Guess who's back...

                                       

EX PM TB is back on the campaign trail, supporting GB and slagging off DC.

Slick, wealthy and righteous, Blair spoke to a Labour meeting in his old constituency, but - a bit like his whole political life - TB and what we wore look better from a distance, rather than up close! 

Robert Harris' Ghost Writer á la Polanski, via McGregor and Brosnan

Robert Harris is the author of a great deal many brilliant books. His latest, Lustrum, was the topic of a FiP post not long ago. It was Peter Mandelson related, hence our scream of double joy! This spring sees the release of the film adaption of Harris' recent take on - dare I say it - Tony Blair, his wife and the mess he left this country in (I'm referring to a certain possibly illegal war in this case). 


Anyway, the film - called The Ghost in the UK and The Ghost Writer in the US - is directed by Roman Polanski, who, like the protagonist in the book, is persecuted abroad for an 'old' crime. 


It stars Ewan McGregor as the ghost writer and Piers Brosnan as Adam Lang (AKA Tony Blair) as the escapee ex-PM. It got a very good review in the Guardian, but I can safely say it won't be a match for the book. Read it before you see it!

Richard Hamilton and Tony Blair at Serpentine Gallery

"The Serpentine Gallery presents a solo exhibition by one of the world’s most respected living artists, Richard Hamilton. Hamilton has embraced many different mediums since the 1950s, including painting, printmaking, installation and industrial design. The exhibition will reassess the nature of Hamilton’s pioneering contribution, taking as a starting point the artist’s political paintings.


Hamilton's work has continued to evolve throughout his long and influential career, particularly in his approach to processes and techniques. The exhibition will explore in depth the use of multiples in his work and the varied ways the artist has used photographic material to investigate representation in contemporary society".

http://www.serpentinegallery.org/2008/06/richard_hamilton23_february_18.html

Yeo Does Cameron, Bush and Blair

Expressive portrait artist Jonathan Yeo has tackled many a difficult subjects - his latest piece is a brown and pink floral wallpaper print - but a series of contributions with bigger impact are his takes on David Cameron, George Walker Bush and Tony Blair. 

They all come in different styles, as you can see, but it it interesting to note that the wallpaper print is done in the same way as Yeo interpreted Bush; by cutting out images from Porno Mags and collating them to the final product. BTW, his Cameron portrait recently snapped up £200,00...at a Tory fundraiser party. Go figures.

It's TBLV apparently, not LVMH...

We knew that Blair is quite the business minded person; ever since got out of No 10 he's made enough much money to match the GDP of Bulgaria (but that piece of info is not confirmed) and we also knew that LVMH has a thang for politcians - have a look at this old LV Gorbatjov ad! So what better combo than for them to work together! Now he's a Special Peace Envoy to the Middle East AND an sales adviser  extra ordinaire for Louis Vuitton in  India and China! What's next? Alastair Campbell flogging hivis vests and ties for Gucci(see below)...

Carla Bruni does a Tony Blair (not by invading Iraq, but by going onto Simpsons)

After Tony Blair's classic Simpsons episode, the yellow creatures have now roped in Carla Bruni to excite the audience. How do I know it's Carla? Well, it doesn't look too much like her, but the purple dress gave it away...

Blair ain't bovvered

On the day that news reach us about London Mayor Boris Johnson's plan to appear in BBC soap EastEnders, we take a deep breath and re-visit this classicly hilarious sketch from a Comic Relief a few years back. Tony Blair is being paid a visit by Catherine Tate's pikey Lauren character...

Gordon Brown Style Guide

www.redbubble.com

This is difficult because Brown isn't the kind of man that you easily make the focus of a political Style Guide. Mostly due to the fact that he really doesn't have one.

He very much subscribes to the standardised western uniform of a black or navy suit with ties in three different colours; red, blue and lilac. That's it.

I've tried to find another side of him and I thought I'd better hurry up, we are after all in the midst of The Brownfall, as the earlier post clearly shows...

This is how we are used to see him; navy suit, white shirt and a red tie

But next to Tony Blair, a media savvy and smooth operator, Brown sometimes look at a bit stuffy. It's important to loosen up and get to rid of the tie...people identify more with a relaxed politician...

But as you can see, Brown is capable of doing just that. The problem that he now, in his beige blazer, looks like a car sales man on holiday...

This is just a great haircut photo of Gordon where he looks like Robert Smith's dad.

This is, of course, a young Gordy. Probably sometime in the 70's and he's out campaigning for miners' right to lunch breaks, or something else - like air - that Maggie had denied them...

CAROLINE FLINT - MP AND BB

Blair Babes - a name coined for the young ladies who joined Tony Blair in Parliament when Labour won the 1997 election - are almost a dying breed by now. Either today's Labour Ladies joined up later on...or they're just not Babes...

As contradictory as the term is (Blair and babes?) it's a good measure of much we value the aesthetics, as well as characteristics, of our politicians. We should be glad the Parliament isn't just full of flannel, dandruff and insoles. And Caroline Flint, Labour Minister for Europe and one of the last few true Blair Babes, is still standing strong, and in heels, of course.

After 12 years in Parliament and a front bench job, Caroline makes the prospect of a life in politics attractive, and not the same can be said of Hazel Blears, Jacqui Smith and Margaret Beckett...