A stilletto to the soul

There's a saying, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." Yet I doubt that Gordon Brown really wanted this.


Politics.co.uk.

Tony Blair will campaign for a fourth Labour term at the general election, Peter Mandelson confirmed yesterday.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror, the business secretary said: "We want all the party's leadership – past and present – to be contributing to our electoral success.

"They know what is at stake for the country.

"Everyone will get stuck in. Everyone will campaign: Tony Blair, John Prescott, David Blunkett. We need the support of these well-known faces."

The comments will cause surprise and, in some cases, consternation on Labour benches.

Mr Blair has been outside of the political spotlight since leaving Downing Street, concentrating instead on his work as special envoy to the Middle East and his various lucrative private deals, predominantly for speaking arrangements.

Many Labour backbenchers will be irritated by Mr Blair's reappearance, but some Labour strategists believe he can help the party secure middle England voters who are turned off by Gordon Brown.

But Mr Blair has dominated the headlines this week, firstly through his appearance this Friday at the Iraq inquiry and then through his deal with hedge fund Lansdowne Partners.

Considering the anti-war demos against Blair at his appearance at the Iraq enquiry I personally believe (and so might Gordon) that this is the sort of help that he could well do without, the sort of help that will destroy Gordon Brown at the polls, which might just be Blair's and Mandelson's revenge on the coup that put Blair out of the PM's job.
There is a risk of course that Blair might just destroy Labour forever, they have massive debts, are seriously unpopular with many sections of the electorate, even their power bases in Scotland and the north look to be increasingly frail with the growth of nationalist sentiments. Then again this might just be exactly what Blair and Mandelson want and they can swan off after dropping their membership to do work for the EU or work as lobbyists for various influential groups leaving behind a destroyed party, riven by internal dissent, their sponsors looking for someone, anyone else to support and not finding anyone that can get them back into influence or power.

Blair campaigning for Labour may just be the stiletto to the heart and soul of the Labour movement for generations.