Telegraph
"It's in there, but you'll have to dig for it. Buried deep under many layers of self-exculpatory humbug, on p524, is the formula for Tony Blair's approach to political alchemy. You'll find it in the chapter about New Labour's disgraceful acceptance of illegal immigration during its first two terms in government. Heaping praise on himself for shutting down Opposition attacks over the issue in the run-up to the 2005 election, Mr Blair reveals his ruthless blend of tactics and chicanery: "confess and avoid".
This is the way it works for lawyers, he says, and as a barrister who gave up his practice for the rough trade of politics, Mr Blair was perfectly placed to adopt and adapt it while in Downing Street. Right across domestic, foreign and economic affairs, he mastered the art of defending the indefensible, Westminster's version of a Queen's Counsel who advocates a client's innocence with passion, while knowing for sure that the accused is guilty.
Throughout A Journey, Mr Blair's 700-page tribute to what passes for his legacy, he demonstrates with remarkable impertinence the art of appearing to own up, while dodging responsibility and blaming others. To make this work, he concedes some mistakes here and there (the foxhunting ban). In doing so, he sounds much like a bank robber who confesses to shoplifting sweets, but avoids any mention of the bullion heist from Heathrow.
When the wheels finally dropped off New Labour's charabanc at the last election, with rejection by 70 per cent of voters, it left behind an economy in a frightful mess. Unemployment was higher than in 1997, so, too, welfare dependency and personal bankruptcies. Private pensions had been vandalised and public finances were an utter disgrace, with the government spending about £150 billion a year more than it was receiving in taxes. The future was mortgaged to pay for a fiesta of mismanagement. "
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