Even after his resignation, Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of England, is fighting for the common man in a variety of ways. Editor in Chief Stephen Marth had the opportunity to sit down with Blair in an exclusive interview Wednesday night before he spoke to the UB community to learn more about England's 'Barack Obama.'
The Spectrum : First off, welcome to UB. Do you plan on trying some of Buffalo's famous chicken wings before you head back home?
S : Well there's an Anchor Bar, home of the chicken wing, located in the airport now, so maybe you could stop there?
TB
S : Well yes, there are a variety of flavors. You have your general mild, medium and hot sauce flavors, and then you have your off-of-the-wall flavors like peanut butter and jelly. I've never tried those though. I wouldn't suggest them to you.
TB
S : Going into more serious matters now, what was your biggest success as prime minister?
TB
S : Do you have any regrets since leaving office?
TB
S : As a child growing up, did you ever expect to become the prime minister of Great Britain?
TB
S : What did you want to be when you grew up?
TB
S : After President Barack Obama was elected, many people were comparing his election to that of yours. Do you see any comparison between you two? How do you think he has done so far in office?
TB
S : What are your thoughts on the current expense scandal plaguing Parliament and the Prime Minister in England?
TB
S : Since leaving office, you've created the Tony Blair Faith Foundation and the Tony Blair Sports Foundation. What other work do you wish to accomplish in the next few years to better this world?
TB
S: Many have rumored that you are eying the possible 'permanent' position of the President of the European Council, if it is created. Is there any truth to that?
TB: The truth is, it's a lot of chatter. When the job exists, I can talk about. It doesn't actually exist yet, so once all of the countries ratify for it, we can talk about it.
S: The United States is currently looking at its stance on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. How do you think it is doing currently? Do you see a pullout anytime soon? What would you like to see happen concerning the current turmoil in the Middle East?
TB: I mean, it's obviously up to America to decide their own policy, but my view is very strong that there is a big battle going on in the world, frankly. There's a virus of extremism that has gone into the culture and the civilization of Islam. It's there. There's no point in denying it. We have to be prepared to stand up for ourselves. And also, for the people, the vast majority who are Muslim who are victims of terrorism, I think that the world has to stay united behind this. I took that view after 9/11 even though it was very difficult obviously with Iraq and so on, and I still think it's the right thing to do.
S: You must have a great deal of free time now that you are out of office. Have you taken advantage of this? What do you do in your spare time?
TB: (Laughter) There's the premise of that question that is not quite correct. Unfortunately, I think I am as busy if not busier than I was before. I've been on a three-week tour now so I'm looking forward to going back home to be with my family. I still have a lot of interests in sports, music and hanging out with my children and my wife.
E-mail: stephen.marth@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
