Blair expresses concern about short-term solutions
Tony Blair, former prime minister of the United Kingdom, kicked off Charles Schwab & Co. Inc.'s Impact 2011 conference in San Francisco with a keynote address that provided a sober assessment of the challenges raised by the Arab Spring and the continuing conflicts in the Middle East
Tony Blair, former prime minister of the United Kingdom, kicked off Charles Schwab & Co. Inc.’s Impact 2011 conference in San Francisco with a keynote address that provided a sober assessment of the challenges raised by the Arab Spring and the continuing conflicts in the Middle East.
He also expressed concern that short-term political considerations could thwart long-term solutions to the multiple problems facing the global economy.
“On every front, the world is now defined by uncertainty, anxiety and anger. The challenge is to get the right answers to these problems,” Mr. Blair said to a standing-room-only crowd at The Moscone Center.
“There’s a real danger that short-term politics gets in the way of the best long-term solutions for the future of our countries,” he said.
The crisis gripping the eurozone has exposed long-standing problems and accelerated the need to deal with them, Mr. Blair said.
“The eurozone has to have fiscal coordination along with monetary union,” he said, without handicapping the chances of an agreement to achieve that.
Countries and politicians need to move beyond the questions of who is to blame for the financial crisis and how to prevent another crisis, Mr. Blair said.
“It’s not sensible to keep asking these questions. The question we need to address is: How do we get the economy moving again, and how will we create jobs?” Mr. Blair said.
The key to achieving that is to make the business community a partner in the process, he said.
Meanwhile, in response to a question from the audience, Mr. Blair was somewhat dismissive of the Occupy Wall Street movement.
“I sympathize with the feelings of anxiety and anger, but protest is not policy, and some of their demands would make things worse,” he said. “Those who shout the loudest don’t necessarily deserve to be heard the most.”
Still, Mr. Blair gave a rousing defense of Western democratic values in answering a question on the uncertain evolution of the Arab Spring and of regime changes in Middle Eastern countries.
“Democracy is not just a constitutional framework; it’s an attitude of mind. It’s pluralistic and open-minded,” Mr. Blair said.
“The freedom of speech, and the freedom to criticize, is as important as the freedom to vote.”
Email Andrew Osterland at [email protected]
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