The Reunion/Radio 4

The Reunion is back on Sunday mornings.

Once presented by Sue McGregor – a superb broadcaster – it’s now in the hands of Kirsty Wark.

The rationale is to look back at an event and invite some of the main actors in it to discuss and review it.

Yesterday’s event was the landslide Labour victory under Tony Blair in 1997.

From the moment of victory it was clear that the aim was to stay in power and overcome the popular prejudices that Labour was not fit to govern.  Though not on the programme Alistair Campbell was a key figure.

In fact, though 3 elections were subsequently won over a Tory party divided over Europe, the legacy is questionable. Peace was reached in Northern  Ireland but the process had began before 1997.

In foreign policy Tony Blair formed warm relationships with every major leader except Jacques Chirac and one remembers his dinner at Pont de la Tour with Bill and Hillary Clinton.

Yet as an old Labour politician that I knew well pointed out, they confused – possibly deliberately – policy with achievement, repeatedly saying they had spent more money on social services than any other Government (for example), but had this improved them?

 It was not long before Jeremy Corbyn from the hard Left was elected Labour leader and Blairism was despised as treachery of Socialist ideals.

On the programme Harriet Harman boasted of the 100 women MPs over which Kirsty Walk enthused. However Liz Truss and Nicola Sturgeon were hardly impressive leaders.

New Labour was slickly well managed but ultimately fleeting.