Tony Blair's Beginnings

Michael Barone draws attention to this very intellectually interesting letter, written by Blair when he was an aspiring 29-year old politician only recently rejected in a bid for a seat in Parliament. It was written to his mentor and then Leader of the Labour Party, Michael Foot. As Julia Langdon in the Telegraph speculates, it may reveal the "mainspring" of Blair's politics, not exactly as articulated in the letter but the letter pointing out who it was that Blair mentored himself on intellectually (Foot) and who Foot, in his turn, sought to emulate (William Hazlitt). Whatever the case, it makes a good read for a bit of a look into a young, idealistic, ambitous and soon to be, as Barone says, the longest serving Labour Party Prime Minister who is still only 53 years old.

Here is a bit from Blair's letter in which he criticizes the extreme left-wing of his party. It seems applicable to some on this side of the Atlantic as well. --Or, to be fair, this is not an exclusive problem of any one party.

There is an arrogance and self-righteousness about many of the groups on the far left which is deeply unattractive to the ordinary would-be member: and a truly absurd gulf between the subject matter and language of the legion of pamphlets they write, and the people for whom the pamphlets are supposed to be written. There's too much mixing only with people with whom they agree. I wonder sometimes whether they would prefer to address a meeting of the converted than the unconverted. I can honestly say that I am at my happiest addressing people that don't necessarily agree but are willing to listen.

Read the rest of the letter here. So, remember to mix a bit more with those you don't agree and read some more "wrong" books.