Tony Blair sets up institute to counter ‘populism’

The Tony Blair Institute, the former Prime Minister hinted, would be advancing European integration as well as open borders.

Populism, Blair said, was increasing on both the left and the right, threatening the “open-minded” process of globalisation and the “benefits”.

Blair’s return to British politics after the Iraq War, could prove to be disastrous after his hasty retreat. Blair had lied about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, when intelligence reports had not established “beyond doubt” that they existed, the long awaited Chilcot Inquiry concluded this year.

Sir John Chilcot’s damning report into the Iraq War also revealed that Blair and US President George W. Bush were made fully aware that Iraq could descend into sectarian chaos after the invasion – directly contrary to what Blair told the inquiry.

Blair could be tried for war crimes in the Scottish courts, Alex Salmond, the former First Minister of Scotland has suggested. “The domestic courts, at least in England, have chosen not to pursue crimes which were international,” Salmond told the Herald Scotland. “Incidentally, that has not been tested in Scotland.”

But Blair seems unscathed by the incriminating evidence of his wrongdoing that has caused untold suffering. His new institute, he says, would “build a new policy agenda” for what he called the “centre ground” of politics, as well as allowing “a reasonable and evidence based discussion of the future which avoids the plague of social media-led exchanges of abuse.”

“Part of its focus will plainly be around the European debate; but this will not be its exclusive domain.

“It has to go far wider than that since in many ways the Europe debate is a lightning rod for the whole of politics.”

Blair’s rant is directed mainly against “populists” the Mail reported: “This new populism may differ in some respects between left and right — the left anti-business, the right anti-immigrant — but in others, what is remarkable is the convergence between them, especially around isolationism and protectionism, in what is an essentially closed-minded approach to globalisation and its benefits and to international engagement.”

His Institute comes as voters across Europe and North America turn against globalisation and open borders, and the elite that supports them, Breitbart reported.

A survey last month found that a majority of voters in various European countries, including France, were ready to embrace anti-elitist measures. A total of 63 per cent of French voters said they supported populist ideas such as anti-globalism, national identity and strong borders.

In Britain, 48 per cent said they would support an outright populist platform.