stupidity wiped out a battalion of brave soldiers who had to accept orders even though it was certain death. Likewise, Lord Raglan at the charge of the light brigade sent his trusting officers and men to their certain death while he drank champagne in the safety of his tent well away from the battlefield.

Another form of delusion practised by American quacks who sold medicinal panaceas from soap boxes . They too used a similar messianic style as they told lies and peddled useless medicines to the trusting public . Perhaps more than anyone, Blair resembles these soap box orators who at least extemporised and wrote their own scripts which is more than today's politician does. The great politicians of the past wrote their own words. Today's politicians have speech writers who draft the speeches so that the politicians can then perform as actors. How could it be otherwise if they don't write the words.? An actor makes the audience believe in the words which have no permanent significance for him. And yet he tries to persuade the public to believe that his lies are ideas of substance and conviction. Tony Blair is a political chameleon he has no fixed philosophy other than what can I say to get votes. He is a fairly good amateur actor but many, who can interpret body language, thought his speech contained subliminal insincerity, was full of sophistry and specious arguments that lacked logic. Blair's " almost an apology" conference 2004 speech, informed us that he made decisions based on incorrect intelligence from the FBI who informed the MI6 who in turn advised the government. That way Blair can say " I acted upon bad information which wasn't my fault." Who is to say that the bad information wasn't deliberately fed to the government agencies by the politicians via circuitous means, so that they could then advise the government who would then be able to justify the war. Bush and Blair might have been given flawed information but that doesn't eliminate the possibility that they knew they had been fed false information. If Blair and Bush really believed the Bullshit that they and their close associates released for public consumption, then they have no right to have the top jobs which gives them the power to go to war.
Unfortunately there are no politicians waiting in the wings with the necessary qualifications of real leadership. I am sure there are such men but the mediocrities who run establishment politics would make sure they wouldn't get their heads above the water. The whole world is controlled by too many mediocrities and until this management structure is destroyed, the world is following a dangerous path .
As regards Blair's future ,the likes of Allen Milburn wont eliminate his problems although it has to be said that Milburn instead of Brown as "heir apparent" will help Blair's image in the history books. Unlike Blair, Brown has a personal power that would make the public soon realise Blair's insignificance as a leader. Maggie Thatcher appointed John Major instead of Michael Hesseltine for the same reason . Major was so pathetic as a Prime Minister that Thatcher's history book image could only be improved and greatly exaggerated by Hesseltine's exclusion. Mediocrity always selects down when replacing itself . That way they feel superior . Unfortunately this attitude reflects the essence of so many modern politicians.

The ego politician was fine for the 20th century but in the 21st century, he will put world peace into jeopardy, Iraq being a perfect example. Those who believe in a world joined by human beings who represent a single race, living on a single planet deserve more than this. But it is up to them to come out of their apathy and vote people into power who will make the difference. The time has come for politicians to be elected not for being politicians in the retrospective, arcane political mould, but for being people who aren't politicians but who believe that duty as opposed to ego calls them to take public office so that the world has a chance to survive. It is a tragedy that the people of England feel a contempt and apathy towards British Politics because if this apathy continues we will wake up to an even greater nightmare.