Tory MPs last night denounced a plan by Labour for a statue of Tony Blair as "preposterous."
Labour want there to be a life-sized statue of the man who was British PM between 1997 and 2007 in the Members' Lobby of the House of Commons alongside the one of Winston Churchill, PM during most of WWII. Thatcher, whose statue was unveiled in 2007, is currently the only living PM to be honoured in this way.
The Labour campaign for the bronze statue is being led by Thomas Docherty, the MP for Dunfermline and West Fife, who is a member of the Commons committee that deals with statues at Parliament.
‘It is entirely appropriate there should be a statue of Tony Blair in the Commons.
‘He is every bit as deserving of this recognition as Margaret Thatcher. He was the second-longest-serving Prime Minister of the past 100 years after her.’
However, Blair is one of the more unpopular PMs of recent years, who took the country into the Iraq War in 2003 on the back of a dodgy dossier on weapons of mass destruction. Thatcher, on the other hand, is seen as Britain's best peacetime PM of the 20th Century.
Conor Burns, the Tory MP for Bournemouth West, attacked the idea of a Blair statue.
He said: ‘It is preposterous to say that Mr Blair deserves the same recognition as Lady Thatcher.
‘Margaret Thatcher led a Government that rescued Britain from near economic collapse inflicted by socialism, faced down the clothcap colonels of the unions and bestrode the world stage as a colossus who put the “Great” back into Great Britain."
Commons Speaker John Bercow is to be asked to consider the plan in the New Year.
There are currently 15 statues of former PMs in the Members' Lobby of the House of Commons, which had to be rebuilt after the Luftwaffe bombed it during World War II.
Blair, the Plinth of Westminster? Tories slam 'preposterous' plan for statue of former Labour PM
By Brendan Carlin
26th December 2010
Daily Mail
Tribute: How a statue of Mr Blair might look - but Tory MPs have dismissed the idea as 'preposterous'
A Labour campaign to erect a statue of Tony Blair in the House of Commons was denounced as ‘preposterous’ last night by Conservative MPs.
The life-sized statue of the former Prime Minister would stand alongside that of Winston Churchill in the Members’ Lobby – making Mr Blair only the second politician after Margaret Thatcher to be honoured in this way while still alive.
The campaign for the bronze statue is being led by Labour MP Thomas Docherty, a member of the Commons committee that deals with statues at Parliament.
Mr Docherty is writing to fellow MPs calling for the last remaining vacant plinth in the Members’ Lobby to be allocated to a full-length sculpture of Mr Blair.
The Churchill Arch in the Members' Lobby of the House of Commons. The Members' Lobby was bombed by the Luftwaffe during WWII, and it was Winston Churchill who suggested that the arch be rebuilt from the original bomb-scarred stone as a monument to the ordeal of war, and as a reminder to future generations of the fortitude of those who stood firm through those times. The archway is flanked by statues of David Lloyd George and of Churchill himself, the prime ministers of Britain during the First and Second World Wars respectively.
Dunfermline MP Mr Docherty said last night: ‘It is entirely appropriate there should be a statue of Tony Blair in the Commons.
‘He is every bit as deserving of this recognition as Margaret Thatcher. He was the second-longest-serving Prime Minister of the past 100 years after her.’
The fact Mr Blair took the country into the Iraq War on the back of a dodgy dossier on weapons of mass destruction, or that his record in the conflict was far less successful than Lady Thatcher’s victory in the Falklands, has not deterred the statue’s supporters.
‘Apart from being the first ever Labour leader to win three consecutive Elections, he played a crucial role in bringing peace to Northern Ireland, devolved power to Scotland and Wales and kicked most of the hereditary peers out of the Lords,’ added Mr Docherty, who will ask Speaker John Bercow to consider his plan in the New Year.
Immortalised: The statue of Lady Thatcher was unveiled three years ago after getting approval from MPs
But the idea was dismissed by Tory MP Conor Burns, a personal friend of Lady Thatcher. Mr Burns said: ‘It is preposterous to say that Mr Blair deserves the same recognition as Lady Thatcher.
‘Margaret Thatcher led a Government that rescued Britain from near economic collapse inflicted by socialism, faced down the clothcap colonels of the unions and bestrode the world stage as a colossus who put the “Great” back into Great Britain.
Dividing opinion: Even some Labour MPs have questioned whether Tony Blair has earned his own statue
‘Tony Blair allowed that legacy to be squandered and bequeathed a Britain more bankrupt than in 1979. With the fires of his foreign adventures yet to be extinguished, it would be a better debate as to whether he should be placed inside the plinth rather than on top of it.’
Even some Labour MPs are against a Blair statue. ‘He is not a towering political figure in any way whatsoever – not least because of his divisive legacy from leading us into war in Iraq,’ said one.
Former British prime ministers are honoured with statues and busts in the Members' Lobby of the House of Commons. The monuments include:
Traditionally, the statues were not erected until after the leaders died. But three years ago, a 7ft 4in bronze likeness of Lady Thatcher was unveiled after MPs decided she
merited the honour in her lifetime.
Ironically, Mr Blair, who was then still in No10, was accused of snubbing the unveiling of her statue by not attending the ceremony.
A statue would also put Mr Blair in the same rank as other great statesmen of the past 150 years including Benjamin Disraeli, David Lloyd George and Clement Attlee.
dailymail.co.uk
Labour want there to be a life-sized statue of the man who was British PM between 1997 and 2007 in the Members' Lobby of the House of Commons alongside the one of Winston Churchill, PM during most of WWII. Thatcher, whose statue was unveiled in 2007, is currently the only living PM to be honoured in this way.
The Labour campaign for the bronze statue is being led by Thomas Docherty, the MP for Dunfermline and West Fife, who is a member of the Commons committee that deals with statues at Parliament.
‘It is entirely appropriate there should be a statue of Tony Blair in the Commons.
‘He is every bit as deserving of this recognition as Margaret Thatcher. He was the second-longest-serving Prime Minister of the past 100 years after her.’
However, Blair is one of the more unpopular PMs of recent years, who took the country into the Iraq War in 2003 on the back of a dodgy dossier on weapons of mass destruction. Thatcher, on the other hand, is seen as Britain's best peacetime PM of the 20th Century.
Conor Burns, the Tory MP for Bournemouth West, attacked the idea of a Blair statue.
He said: ‘It is preposterous to say that Mr Blair deserves the same recognition as Lady Thatcher.
‘Margaret Thatcher led a Government that rescued Britain from near economic collapse inflicted by socialism, faced down the clothcap colonels of the unions and bestrode the world stage as a colossus who put the “Great” back into Great Britain."
Commons Speaker John Bercow is to be asked to consider the plan in the New Year.
There are currently 15 statues of former PMs in the Members' Lobby of the House of Commons, which had to be rebuilt after the Luftwaffe bombed it during World War II.
Blair, the Plinth of Westminster? Tories slam 'preposterous' plan for statue of former Labour PM
By Brendan Carlin
26th December 2010
Daily Mail
Tribute: How a statue of Mr Blair might look - but Tory MPs have dismissed the idea as 'preposterous'
A Labour campaign to erect a statue of Tony Blair in the House of Commons was denounced as ‘preposterous’ last night by Conservative MPs.
The life-sized statue of the former Prime Minister would stand alongside that of Winston Churchill in the Members’ Lobby – making Mr Blair only the second politician after Margaret Thatcher to be honoured in this way while still alive.
The campaign for the bronze statue is being led by Labour MP Thomas Docherty, a member of the Commons committee that deals with statues at Parliament.
Mr Docherty is writing to fellow MPs calling for the last remaining vacant plinth in the Members’ Lobby to be allocated to a full-length sculpture of Mr Blair.
The Churchill Arch in the Members' Lobby of the House of Commons. The Members' Lobby was bombed by the Luftwaffe during WWII, and it was Winston Churchill who suggested that the arch be rebuilt from the original bomb-scarred stone as a monument to the ordeal of war, and as a reminder to future generations of the fortitude of those who stood firm through those times. The archway is flanked by statues of David Lloyd George and of Churchill himself, the prime ministers of Britain during the First and Second World Wars respectively.
Dunfermline MP Mr Docherty said last night: ‘It is entirely appropriate there should be a statue of Tony Blair in the Commons.
‘He is every bit as deserving of this recognition as Margaret Thatcher. He was the second-longest-serving Prime Minister of the past 100 years after her.’
The fact Mr Blair took the country into the Iraq War on the back of a dodgy dossier on weapons of mass destruction, or that his record in the conflict was far less successful than Lady Thatcher’s victory in the Falklands, has not deterred the statue’s supporters.
‘Apart from being the first ever Labour leader to win three consecutive Elections, he played a crucial role in bringing peace to Northern Ireland, devolved power to Scotland and Wales and kicked most of the hereditary peers out of the Lords,’ added Mr Docherty, who will ask Speaker John Bercow to consider his plan in the New Year.
Immortalised: The statue of Lady Thatcher was unveiled three years ago after getting approval from MPs
But the idea was dismissed by Tory MP Conor Burns, a personal friend of Lady Thatcher. Mr Burns said: ‘It is preposterous to say that Mr Blair deserves the same recognition as Lady Thatcher.
‘Margaret Thatcher led a Government that rescued Britain from near economic collapse inflicted by socialism, faced down the clothcap colonels of the unions and bestrode the world stage as a colossus who put the “Great” back into Great Britain.
Dividing opinion: Even some Labour MPs have questioned whether Tony Blair has earned his own statue
‘Tony Blair allowed that legacy to be squandered and bequeathed a Britain more bankrupt than in 1979. With the fires of his foreign adventures yet to be extinguished, it would be a better debate as to whether he should be placed inside the plinth rather than on top of it.’
Even some Labour MPs are against a Blair statue. ‘He is not a towering political figure in any way whatsoever – not least because of his divisive legacy from leading us into war in Iraq,’ said one.
Former British prime ministers are honoured with statues and busts in the Members' Lobby of the House of Commons. The monuments include:
- Four bronze statues, located next to the main doors at either end of the Lobby, portraying David Lloyd George, Winston Churchill, Clement Attlee and Margaret Thatcher.
- Three stone statues, located next to the side doors, portraying Benjamin Disraeli, Arthur Balfour and Herbert Asquith. The fourth plinth in the set stands empty.
- Eight bronze busts around the walls at the southern end, of Ramsay MacDonald, Stanley Baldwin, Anthony Eden, Harold Macmillan, Alec Douglas-Home, Harold Wilson, Edward Heath, James Callaghan and John Major
Traditionally, the statues were not erected until after the leaders died. But three years ago, a 7ft 4in bronze likeness of Lady Thatcher was unveiled after MPs decided she
merited the honour in her lifetime.
Ironically, Mr Blair, who was then still in No10, was accused of snubbing the unveiling of her statue by not attending the ceremony.
A statue would also put Mr Blair in the same rank as other great statesmen of the past 150 years including Benjamin Disraeli, David Lloyd George and Clement Attlee.
dailymail.co.uk
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