The Cassandra of Connaught Square
Tony Blair’s new book deserves to be read, and acted upon.
By Paul Richards
Cassandra was the Greek oracle who was cursed to utter truthful prophesies but to never be believed. There’s a touch of Cassandra about Tony Blair, whose new book On Leadership is the distillation of ten years’ experience leading our nation, and 20 years advising the leaders of others, is out this week.
Yes, this is a clever, concise, compelling book filled with flashes of wisdom, dollops of common sense, and timely advice for new leaders, including our own. Yet will it be heard above the shouts of ‘Bliar’ and ‘neocon’ from those who never forgave Blair for winning an election, never mind making the toughest of calls in government?
I hope so, because there is an absurdity in the idea that new Prime Ministers have nothing to learn from old ones. Or that leaders in one country have nothing to learn from leaders from another. Blair makes the point that while all leadership is contextualised by time and place, nonetheless there are universal truths and ubiquitous problems: ‘the processes of government are firmly similar across nations. The challenges are often the same. The manner of governing — effective and ineffective — has the same characteristics.’
Every leader must drive forward a bureaucracy, maintain public order, guide a complex economy, adapt to the bewildering pace of technological change, tackle climate change, challenge extremism, and above all establish themselves, and their nations, on the world stage. On the latter, Blair is especially useful. He says ‘a friend to everyone and an enemy to no one is a principle most countries would like to follow. But it never turns out like that’. In an ideal world, Blair would be candidate for foreign secretary, making the come-back that Cameron managed under Sunak.
There is much for Labour to learn from Blair’s advice on how to navigate our multi-polar world. Blair’s positioning as PM was clear — a friend to the US, influential in Europe, and exercising soft power through development aid. Today, that trio of global relationships lies in tatters — out of Europe, DFID abolished, and the real risk of getting offside with the Americans. Foreign policy is never Labour’s strength in opposition, and especially between 2015 and 2019. Now, we need a foreign secretary with a new grown-up approach, and fast. More Bevin, less Corbyn.
Blair belongs to that section of society for whom all digital technology is ‘new’. As PM he never used a mobile phone, never mind X or Insta. Yet, despite not being a digital native, he understands the risks and opportunities of technology, especially the role of AI. Indeed, AI runs through the middle of Blair, both literally and figuratively. Generative AI is the answer to most of the challenges of public service delivery and reform, from education to healthcare. Blair admits he doesn’t fully understand it, but knows it can transform the way we deliver services. This dose of self-awareness leads to one of the best anecdotes in the book:
Blair was asked to give a big speech on cryptocurrency. Despite fulsome briefings, he was left none-the-wiser. Reading the ‘Idiot’s Guide to Crypto’ ‘proved that there is a stage of stupidity beyond idiocy, and I appeared to have attained it.’ On the morning of the conference, he phoned his son (a phenomenally successful tech entrepreneur) and asked what he should tell them. ‘Tell them you’re sick’, he said.
There is so much insight, and so many quotable quotes, on every page. I can imagine future Dictionary of Quotations filled with them. It ranges from the technical to the spiritual, part-Machiavelli, part-McKinsey. One stark conclusion is that ‘a Leader needs to generate optimism. No one wants to get on a plane with a depressed pilot.’ Blair ends his roadmap on an optimistic note, that governments can improve the human condition, and leaders can make lasting changes. Indeed, things can only get better. But the question remains — is anyone listening?
Paul Richards’ latest book How to Write a Parliamentary Speech is out on 3 October.
