Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is to invest in a new “not for profit institute” dedicated to dreaming up pro-establishment, globalist policies.
The former PM insisted the Tony Blair Institute would not be a vehicle for his return to frontline politics, but instead would be a “platform” offering “thought leadership”.
He acknowledged it was “abundantly clear” he could not personally return to British politics after the Iraq War, but added: “I care about my country and the world my children and grandchildren will grow up in; and want to play at least a small part in contributing to the debate about the future of both.”
He said the new institute would “build a new policy agenda” for what he called the “centre ground” of politics, as well as allowing “a reasonable and evidence based discussion of the future which avoids the plague of social media-led exchanges of abuse.”
The former Prime Minister hinted one of the focuses of the new institute would be supporting European integration as well as open borders.
“Part of its focus will plainly be around the European debate; but this will not be its exclusive domain.
“It has to go far wider than that since in many ways the Europe debate is a lightning rod for the whole of politics.”
Populism, Mr Blair said, was growing on both the left and the right, threatening the “open-minded” process of globalisation and the “benefits”
The Mail quotes him as saying: “This new populism may differ in some respects between left and right — the left anti-business, the right anti-immigrant — but in others, what is remarkable is the convergence between them, especially around isolationism and protectionism, in what is an essentially closed-minded approach to globalisation and its benefits and to international engagement.”
His Institute comes as voters across Europe and North America turn against globalisation and open borders, and the elite that supports them.
A survey last month found that a majority of voters in various European countries, including France, were ready to embrace populism. A total of 63 per cent of French voters said they supported populist ideas such as ant-globalism, national identity and strong borders.
In Britain, 48 per cent said they would support a populist platform.
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