About putting america first. Lets not forget senator sanders tapped into that on the left with his message. Allowed that to guide us in our conversation, that is where the publics right now. They want us to focus in on putting the country first. Whether it is infrastructure, health care, we ought to be guided by that and focus on that for a while. That is ending on a high note. That concludes the panel. If we could just get a round of applause to our senators and members. [applause] thank you very much for joining us. Let me get you the details on what you are going to do next, which i am not sure about. Everybody is staying in here. Amazing. [laughter] stay in your seats. That same forum included former british Prime Minister tony blair talking about the u. K. s decision to leave the European Union and the potential impact. He also discussed the rise of populism in several parts of the world. This is 30 minutes. [applause] fantastic. Good afternoon, everybody. I am from the financial times. I run our Editorial Coverage across the Americas Region and i am delighted to be part of this today. What some of you have been feeling about the media, we are absolutely committed to providing fair, credible, and informed coverage on what is going on around the world. You aree many of feeling like you have lived a political earthquake in the last month. Or are living through a political earthquake. As got news for you all know, there was an earthquake early this summer in the u. K. In relation to the brexit vote. And it is an earthquake that is still continuing. There has just been a new vote on the leader of Opposition Party in the hard left, Jeremy Corbyn has been reinstated with the big majority. And the earthquakes are continuing across europe. You will have seen the results of the attack in referendum that indicated that the italian people, like the american people, the british people, are voting against the establishment. And there are more votes looming next year in the netherlands, france, and germany. Austrian vote, too. We have one establishment result , and three antiestablishment results. I cannot think of a better person to tell us what is going on, not just in america, but to put this into international context, and perhaps offer some advice, the man who is now heading the white house, a man named tony blair. A management of u. K. Politics, but did not simply rubber u. K. , but tried to set a new type in the political center. Before i start the questions, i want to start with a protocol question our american friends in the audience often have a mistaken impression that brits are very status conscious and very formal and public because dowton all watched abby. [laughter] there is nothing that shock to british audience more. Do you want to be America Today and the mr. Prime minister, or do you want the british and be tony . Or we can take a vote on it . Office,en i first left people would always addresses Prime Minister. And the british media had a field day with this saying this guy has left the job. [laughter] this. Have to scrap then i cannot hear the word Prime Minister. [laughter] we are officially divided by common language. Explain thisyou series of asked the series of extraordinarily, political upset . If we ignore austria for a moment, they sure has been a truly shocking, and frankly mr. Blair could continue that way. Has been truly quiet shocking. Britain has taken a , and there is no doubt in my mind that Something Different is going on in politics. It is very important to emphasize several things the first is populism is not new. Concerned about immigration is not new. The 1960s when politicians were warning about waves of black immigration coming into the u. K. Immigration is not a new topic. Globalization is not new. If you look at the changes in britain and the 1980s, it was coal mining communities that shutdown. Think, twonew, i things first of all, i think the post financial crisis, without the change in the world, people are insecure and anxious andsee their communities societies changing around them, and there is anger that we dont seem to be able to provide for people and the way they wish. There is no doubt about that anchor. Secondly, i think social media itself is a revolution. Changes everything. It changes the way politics works. Host do you tweet . Mr. Blair not voluntarily. [laughter] i think thet president elect does. [laughter] mr. Blair you see how it is used, but it is a new phenomenon and it is intertwined with conventional media. When i was first Prime Minister bvc, the bbcs renews had this is a big change in which inflammation in which information flows. There are parts of it that are new and parts of it that are not new, but i am convinced that the only way to confront the anger is to provide the answers. And when information flows. So i think parts of this that are very new, parts of the that are not new but im actually convinced the only way to confront the anger is to provide the answers. Thats why a a strong sentiment among my is only way to do that we need a center that is not a flabby, wishywashy. We need something strong and must do it that is providing answers to the challenges people face. Gillian well, you were very tactful as a politician figure wearing a tie that is a nice mix of red and blue. A perfect mix of red and blue. So, your tie is wonderfully centrist. But when you were in office, he create, a supposed new vision of politics, which perhaps we should expect the audience it was called the new , way, the third way. Which is time to be if you like a centrist, left agenda. And you were trying very hard to get beyond the right and left. Now, some people might see the development of politics in the intervening period as a sign that that attempt failed. What we have today in the u. K. Is essentially a very left wing left party, a right wing right party, and the center that has collapsed. Tony yes. I know that there is a tendency to say that the reason why the defeats are happening should relate to those who achieve the victory. [laughter] but i actually think, what i worked on this i worked with president clinton here, and we europe. Oes around but whats very important, i always say this because people say we cant go back to the third way type of politics. I say distinguished policies which are good for one time with a philosophy that, in fact, is good for most kinds. And i think it is good for this time. What we had at that point and in my view, at the center has to be captured is we the center, forward momentum. We were the changemakers, right . We were not the guardians of the status quo. You said austria was an exception but its an exception , in the sense that the Green Party Candidate beat the kind of neonazi candidate or the far right candidate. Its not a victory for the old type of politics but the two , centrist parties were nowhere in that election. So, i think there is no doubt at all what people feel is the center has not been providing , that dynamism and that leadership going forward. And if you take the case of europe, i mean, i am passionate about their reason my europe is in its present predicament shared is because it is not reforming. It is not changing. You only have to look at the way that the eurozone prevailed have , produced these agonizing situations with countries when with countries, but what is required is profound structural reforms, fiscal stimulus and monitor policy that allies itself with those two factors. Thats what the center should be providing but we are not in , europe at the moment. Gillian well, you know its a very different political were different political world we are looking to austria as a beacon of hope. [laughter] tony now you really have a offended the austrians. Gillian anyone here austrian . No. Ok, so we are safe. But in terms of what advice, i can ask you in a moment what advice you to give donald trump but unlike before that, what , advice would you like to get the people here in this room . I think what you have here is basically a self leftist audience that for the most part probably kind of agrees with you. You are preaching sort of to the converted here. So if you had to sort of tease , out the top three points that you think everyone in this room should heed, what would they be . Tony first of all i dont really offer advice. I offer friendship and partnership because i think no labels is a great concept. I love the whole idea. I was just listening to the discussion previously about health care and infrastructure i wasnance, and you know, just thinking how invigorating it was to have a discussion about practical solutions. I dont offer advice but think the challenge is for us are the following i think along with economics, we do have to the issues of culture and identity. Europeaneople take take the european situation. It is not irrational to worry about immigration. Now, i am proimmigration to i believe britain is a better country because we have waves of immigrants that come into us. I think london, if you will forgive me with this audience, they have the greatest and most vibrant city in the world precisely because of the contributions of a broad range of people from different cultures and races and faiths. But i think we have to accept that people will only put aside prejudice if they think there are rules. When people see their communities changing, they worry about that. Culture and identity is generally important. Secondly, we have to deal with the fact that globalization, not just in terms of trade, but technology also, does create jobs. There will be many communities affected by this. I think they have got to know we are not indifferent to their plight, that we are prepared to get alongside them and help them through these issues. And certainly, we need to understand this is a moment, there is a paradox actually that i have seen in politics today. At one level, people are getting more and more partisan and the , effect of partisanship is often paralysis. Things dont happen because of partisanship. On the other hand, i think one of the reasons why people elected donald trump is because the actual so this is we are going to fix it. Just drive through and get it done. And i think what we have to be is in the center. We have to have strong solutions. They got to be solutions that are going to make change. One of my passions what is in government after government is education. And education policy. We need to educate the broad mass of people well. We need to educate and not just in the conventional sense, but ,n terms of training, skills and an aptitude for a changing world. We need a revolution in this area to be effective. These are things i think we need to be addressing. And we need also, to be absolutely blunt about it, i mean, politics is you know i used to discuss politics with , a famous soccer coach in the u. K. He had a great sort of soccer andabout about working with people, and about strategy, and the difference between strategy and tactics. You know, i was having a discussion, and he said to me once, he said, so we have got the best strikers, the best goal scorers in the premier elite and the premier league and we , have a great team. I said, yes. He said, no. We have a great team if we have the best strikers in the best defense. Which is obvious when you think about it. The point is, if you are fighting this populism, theres a part of politics we have to be smart enough and capable enough to keep your flanks protected. Right . So, if you got people worried have got amism, you policy on extremism and it has , got to go to the heart of the problem of extremism. If the public in todays world has any sense at all of what they call Political Correctness stand in the way of solutions, they will march you down. So part of this also frankly is about making sure the center is not just dynamic, stronger and moving forward, but has its flanks where they will be properly defended. Gillian ok. Four key lessons. One, recognize that cultural identity matters. Two, the honest about the location and its impact. Have strong policies, dont get three, wishywashy. And number four, think of soccer, not football and think about your defenses. Essentially. What i want to ask you about, actual ask you briefly, if you were donald trump walking into the white house in january tony this is an unlikely hypothesis on many levels. Gillian i get paid to think of unlikely hypotheses. What would your opening speech say . Mr. Blair i think the issue, its interesting having that discussion before. The issue is whether hes just going to focus on getting the most practical solution for getting things done. If that is what happens, then the country is going to move forward. I think it is interesting hearing the democrats. Lets wait and see. Lets wait and see what happens. There is no doubt part of all this is about making change and a sense of movement forward. I mean, this is definitely, i think what people wanted to see , and not just america but elsewhere. So, when it comes to things like infrastructure and so on. There is a real need for it but have you got a practical plan and can you break through the layers of bureaucracy . One of the other things by the way i think, for the center is hard do we redesign government itself . This is something we over the years engaged with. But for example, if you take, i mean government in a supportive sense. I mean, for example if you take in our case at least, things like Public Services around education, health care. I think were often not asking the right questions. Nevermind providing the answers. Technology alone is going to be potentially could have a transformative effect in a way government works. The way Public Services is delivered and in the way we reduce some the cost and burden of the public sector. So, you know if i was back in , politics today, certainly i am not gillian would you like to be . Tony nope. [laughter] gillian are you sure . Tony sure enough. [laughter] sure enough to be sure at this moment anyway. [laughter] so i think if i was back, i would be trying to drop also trying to draw up also what are the questions that we need to answer. Certainly Something Like the uk health care system. I would be looking at redesigning it, taking account of the changes, the technology can bring about in our world. Really its, i think if people feel that the Center Ground is the place where people come together and Work Together to get things done in the interest of the country, i think most people respond to that. Its also important to realize , these things, ok, your election was close, election here in america. Brexit was 5248. Right . It wasnt like 7525. Theres a lot of people out there who, you know, are still capable of being persuaded. Gillian right. Im going to turn to the audience in just a moment for questions. But for i do, before i do, given that we have three, potentially crucial elections next year in the netherlands where a nationalist to secure , the most popular person, and in france where Marine Le Pen is riding very high, and in germany where Angela Merkel is in trouble, do you think there is a chance that the euro zone could break up . Tony i think it wont because i think despite all the problems with the eurozone and i think it , was designed flaws in it, and i think the thought of breaking apart and going back to individual currencies is too great. And when greece was in crisis, if you think of the pain that the greeks have suffered into economic adjustment, its more than frankly, i dont know what we would have done it in britain facing those types of cuts in spending, or you hear, but it is interesting whenever it comes to the point, you know, the greeks dont want to go back to the drachma. In the end, whatever people say, i think it is highly unlikely the italians would go back to the lira. And so on. I dont think europe will break up, but we are in Uncharted Waters and are very dangerous , things. I think europe, this issue is to do with immigration culture and identity. We have got to look at the position of france. It is not surprising given what french have been through over the past couple of years, that these issues are powerful. And you are not going to succeed in a french election, unless you are showing awareness, unless you are addressing the issues of culture and integration particularly parts of the muslim , community being apart from the rest of the community. And if you are well coming in and if you are welcoming in waves of migration from the middle east, and particularly syria you are going to have , serious security concerns about that. It would be bizarre if you did not. So any politician is going to fight to win an election in the circumstances is going to have to have their policy absolutely and a position, which as i say is not in any way compromising , with prejudice or disrespect for human values, but understand you have got a country that feels insecure and part of it angry. Gillian absolutely. Well, the hot new phrase these days and european circles is not so much brexit but frexit. France is pretty much creating the next revolution or the next shock. But anyway, we can turn to the turned to the audience for a few minutes of questions. I think there are some microphones around. It would be courteous, but not compulsory to identify yourself, and please keep the question extremely short because i can already see several hands waving. Thank you. How would you deal with the challenges of expectations that are shortterm, and yet, challenges are so structural and longterm . For example, really, the only way to deal with the Technology Disruption is through education and retraining. And yet the expectation of change, how do you deal with that . Tony thats a very, very good question. You obviouslyk have to be able to explain to people the value of longterm, structural reform, but at the same time, i think you have got to help people in the immediate sense. So, i think, sometimes policies are of a generic nature, but sometimes you need to specifically identify the communities that are going to be most affected by change and go with a package that is directed to that community. But what you cant do is simply say to them, look, i know life is terrible in the short term, but wait 20 years and it will be better. Thats not an election winning slogan, as you all know. [laughter] so i think its partly around , that, but also, heres what i think its very important to look at how government itself changes. I think if youre asking everyone else to cope with change, and