Mrs Blair146;s world

They were the two most incompatible partners in power. Tony Blair was rarely seen without a broad smile...

They were the two most incompatible partners in power. Tony Blair was rarely seen without a broad smile, Gordon Brown wore a permanent sulk. Blair enjoyed being among the flunkies; Brown, a late night workaholic, preferred solitude. When Blair unhesitatingly espoused the free market legacy of Margaret Thatcher and presented it as New Labour, Brown continued to peddle Labour8217;s left of Centre policies. Yet they worked together, as prime minister and chancellor of exchequer, giving the United Kingdom an unprecedented long run of economic boom.

Their love-hate relationship is now being presented in the form of an autobiographical, albeit partial, account by Cherie Blair, wife of Tony Blair. The Westminster grapevine is that Cherie8217;s autobiography is an act of betrayal at a time when Prime Minister Brown is having a particularly tough time. Some even say the publication date was brought forward from October to May to add to the woes of Brown. He is facing a virtual revolt after his party8217;s disastrous defeat in the recent local elections and the tactical hara-kiri he committed by withdrawing tax concessions for the poorest of the poor.

According to Cherie, their problems began from the first cabinet meeting in 1997, when Brown, as chancellor of exchequer, opposed a 26 per cent rise in ministerial salaries. Cherie was shocked: 8220;How dare Gordon do that? What did he know about financial commitments? He was a bachelor living on his own in a flat with a small mortgage8221;.

In an interview Cherie admitted that there was 8220;a problem between Gordon and me8221; and that 8220;I was just terribly partisan for Tony and I8217;m sure Sarah is partisan for Gordon, and so she should be.8221; At one point she wanted Blair to sack Gordon Brown from the cabinet. 8220;Gordon8217;s impatience8221; to take over from Blair was a problem, she argues.

Perhaps the biggest bombshell is Cherie8217;s claim that her husband would have stepped down just before the election in 2005 but he did not do so because he thought that Brown would abandon his legacy and some of his favourite projects. She also claims that Blair regularly speaks to Brown advising him on how to win the next election. Political pundits believe it is a clever way of undermining Brown by reinforcing the message that he could not win without her husband8217;s support.

Domestic political intrigue apart, Cherie provides some useful insight into the thinking of George W. Bush. At Chequers, Cherie Blair, the top flight lawyer, ended up discussing the death penalty with President Bush. 8220;In one corner an American President who believed in it; in the other a human rights lawyer who very definitely did not. I stated my view: that it was inherently wrong and that if you make a mistake you can8217;t put it right. George just said, 8216;Well, that8217;s not the way it is in America. We take the eye-for-an-eye view.8221;8217;