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Tony Blair

Tony Blair Quotes

Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

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“I think what happened with 9/11 is that people sort of felt that it came from nowhere. Whereas I think now we understand the roots are very deep. I say it's like revolutionary Communism, something that is going to have to be knocked out over a very long period of time. This strain of extremism continues to be very strong, whether it's in Afghanistan, or Somalia or Yemen, or any of these places.”

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“Obviously it is right that the Afghans take responsibility for their own future in the end, but they need to know and feel that we are there as partners for them if they are prepared to make the necessary changes. But we should be in no doubt as to why we are in Afghanistan. We ended up there because terrorism hatched there erupted thousands of miles away in New York on Sept. 11.”

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“For me, 9/11 was a game changer. It altered my perception of the security threat we faced. I took the position that Britain should be shoulder to shoulder with the U.S. It was a big decision; I didn't take it lightly, or in ignorance of its consequences. It's a big commitment for a country to give, but I believed it was the right thing to do.”

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“Actually the royal family were very gracious and good to me. But I also found that the British establishment were never quite sure what to make of me. I was a Labour figure, but I'd come from a very middle-class background. In one sense I offended both traditional right and traditional left. But I thought that was no bad thing.”

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“There are two outstanding issues in democratic politics these days. One is the relationship with the media, which is now 24/7, and operates with a completely different intensity than even 15 or 20 years ago. How do we have a proper conversation between leaders and country when it's moderated sometimes in a very partisan and inflammatory way? And the second thing is the effectiveness of our democracy. How do we get the right gene and talent pool in politics?”

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“The art of leadership is saying no, not saying yes. It is very easy to say yes.”

ArtMotivationalEasyLeadershipLeaderVisionPoliticianLife ChangingGreat LeaderVisionariesSaying NoBusiness LeadersLeadership TrainingWorld LeaderBusiness LeadershipTrue LeaderBeing A LeaderSaying YesInspiring LeaderGreat LeadershipLeadership By Famous LeadersBest LeaderLeadership And ManagementTrue LeadershipTao Te Ching LeadershipMotivational LeadershipLeadership SkillsLeadership By Great LeadersGreatest LeadershipFuture LeadersPowerful LeadersLeaders MotivationalFunny LeadershipLeadership IntegrityJust Say NoLeadership TeamworkMilitary LeadershipVisionary LeadersTeam LeadershipVisionary LeadershipWise LeadersParticipative LeadershipGreatness And LeadershipLeadership And ChangeLeadership StyleLack Of LeadershipLeadership Potential
Author:Tony Blair
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