Interview with Tony Blair: ‘Brexit is a huge mistake’

Profile personly: In Great Britain, a semblance of a culture war is raging: statues are being brought down, streets are being renamed, because the characters in question are former heroes of the British Empire, but who have demonstrated racist, anti-Semitic or anti-women attitudes by today’s standards. Labor leader Keir Starmer has been criticized for not taking any position yet. Should the business be involved in this conflict?

Blair: Business earns nothing, the party should not get involved in the Kulturkampf. Our mission is to create a fairer society in general.

Profile personly: The Coronavirus pandemic is currently pushing Britain out of the headlines. Except for the problems in Northern Ireland, where tensions are running high at new customs borders in Northern Ireland’s ports. Are you worried about peace?

Blair: Northern Ireland is not stable within its borders. Many small businesses are seriously affected by Brexit. Politicians are expected to exploit this for their own purposes. Brexit brings many problems, and the British government doesn’t need to complain about that now. These are all consequences of their decisions.

Profile personly: But Brexit can no longer be shaken. What can you do?

Blair: What we need is real statesmanship from British and European politicians. We need to work together on important issues such as future pandemics, the climate crisis, and energy issues. There are also real opportunities, such as defense and trade cooperation. Neither the UK nor the European Union can change our history, geography, values ​​and interests. Politicians on both sides should now be prepared to invest a little bit of political capital in order to improve relations with each other. And don’t just talk to their galleries.