I'll quit Commons at next election, Blair tells family and friends

[cal04]

Tony Blair will stand down as an MP at the next general election, he has told his family and close political allies. His move will help avert any charge that he is lingering in the Commons to act as a backseat driver to his expected Labour successor, Gordon Brown. Mr Blair has discussed the issue with his wife, Cherie, and some of his oldest political allies have been told of his plans for "a clean break".

His friends say he is not seeking a frontline political role outside British politics, such as president of the European Commission, or some other big international body, such as the United Nations. There had been suggestions that as a relatively young man he would be willing to act as a reforming EU president, but the idea of negotiating changes with other elected European politicians does not appeal.

One source said that apart from writing his memoirs Mr Blair also wants to do something relevant to his religious beliefs, including promoting inter-faith unity.
His decision buries suggestions that he may rethink his intention to stand down as prime minister and party leader near the end of his current term. There had been private urgings from some Blairites that the sudden revival in his political fortunes since the general election would prompt him to rethink his pledge to stand aside, a promise made eight months before polling day and at a low point in his morale.

His decision to leave the Commons well short of 60 also underlines his belief that his New Labour legacy is secure. The 52-year-old has been MP for Sedgefield since 1983, after unexpectedly winning the Labour nomination there at the age of 30.

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/labour/story/0,9061,1540131,00.html

[Benhurst]

1. Come on, Poodle, you can do better than that. Resign now! NT

[tanyev]

2. I'm sure he will be greeted with open arms at the Carlyle Group.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

3. Blair should be brought up on the charge of treason by the Brits....

...the instant he leaves office. He's Herr Busch's Mussolini.

[whistle]

4. Blair should quit now......

[wli]

5. he should resign immediately and stand trial for treason

[oasis]

6. "I've got enough dough now. So long suckers"

:hi:

[DeepModem Mom]

7. kick

[WhiteTara]

8. I'll bet his memoirs will be filled with the same lies

that he has parroted for the past 3 years. I wonder if he will have to get drunk everytime he thinks about what he has done.

[Pert_UK]

9. BREAKING NEWS - Blair hallucinating, claims to have friends

:evilgrin:

P.

[flamingyouth]

10. kick

[Quixote1818]

11. Tony Blair Plans To Quit

http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/zones/sundaytimesNEW/basket7st/basket7st1122901080.aspx

Monday August 01, 2005 14:58 - (SA)


LONDON - British Prime Minister Tony Blair has told his family and close political allies that he will quit as a member of parliament at the next general elections, a newspaper reported.

Blair's move will help avert any charge that he is lingering in the House of Commons to act as a backseat driver to his expected Labour successor, Gordon Brown, the Guardian reported.

Blair, 52, has discussed his intentions with his wife, Cherie, and some of his oldest political allies have been told of his plans for "a clean break," it added.

The newspaper said Blair was not interested in becoming a reforming European Union president, despite talk of that.

One source said that apart from writing his memoirs Blair also wants to do something relevant to his religious beliefs, including promoting inter-faith unity.

Continued at:

http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/zones/sundaytimesNEW/basket7st/basket7st1122901080.aspx

[deadparrot]

12. Don't know much about Brown...

is he like Blair (ie, sniffing Bush's ass)?

[pinniped]

13. Wow, a lot of killers these days are religious.

--Blair also wants to do something relevant to his religious beliefs--

[daleo]

21. So, starting a crusade against Islam wasn't good enough? n/t

[Endangered Specie]

14. Wait a minute, I thought he was supposed to quite sometime

BETWEEN now and the next election? Unless hes planning on calling an election sooner than usual.

[Cha]

15. What a hypocritical

jerk.

blair could have taken another path and he would have gone down in history Victorious..instead it will be as the rovebush poodle lap dog.

[IndianaGreen]

16. How about hara-kiri, Tony?

That's the honorable way to go!

[slor]

17. Guess he wants some of that carlyle money sooner...

rather than later.

[Benhurst]

18. Not good enough, Tony. Resign NOW and check into theHague. NT

[iconoclastic cat]

19. I wonder if Great Britain will go the route of Spain.

[Eugene]

20. Labour expects that "next election" in 2009 or 2010.

Blair will step down at the end of his third term.
That term can last upto five years.

According to The Guardian, No. 10 denies that
Blair has discussed exiting politics.

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/labour/story/0,9061,1540455,00.html

[muriel_volestrangler]

28. His election agent says he plans to stand down

which is now about as official as it can get:

Tony Blair will step down as an MP at the next general election, according to his Labour Party agent.

John Burton, one of Mr Blair's closest friends and political allies, said: "He has spoken to me about it, and as far as I know he is not going to stand."
...
He told The Northern Echo: "Tony's said he is packing in as leader and he's not going to stay on the back benches - so I can't see him standing at the next election.

"He has spoken to me about it, and as far as I know he is not going to stand."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4737927.stm

The election agent is responsible for getting a candidate for the seat, so if Blair's said that to him, he's serious. It's not that surprising - Thatcher and Major both stood down as MPs at the election after they stopped being PM.

[lovuian]

22. Finally he leaves!!!

Its about time!!! Labour Party is in disarray!!!

[wtmusic]

23. Whoa, whoa, whoa--about that "clean break" Tony...

you've invaded a sovereign nation and left 100,000 dead. Let's get this little detail of a war crimes tribunal out of the way before you go making any vacation plans...

[bemildred]

24. No time like the present. Why wait? nt

[napi21]

25. Are the next elections there also in 2008?

As far as I could tell on Google, their terms are also 4 years.

[muriel_volestrangler]

26. No, parliaments last up to 5 years

which means the latest date for an election is May 2010. However, the government can call an election at any time they want. If they think they're fairly sure to win, most recent governments have called an election after 4 years (the actual formal notice they have to give is about one month; if the informal campaigning is going OK, they hold the election - if not, they could postpone it a bit, hoping something turns to their advantage).

[malaise]

27. He'll be kicked out before then n/t