My papa’s Thatcherism, my own Blairism

Sudhakar Jagdish
(Managing Editor)

It was a cold November morning of 1990 when Margaret Hilda Thatcher finally bid adieu to one of the most revered address in the World –the 10, Downing Street- after making an emotional speech from its doorsteps.

Thatcher before 10, Downing Street giving her farewell speech on November 28, 1990

(pic courtesy: BBC)

The iron railings standing behind her stood motionless as the Iron Lady, who ruled the United Kingdom for last 11 and a half year , almost in tears said: “We're happy to leave the UK in a very much better state than when we came here."

My papa has still the cuttings of the next day newspaper where it questioned ---“End of Thatcherism?”

Moving to sunlit June 27 forenoon this year, Tony Blair in almost similar fashion left the white arched doors after residing in the house for a decade. However, Blair was not alone like Thatcher. He had company of his fashionable wife Cherie and sons and a daughter, as the “happy family” posed for the shutterbugs.

Blair family

But there was a marked difference-Blair was no more iconic.

Thatcher’s last trip to Buckingham Palace to tender her resignation was termed as “unfolding of history before your eyes” by the BBC.

Media had no such ablution for Blair. The US magazine Newsweek wrote: “After a shamelessly long and high-profile six-week farewell tour, Tony Blair finally leaves office on Wednesday”.

(The last global summit that Blair attended as British premier- The G8 Summit at Baltic resort of Heiligendamm)

The BBC did not look back at Blair-era and refused to even say so. It focused on the new Premier Gordon Brown and on his Cabinet formation discussion. So was the Guardian.

Blairism was hardly heard, spoken and written, for it has been scarred with events that are not taking place either in the UK or its neighbourhood, but miles away in Iraq and Afghanistan.

As Blair for the last time answered questions at Westminster, where he admitted to the dangers faced by British soldiers in Iraq, two of them got killed in a Taliban attack in Helmand province in the yet to be normalized Afghanistan.

My father was in love with Thatcherism as I was growing, and had also predicted its end with her ‘retirement’, but I had witnessed neo-Thatcherism launched by rival New Labour under a ‘bright charming Blair’ as I gained adulthood.

The Iraq fiasco drained out sheen from the charming Premier in such a huge proportion that Michel Sheen as Blair in the 2007 Oscar winner ‘The Queen’ looked a much better Prime Minister than the real one---Confident, sharp, who would not like himself be referred as US Prez George Bush’s ‘poodle’.

Blair and Thatcher have much thing in common apart from their profession as a barrister, their reformist agenda, support to gay rights and their close to a decade rule that shaped the UK, the Europe and the World.

Both began their political life with challenges thrown at them. While Thatcher made her way to the Parliament from Labour stronghold Finchley on a Conservative ticket, Anthony Charles Lynton Blair gained victory from orthodox Labour seat Sedgefield on a reformist New Labour agenda that later paved his way to unprecedented three consecutive victories of him and his party in the general elections of 1997, 2001 and 2005.

The New Labour crafted by Blair took Britons to 21st century with growth, glitter and grin. Dipped unemployment rate, growing service industry, tactical improvement of healthcare and education helped the UK citizens overcome the identity crisis post British imperialism’s death and the demise of the Cold War.

If Blair ‘loved’ Bush, Reagan was Thatcher’s philosophical soul mate.

(Bush-Blair pic courtesy: CNN)

But Thatcher never allowed the media to look her cordial bonding with Reagan look akin to Blair’s subordinate behavior vis-à-vis Bush.

Thatcher played a crucial role in mollifying US’ hardline ‘deterrence’ policy to détente (relaxing of tension, especially between nations, as by negotiations or agreements) during Cold War.

Blair failed to do so in Post 9/11 world, when Bush got infatuated with ‘pre-emptive’ strike policy that has led to mortar prone seismic Kabul, oozing blood and flesh in Baghdad, ‘nuclear’ Iran, hungry Libya and Sudan, and tumultuous Middle East.

(Blair speaking to British troops in Iraq)

Thatcher also had her own share of ‘outsourced’ wars akin to Blair’s troop struggling in Hindukush and Euphrates. She had to fight Falkland Wars in Latin America in 1982 after ruling Argentinean military invaded the Falkland Islands. But the island was at least a disputed territory and remnants of British imperialism, and Thatcher wrapped up the campaign with a success.

Thatcher fortunately did not have to cope with suicide bombings, jihadi British Muslims who have taken the war on terrorism at the doorstep of Downing Street.

Blair had too.

The nearest brush Thatcher had with terrorism was on the early October morning in 1984 when Provisional Irish Republican Army bombed Brighton Hotel injuring her cabinet colleagues. Thatcher escaped unhurt but returned a day after at the same venue without venomous speech against the perpetrators.

A year later Britain signed the Hillsborough Anglo-Irish Agreement with Irish Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald that for the first time gave the Republic of Ireland at least an advisory say in the governance of Northern Ireland.

The Bush-Blair’s War on Terror is yet to conclude and it would be premature to pass judgment on its outcome and the change it has brought to the World -good or bad either.

Blairism for me will not end up with remembering Iraqi blood stain on his shirt but as the end of a turbulent decade that was enveloped with Taliban’s cloak, collapsing WTC, dropping of stealth bombs, execution of Daniel Pearl, Osama’s famous tapes , handcuffed prisoners at Guantanamo Bay , Saddam’s smile fading with his capture and execution that we all watched on World Wide Web etc etc.

As Blair put it on his last day: “I wish everyone -- friend or foe -- well. And that is that. The end," we look forward to see the end of this quagmire.

(Blair seen with his successor Gordon Brown)

But the truth is that Mr. Blair, it would take a long long time till climate change threatens the entire mankind altogether.

Wait a minute! Here is the final dissimilarity between Thatcher and Blair as I wrap up.

Thatcher continued as Member of Parliament determined to remain a thorn for her successor John Major. But Blair has become more global by accepting to become representative of the Quartet- the UN, US, Russia and the EU—in the Middle East peace process.

Hope the peace prevails just like my papa sighed after Thatcher’s exit. Then there was peace, now we require peace.

When Steve Waugh loved the hated phenomenon of losing!

Vikram Vishal
(Chief Sports Editor)

Nobody likes losing. Actually, we hate it, particularly if it’s a game.

But there is an instance when Australia’s World Cup winning captain Stephen Rodger Waugh, who played cricket consistently for his country since the tour of India in August 1985 and ended it with Team India’s Down Under visit in 2003-2004, loved this hated phenomenon.

Having started his international career against India and then beating all the Test playing nations in their own backyard, except his debut opponent, Steve always visited this country with more determination to win (and conquer the Final Frontier) than any of his foreign tours.

However, the tour of 1998 turned out to be a ‘catalyst’ for his involvement in charity work, a development that the former Sydney cricketer termed as “very much a turn of fate.”

In his autobiography ‘Out of My Comfort Zone,’ Steve says he is “forever grateful” for losing the 1998 Kolkata Test, that too in just four days, at Eden Gardens, a ground which he calls the ‘Lord’s of the Subcontinent’.

The comprehensive defeat at the hands of India ensured, directly or indirectly, that his life would never be the same again.

On his return to the hotel room after the defeat with a day to spare, Steve found a letter pushed under his doors. It was neither from an autograph seeker nor a request for a donation, not even someone asking him to sponsor a family to Australia. It was this piece of paper that kicked off his journey to Udyan-- a Barrackpore-based rehabilitation home for children whose parents suffer form leprosy.

The next morning (March 22, 1998), which otherwise would have been the final day of the Test had the match lasted for that long, Steve, accompanied by the lady who wrote that letter, drove to Udyan located on the outskirts of the City of Joy. It did not take him long to realise that it was a lifetime task he wanted to be a part of.

And, he immediately saw his role as being the “vehicle” through which funds could more readily be accessed through sponsors, donations, fundraising evenings and personal endorsements.

The letter not only proved to be a big turning point for Udyan, it also helped a ‘professional’ cricketer shape into the ‘person’ he is today and gave direction where he is heading.

Steve recalls, “I’m forever grateful that we lost that Test back in 1998-- not because of losing, but because we did it with a day to spare.”

Whatever happens, happens for good! Right Mr. Waugh?

Belated Happy Birthday!

Maya break! Not at all

It's been a month that the whole team of GNBI POST were out of the loop.Between this we MISSED 'UP election'--- Mayawati's meteoric ascension to the gaddi of Lucknow.

We were out when Mumbai's hit and run accused Pereira got scot free, the sensational encounter of LeT militants who were 'hatching Narendra Modi's assassination turned out to be fake and senior IPS officers were booked, Maran became Karunanidhi's ISI-factor in the quarrel between his two sons for the DMK legacy and above all Abhi-Ash tied nuptial knots amidst frenzied Indian media who were unapolegetic-ally shunned out by apologetic Big B.


Our newsblog is facing difficult times with some high profile reporters being unable to contribute and myself got embroiled in certain out of career problems. This had led to the blog going kaput.



Now we are back with a much smaller team, but hopefully sincere enough to give you insight of news that had been due. So the question you must be asking what is this cute bear on the newsblog page .

Take a look once again. Its the same KNUT bear of Germany which has become a symbol of GLOBAL WARMING. We leave with the images of the bear that gives us the message of a fragile ecosystem and the unique relationship that human should have with our nature. [NOTE: KNUT is a captive-born polar bear , who was rejected by his mother at birth and brought up and bottle-fed by his keeper, Thomas Doerflein. A 20-year old polar bear Tosca had given birth to Knut and his brother on December 5, 2006. But Tosca, who is a former circus performer, rejected Knut and his brother. After four days, the brother died and Knut was separated from his mother by zoo workers. He spent the first 44 days of his life in an incubator. On March 23, 2007, Knut was presented to the public for the first time. And he will be the mascot animal for a conference on endangered species to be held in Bonn next year.]



Cheers!

Aurora Ray
Managing Editor,
GNBI