LETTER:Tony Blair: New Age Tory

Mr Michael J. O'Donoghue
Tuesday 18 July 1995 23:02 BST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

From Mr Michael J. O'Donoghue

Sir: I feel, as a life-long Labour Party supporter living in a Tory heartland, profoundly depressed. Mr Blair's admiration of Margaret Thatcher, his stance on education, and to a lesser extent, health, not to mention nationalisation, smacks not of political philosophy, but political plagiarism.

His trip to sup with the "great satan" in Hayman Island, I am afraid, confirms a rather unwholesome image. In wartime even Churchill felt constrained to sit down with the people whom he despised; however, in peacetime?

When I vote I ask myself the question whether it is a pro-vote for my party or an anti-vote because I dislike the others so much. Voting Labour in East Sussex, for me has had to be a matter of complete principle, rather than practice, knowing my party cannot win the seat. Soon it seems this question may be redundant as politics is becoming more androgynous.

Sadly, I see Mr Blair not so much as a New Age Socialist, but rather as a New Age Tory, and therefore, sadly, I shall be staying at home on polling day.

Yours sincerely,

M. J. O'Donoghue

Peasmarsh, East Sussex

17 July

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in