British Olympic success - Tony Blair's legacy?
Interesting debate on BBC One just now with Steve Redgrave and Denise Lewis saying that the success of Team GB is Tony Blair's legacy due to the funding of sport Labour allowed and the plan that the Labour government put in place with British sport back in 2005 after we won the games.
What are people's thoughts on Tony being given credit?
What are people's thoughts on Tony being given credit?
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That said I do agree Labour deserve credit. The Coalition haven't been in power long enough to have had any impact on what has happened these past two weeks. Despite what Cameron would like people to think.
You mean "allowed" as in "didn't abolish the lottery which John Major introduced"?
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Labour could have directed lottery money towards teaching disabled black lesbians how to get on in business.
For example the Conservatives have re-directed some of the TV Licence to fund broadband construction in rural areas. It could have been used to fund a grass-roots drama revival using subsidised studios made available for free to budding writers.
Would these Conservatives do anything that is socially of benefit? Not a chance. Cameron talked of Big Society but in no way was he sincere.
So Labour/Blair laid much of the foundation for the Olympics success. No doubt.
The PM has confirmed funding by the exchequer guaranteed until 2014 and been extended to 2016.
But the success is down to the athletes and their trainers.
There are a whole load of politicians from both the Labour and Conservative parties who deserve credit for what's happened this past couple of weeks starting with John Major who set up the National Lottery. Regrettably, there have been two mindless, partisan threads in this forum claiming that it was only the Conservatives or Labour who were responsible and they're both wrong.
As for Blair's own personal legacy, he'll ultimately be only remembered for the lies and deceit over Iraq which left hundreds of valiant British service personnel either dead or maimed and which resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians.
Thank you for this post. I haven't had such a good laugh for ages. You talk of Cameron lacking sincerity, and then you contrast him with Mr Tony (consultant for American investment bank) Blair.
Is expanding the provision of broadband to rural areas not a social benefit?
We don't need to be partisan to accept that without the buy-in of the Labour government of the time there would be no Olympics, but unfortunately some people on here can give no credit to anything the previous govrnment did, however worthy.
Thanks for the laugh. Could you wave that red flag anymore harder.
To me the Olympics is nothing to do with either the tories or labour. Regardless of who was in power, the olympics came our way. trying to give credit to Labour is laughable at best I'm afraid, then trying to say it's a non-partisan opinion after all of that, is such a funny thing to say.
The next stars are the volunteers who have got so much out of giving their time to make this Games a success and has encouraged them to do further voluntary work.
Amazing how you missed out me giving credit to Seb Coe, who is no way a Labour politician. All I'm saying is that without the buy in of the government at the time there would have been no Olympics. You only need to look back to the 1990 bid for the 1996 games in Manchester to see how important government buy in was.
I'm sure you could point to some examples of that, but I can't recall any.
what the backhanded compliment to Coe. yeah, was nice.
You made it quite clear you thought it was labour who gave us the olympics. me, I like to say it was a culmination of hard work from all quarters of political persuasions.
Only a partisan would say otherwise.
You seem to be one of those people who never give credit where it is due if they don't coincide with your political alignment. What a pity.
On the contrary, i am giving credit where it is due. To all the MPs, sports stars, activists, volunteers and everyone else who helped us get the olympics, build the olympics and participate in the olympics.
It is only you who is partisan enough to wave your Red Flag, saying "it woz Labour that done it"
This is the problem with people so partisan and unwielding such as yourself.
You obviously didn't read what I put in post 12, even though you responded to it. This latest post of your bears no resemblance to reality. Do you accept that without government support that there would be no London 2012 Olympics?
Perhaps you would like to explain how that comment is partisan and pro-Labour?
You quite clearly from the outset wanted to point out that the olympics were a great success due to Labour and to paraphrase you 'only those who are non-partisan will agree'. Which to put it politely was bull.
I have said from the beginning that the games are a success not because of any government, but countless MPs, athletes, activists, volunteers and all the others who have helped bring the Olympics here and the success it has been. Not a labour government and Seb Coe, as you seem to want to say (although Seb Coe was always a bit nasty, as you added).
As I say, you are blinkered by your own hatred of everything blue to have a neutral attitude in it all.
It does sound a bit less partisan now you have left off the end:
"despite his previously distasteful political views"