FORMER BRITISH prime minister Tony Blair has defended his view that politicians are obliged to conceal and distort the full truth from time to time where the interests of the bigger strategic goal demand it.
In the chapter on the Northern Ireland peace process in his autobiography The Journey, Mr Blair admits to "stretching the truth to breaking point" in telephone conversations with Dr Ian Paisley and with Sinn Féin during a critical moment in power-sharing negotiations.
In an interview with The Irish Timesin Dublin last night, Mr Blair said most people if they are reasonable about it would agree that that is what is done for the bigger picture.
“I actually think that with normal people, when you go to them and ask: do you think a politician should ever be obliged to, you know, stretch the truth in order to achieve a greater national objective, they would look at you as if you were bonkers for asking the question. There’s no walk of professional life that you can exist in where you literally open up everything to everybody.”
The admission by Mr Blair that the truth was “stretched to breaking point” at times during sensitive negotiations in order to achieve agreement has been criticised by Unionists. The Ulster Unionist Party’s Sir Reg Empey said the St Andrews Agreement was built on lies.
“That’s absolute nonsense,” Mr Blair responded. “The St Andrews Agreement was not actually one of the examples I would give of stretching the truth at all. We were absolutely open with people.”
Mr Blair is in Dublin this weekend to publicise his autobiography. He appeared on the Late Late Showlast night and is signing copies of the book in Easons today. Protests from anti-war activists are expected.
About 20 people protested outside RTÉ’s studios in Donnybrook last night in opposition to Mr Blair.
However, they were outnumbered by 40 Jedward fans who queued up outside the gates to get a sneak look at the 2009 X-Factorcontestants.
Of the 20 anti-war protesters, 10 were tricolour-carrying members of republican group Éirígí.
Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern wins high praise from Mr Blair. Asked if his view had changed because of Mr Ahern being seen as partly responsible for the economic crisis, and because of the controversy over his personal finances, Mr Blair replied: “I believe him to be an extraordinarily talented and far-sighted political leader, one of the best I came across.
“Even with the economy, people shouldn’t forget the enormous changes he made which put the Irish economy in a completely different place in the world and in the Northern Irish peace process, he was vital. It’s in the nature of politics today that people get these scandals thrown at them the whole time. If you look at the big picture of what Bertie Ahern did both as a finance minister and as a taoiseach, I think he can be immensely proud.