Goodbye to Tony Blair. Do you care he's off? Are you ever so slightly tinged with sadness? Thought not. I can't believe there's talk of him becoming a middle east peace envoy. They hate him there. More than they do here. What a silly idea.
But what's an ex-PM to do once the door at Number 10 closes behind them? It's not like you can go and run a country pub or a bar in Spain, or retire to a little bungalow on the English riviera. You have to do stuff and be someone, while not being anyone. That said, Thatcher just faded away didn't she. And now she looks so old and doddery it's astonishing to think she once ran the country.
What will Gordon Brown be like? I wonder if he's on Facebook? Everyone else is.
I went to Number 10 once. Nothing official, but I had a friend who worked in the press office, who took me, Mrs F-C (ms F-C at the time) and two other friends, one of whom died shortly after in Croatia. He was a journalist and on his last day there the crew he was with decided to check out the smoke coming from a village. A sniper got him in the neck and he died almost at once. He was only 29.
So , it was a wet Saturday in 1994 and the place was empty. The Majors were in, but out that day. It's an amazing place to go to. Goes back miles and has a ballroom, priceless art collections (Bridget Riley is the only one I can recall now), interesting bits and pieces from all over the world and beyond. We went everywhere, the cabinet room, the living room, up that staircase with pictures of all the old PMs on it, and through to number 11 too. We even went to the Mrs T-designed bathroom with the nasty Hollywood style mirror and shagpile carpet. The only thing out of bounds was the Majors' flatlet. But it looked shabby so we weren't missing much.
Do you remember when you just walk up Downing Street and stand outside the house. I do very vaguely, so not that long ago really.
So if nothing else, at least it'll be an interesting place to live. Or is it that he lives there already after swapping with the Blairs who wanted the roomier 11? Perhaps he can't wait to leave. Who fancies a snap election?
6 comments:
I remember when Maggie showed some Blue Peter viewers around the place, and stopped to point out that Heath (I think) had ruined the former PM's portraits display by having his in colour.
Just been listening to yer man's final Commons session. 'End-of-term-atmosphere' I believe is the phrase. Ian Paisley brought Buckaroo.
The only thing that's changed is the country's satirists will now have to think of a new joke. Or just dust off the old one about Brown being a mean old Scotchman with a funny eye, probably.
Okay, I'll fess up: I am tinged with sadness that Blair is leaving. I remember the day in 1997 when he entered no. 10, and the feeling of optimism I experienced then, something I'd never felt in a political context before. It was a gloriously sunny day, and it seems fitting that today is so dull and gloomy.
And call me naive, but I don't think he's completely let me down. He wasn't perfect by any means, but he was a damn sight better than any other Prime Minister I can remember (and we're talking all the way back to Heath here).
Surely you remember Alec Douglas Home, TT?
I know what you mean though. I remember that day too. We were off to Pontins Southport for a work do and the atmosphere was totally jolly all the day long. I'll never forget it.
[found my password again, F-C, so back back back]
I'm no fan of Blair (don't you hate that "I'm so open" gesture he does with his hands?) but, like TimT, it's the thought of the alternatives that fill me with dismay. In these days of spin and the necessity for "charisma" in politicians, can you REALLY see Brown staying at the top for long? I'm no fan of party politics but the idea of slippery baby-faced faker David Cameron as PM is enough to have me reaching for sniper rifle (it's been in storage since Victoria Beckham moved to LA). Another Tory government? No ta.
On a different tack, I bet you wouldn't be able to get your unofficial tour of No10 these days, F-C. Having said that, a friend of mine worked in the press office at the House of Lords till a year or so back, and he'd always sign us in so we could take advantage of the highly subsidised bars (only fair - it's our taxes paying for their cheap booze). Anyway, once you're in there, there's bugger all security – you could wander the corridors at will, and all the Lords' offices were open too. Very strange. The bar that overlooks the river is a cracker, by the way (though not the cheapest – a relative rip-off at about £160 a pint).
Alec Douglas Home??? How very dare you!
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