Blair’s big boast wins loud applause but really, did things only get better?
The boast won huge applause. In his valedictory speech, Tony Blair said: “There is only one Government since 1945 that can say all of the following: more jobs, fewer unemployed, better health and education results, lower crime, and economic growth in every quarter — this one.” Can new Labour really claim to have beaten Attlee, Churchill, Thatcher and the rest? Like so many of Mr Blair’s claims over the past ten years, his statement was true — up to a point. Labour deserves credit for its unparalleled achievement in achieving stable economic growth in every quarter since 1997. While the Conservatives can point out that today’s stable growth can be traced back to 1992, and certainly owes something to the reforms of Thatcherism, this remains an achievement that no other postwar Government can match. But read Mr Blair’s words again. His is the only Government to have achieved all of his checklist — undeniably true, since every other one fails the growth test. And most other measures are ei
