Major's Riff on Blair
Labour's half-truths and spin are a cancer in the body politic
By John Major
As Gladstone put it 125 years ago, our constitution depends "on the good sense and good faith of those who work it". More specifically, our ancient system requires a respect for Parliament; strict impartiality in a Civil Service that must serve different political masters; a tolerance of opposing views; and a code of behaviour between parties that imposes restraints on how hostilities are conducted.New Labour has undermined all these conventions. Anything goes if it serves its purpose. Its tactics have been so brilliantly effective against its political opponents that New Labour now uses them against all-comers: against critics; in relations with the Civil Service (which is why a Civil Service Act is demanded, even by senior Labour figures); and even inside Labour itself, to conduct a coup against "old" Labour.
My own sentiments are with Tony Blair when it comes to British politics, but I think it's rather striking how much John Major's critique sounds a lot like the progressive critique from this side of the Atlantic:
I'm not going to go on record as saying everything that's gone on in Blair's party is pristine and pure, but the message that seems to connect here with there is that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
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Politics-2005