Blair memoirs label Gordon Brown 'strange'

LONDON, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- Tony Blair's memoirs, openly critical of his successor Gordon Brown, have reopened a battle that for years destabilized Labor -- at a time when the party is electing a new leader.

Back in the 1990s, despite assurances that all was fine, the media speculated how strained the relationship between both men was after Blair had taken over the party leadership. His book, "A Journey," which hit shelves this week, reveals that things were much worse than rumors indicated.

Blair, who was Britain's prime minister from 1997-2007 and led the country into the controversial war in Iraq, admitted that he had repeatedly assured Brown he wouldn't claim the Labor leadership. And then, within minutes of his predecessor John Smith's death, he demanded it with resolution.

Blair reveals that he thought himself better prepared to steer the party to new heights. Brown lacked political instinct and an understanding for New Labor, the transformation of the left-leaning party into a more centrist force, he writes.

"Political calculation, yes. Political feelings, no. Analytical intelligence, absolutely. Emotional intelligence, zero. Gordon is a strange guy," Blair says in his book.

Prime minister from 2007 until May this year, Brown hasn't directly commented on the book but Thursday issued a statement on his personal future, saying that he and his wife, Sarah, would pursue a number of charitable projects.

Blair's memoirs come as Labor is electing a new leader following the disastrous election results under Brown in May. Some voices inside Labor have criticized Blair for launching the book at a time when the party's future is up in the air.

Labor's Diane Abbott said she was surprised that Blair, "couldn't have waited a decent interval before putting the knife into Gordon Brown. It's not helpful to the party at this point."

The candidates to succeed Brown are Ed Balls as well as the brothers Ed and David Miliband, both former ministers in the last Labor government.

Blair in his memoirs criticized Balls, was rather indifferent to Ed Miliband and lauded David Miliband for having developed "clear leadership qualities," indicating that the latter was his personal favorite for the post.

Meanwhile, critics have denounced the attacks against Brown in the book, saying they unnecessarily demean the pair's relationship, instead of celebrating the positive by highlighting the many things they achieved together.

In an interview with the BBC, Blair tried to defuse tensions, saying Brown is "of enormous talent, ability, commitment. And in the end, his contribution was enormous. I mean he was a huge, solid figure for the government."

Labor MP Michael Dugher, a former Brown aide, said it was "slightly unkind and unfair" for Blair to brand Brown in the book as a "strange guy" who lacked emotional intelligence.

"Blair was a much better actor than Gordon Brown and maybe in this modern media age that counts for something," he told the BBC. "I think that is an unfair characterization of Gordon Brown."

The relationship between Blair and Brown, Dugher said, was at times compared to that between John Lennon and Paul McCartney of the Beatles.

"They were better together than perhaps they were individually," he said.