[CaptainJack]

Blair Says Trotsky Book Inspired Him

Sat Mar 4, 3:28 PM ET
LONDON - Prime Minister

Tony Blair, who wrenched his party from the left to the center of the political spectrum, said he had been inspired to enter politics by a book about socialist icon Leon Trotsky.

At a World Book Day event at London's Commonwealth Club earlier this week, Blair said Isaac Deutscher's biography of the Russian communist leader was the book that meant the most to him.

Deutscher's three-volume work — "The Prophet Armed," "The Prophet Unarmed" and "The Prophet Outcast" — paints a sympathetic portrait of Trotsky, who helped Vladimir Lenin lead the 1917 Russian revolution but was later driven out by Joseph Stalin. He was murdered by an agent of Stalin in Mexico in 1940.

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060304/...t/people_blair

[BanditFlyer]

Dang that Tony Blair

And that witch mother of his that the movie payed homage to a few years back. Dang that Blair witch

[peril0us]

I dont see the point of this thread.

1) Inspiring him doesnt necessarily mean he agrees with or disagrees with socialism - maybe he is inspired by the delicate equilibrium between the two.

2) A good book does more than report the facts. It could have been the way in which the book was written that 'inspired' him - why should he not speak about one of the books that influenced him at a young age?

[Chicon]

If you want to infuriate a Trotskyite, just ask him about the Kronstadt mutiny and how it was subdued by Trotsky. In his autobiography, Trotsky seems to be confused to talk about that incident : a very small paragraph to compare with other insignificant details.