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Comments on: Blair’s legacy http://sharpener.johnband.org/2006/05/blairs-legacy/ Trying to make a point Fri, 25 Jan 2008 12:21:35 +0000 hourly 1 By: Paul http://sharpener.johnband.org/2006/05/blairs-legacy/#comment-14866 Fri, 09 Jun 2006 14:32:08 +0000 http://www.thesharpener.net/2006/05/23/blairs-legacy/#comment-14866 I’ve come to this late via part 2 and I haven’t got anything particular to add except to suggest that in order to count as legacy an achievement should be likely to continue under the next Tory government. Minimum wage – Yes, Foxhunting ban – No.

]]> By: The Sharpener » Blog Archive » More on Blair’s legacy http://sharpener.johnband.org/2006/05/blairs-legacy/#comment-14830 Thu, 08 Jun 2006 09:46:19 +0000 http://www.thesharpener.net/2006/05/23/blairs-legacy/#comment-14830 […] Okay, as promised, here’s the second part to this trilogy. To remind you, in part one we asked you to come up with: …anything you think could reasonably be called an achievement of the Blair government. Try to leave partisan feelings to one side. […]

]]> By: Devil's Kitchen http://sharpener.johnband.org/2006/05/blairs-legacy/#comment-14650 Mon, 05 Jun 2006 12:16:18 +0000 http://www.thesharpener.net/2006/05/23/blairs-legacy/#comment-14650 No seriously, the 1997 delivered a new generation of women, one disabled woman, and wasn’t the House a little more ethnically diverse as well? Pity that they didn’t really follow through.

And this is intrinsically a good thing — why?

I’ll go with Bank of England independence and, to an extent, the minimum wage (even though that is screwing the theatre I work for, but that is the student union’s fault rather than the government’s).

DK

]]> By: Neil Harding http://sharpener.johnband.org/2006/05/blairs-legacy/#comment-14508 Fri, 02 Jun 2006 11:20:04 +0000 http://www.thesharpener.net/2006/05/23/blairs-legacy/#comment-14508 Things not mentioned already;

Banned handguns. Number of gun deaths has halved. (The rise in gun crime is due to use of legal weapons such as immitation, converted, paint guns, airguns etc).

Record rise in state pensions.

Free TV licences for over 75s.

Winter fuel payments, £200-£300.

Free bus travel to over 60s.

Cleanest rivers, beaches and drinking water since the industrial revolution. (although EU should be given credit for this as well).

No more NHS winter crises.

Banned fur farming and testing of cosmetics on animals.

Stopped ban on gays in military and equalised laws on adoption etc.

Outlawed race discrimination in public functions.

Smoke free pubs from next year (yippee!).

Record number of students in education.

Banned anti-personnel mines.

Sure Start (will take many years to see benefits from this).

All workers now have a right to at least 4 weeks paid holiday.

Over 2 million lifted out of poverty.

Brought back matrons in hospital wards.

Reduced National Debt.

Reduced VAT on fuel from 8% to 5%.

Youth unemployment no longer the issue it was and crime rates have fallen as a result.

Restrictions on tobacco advertising.

Encouragement of recycling of waste which has gone up from 7% to over 20%.

ASBOs

Massive investment in transport.

Blair can’t be given credit for Ken Livingstone, but the introduction of the congestion charge and the massive improvements in public transport in London have significantly improved quality of life there, more bus use, better air quality, improved race relations and has significantly reduced carbon emissions in the city.

I’m sure there are lots of things I have forgotten.

]]> By: Seb Flyte http://sharpener.johnband.org/2006/05/blairs-legacy/#comment-14207 Tue, 30 May 2006 08:21:31 +0000 http://www.thesharpener.net/2006/05/23/blairs-legacy/#comment-14207 Ethical foreign policy – or did that die with Iraq?
Forgiveness of third world debt and persuasion of other governments to join in.
Acceptance of more asylum seekers than any other country – that might have to be qualified as any other European country. This is not high on the Daily Mail list.
Acceptance of more illegal immigrants than any other European country – may not be government policy but it follows directly from their (in)actions. This is a good thing because … make up your own reasons.

]]> By: Seb Flyte http://sharpener.johnband.org/2006/05/blairs-legacy/#comment-14206 Tue, 30 May 2006 08:13:58 +0000 http://www.thesharpener.net/2006/05/23/blairs-legacy/#comment-14206 Reintroduction of more apprenticeships.
Did not close the grammar schools.
Bringing back entry qualifications for more secondary schools, albeit with much doublespeak about ther nature of the beast.
Higher levels of achievement by school leavers – though much of this may be because the exams are easier.
Higher numbers in tertiary education.
Introduced university fees – not a Labour thing at all and it may not be wholly good.
None of the above is wholly good and many could be restated as negatives, eg static/rising levels of illiteracy at all levels.
But it’s the best I can do.
Two shags Prezza used to have a card to remind him of achievements at the hustings. There must be some of these around.

]]> By: Ian Appleby http://sharpener.johnband.org/2006/05/blairs-legacy/#comment-14184 Mon, 29 May 2006 21:44:50 +0000 http://www.thesharpener.net/2006/05/23/blairs-legacy/#comment-14184 Free entry into state museums. I could equivocate about this, even, but it’s an act of pure generosity and wisdom in comparison with some of the other stupefying decisions that have been foisted upon us.

]]> By: dearieme http://sharpener.johnband.org/2006/05/blairs-legacy/#comment-14162 Mon, 29 May 2006 17:04:39 +0000 http://www.thesharpener.net/2006/05/23/blairs-legacy/#comment-14162 Pissing all over Old Labour – repeatedly.

]]> By: Nulabour http://sharpener.johnband.org/2006/05/blairs-legacy/#comment-14145 Mon, 29 May 2006 08:26:47 +0000 http://www.thesharpener.net/2006/05/23/blairs-legacy/#comment-14145 “Victory over Saddam Hussein !

(extra point for no verb please)

]]> By: MatGB http://sharpener.johnband.org/2006/05/blairs-legacy/#comment-14136 Mon, 29 May 2006 00:46:57 +0000 http://www.thesharpener.net/2006/05/23/blairs-legacy/#comment-14136 Jonn: everyone’s so sick of this lot that it’s become almost impossible to think of them as anything but useless. I think a shift back to the blue corner would come as a shock.

True, but I think the country’s left dominance is now apparent. One thing the authoritarianism has acheived is the much heralded realignment. Labour is centre-left/authoritarian, Tories are now centre-right liberal, with LibDems stuck trying to be centre-liberal, but actually needing to be left-liberal.

Although the media is slow to catch up, politics has shifted. The economic centre ground has become the norm, the Tories can’t threaten stupidities in the way they got away with before, the “public services” debate has been won in many ways.

OK, other things that have been missed. Um… New Deal. Prompted dropouts and similar back into education and training. One of the New Dealers on my Access course is now a lawyer. Made teaching an almost attractive proposition as a job. Almost. They keep messing things around (Kelly was loathed by all accounts), but overall teaching isn’t a “I’ve got no other options” career for those that weren’t really committed to it anymore.

They’ve managed to rebalance politics in such a way that the Tories (or at least enough of them to make it count) have adjusted to modern reality. Even this time last year, they were “the enemy”, now they’re not. LAbour has forced that upon them. Given that any democratic system really does need the renewal of a change of Govt evey so often, that’s also a (negative) acheivement.

They’ve actually changed the face of politics. Anyway, enough rambling.

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