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Lib Dem conference goers sing “Tony Blair can f**k off and die”

September 26, 2012 11:07 am

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A few weeks ago there was consternation – quite rightly – about “Thatcher death t-shirts” on sale from a stall at TUC Congress. However I wonder why the  press who seem to enjoy “Lib Dem Glee Club” at their conference each year seem to have missed the lyrics to the following song in the glee club songbook:

(Picture via James Hallwood)

“Tony Blair can f**k off and die” isn’t a new addition either. Lib Dem Voice gleefully reported it back in 2010. Tim Montgomerie of ConHome reported on rumours of it last year as an example of how the Lib Dems aren’t as lovely as they’d perhaps like to think.

Whatever your thoughts on Tony Blair – and his legacy is still divisive even in the Labour Party – singing that he should “f**k off and die” is a vile lyric and seems at least worthy of note. Yet no-one seems to be demanding that Nick Clegg distance himself from this (at his own conference), in the way that Labour people were expected to distance themselves from the Thatcher t-shirts.

Maybe no-one noticed the lyrics, but somehow, I doubt it – it’s the chorus…

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  • AlanGiles

    Those naughty Lib-Dems again. I am just glad those wicked Greens didn’t do anything to upset Labour List.

    Meanwhile, instead of every bit of tittle-tattle about other parties, you could discuss Labour’s policies. Or lack of them.

    P.S. To circumvent any possible accusations that I “hate” Blair, may I just say I don’t approve any of this puerile nonsense which is just designed to raise the rabble in the audience.

  • http://twitter.com/RF_McCarthy Roger McCarthy

    Wow.

    The conference is so stupefyingly boring that we have to look for controversy in a songbook?

  • http://twitter.com/dkernohan David Kernohan

    It is more telling that the second line absolutely tramples over the meter of the song. For that reason alone I will not vote LibDem in 2015.

    Oh yes… and the lying. And the poor economic management. And David Laws…

  • http://twitter.com/georgewpotter George Potter

    This song has been in the songbook since Paddy Ashdown’s leadership. This is really, really old news – though I suppose some faux outrage is better than reporting on the Lib Dem commitment to build more council houses in the next two years than in all of Labour’s 13 years of government.

    • Ashurstman

       Believe it when I see them! And by “council houses” do you mean “social housing”?

    • Serbitar

      If the coalition build more than 3,000 council houses before 2015 it will have overtaken Labour’s record as per council house building under the thirteen years of Blair/Brown premiership. New Labour set the bar so low as far as council housing goes that even the coalition should be able to do better as bad as the undoubtedly are. 

  • jonlansman

    Quite so Mark, the Lib Dems are nasty. But what about the trashing of the memorial to Buddy Holly?

    • Attlee45

      Well John, they are in Coalition with Bradford’s own Big Bopper – just don’t get on a plane with them… 

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1557475545 Jack Bonner

    I take it then that they’re still up a potential coalition in 2015 then seeing as Blair is old news? That’s unless the Liberals are still campaigning on Iraq, wouldn’t surprise me

    • http://twitter.com/redrenie24 Renie Anjeh

      Didn’t Blair want a Lib-Lab Coalition once upon a time but John Presscott stopped him?

      • AlanGiles

         Yes, he did.Blair claimed to be interested in a Lib/Lab pact, until he won by a landslide on 1st May 1997, then he changed his mind. I can’t believe he allowed Prescott to change his mind for him.

      • John Reid

        Blair didn’t think he was going to win in 97, as he just couldn’t trust the polls, as he felt the public stiull weren’t willing to let labour back in ,as they could stiull recall the Miner’s strike and the winter of discontent after 18 years, so he hoped for a coalition at best that’s why he was thinking of Bringing Ken in as Transport sec, to balance up the left of the parties anger at deals with Ashdwon,It was Ironic that a few years later Roy hattersley ,who was like prescott against it, totally changed his mind as he felt the Libdems were more left wing than us.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=577451607 David Smith

    Atilla the Stockbroker was singing ‘New Labour just f**k off and die’ way back in 2003 (song: Guy Fawkes’s table). So the sentiment is far from new.

  • Jeremy_Preece

    So, change the “Lib-Lab” to “LibDem” in line one, and then substitute the name of Tony Blair for Nick Clegg and there you have a fitting funeral durge that they can sing to themselves are they get burried alive at the next election.

    Seriously though, seeing stuff like this from any of the parties and it makes me wonder less and less as to why so many people can’t be bothered to vote any more.

  • http://twitter.com/waterwards dave stone

    But the Lib Dems have previous on ‘commitments’. And anyway, the ‘commitment’ has been reported as a ‘vision’, a ‘plan’ and an ‘outline’ etc.

    Seeing will be believing.

  • aracataca

    A Lib Dem ‘Commitment’ as we all know is not worth the oxygen expended in making it. Check the record.

  • http://twitter.com/GuidoFawkes Guido Fawkes

    Boo!

  • Attlee45

    Perhaps, judging by their poll ratings, they could find a more fitting song, one from the back catalogue of Tom Lehrer…
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frAEmhqdLFs
     http://clemthegem.wordpress.com 

  • postageincluded

    They’ve probably got another version of it stashed away with “Lib-Con lie” and “David Cameron can f**k off and die” for use in Lib-Con marginals where they need Labour tactical votes.

  • Richard Gadsden

    That song dates back to 1995, and was written out of hostility to the Paddy Ashdown “project” (of alliance/merger with Blair’s Labour).  There are a few distinctive features that date it, like the reference to Berkshire, and “Did you read the speech in Chard| Would you tear up your party card | if Bill Rodgers told you to”

    And as for people commenting on the song being out of date, there’s one in the songbook with the immortal lyric “Gladstone’s government shall rule us”

  • Serbitar

    Since the Lib Dems are over a barrel in coalition with the Tories, I’m surprised that so many of them saw fit to disrespect a dishonest, right-wing and warmongering multi-millionaire like Tony Blair. To be honest I would have thought such antics more appropriate at the up and coming Labour Party conference!

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