" FORMER PRIME MINISTER WANTED TO MERGE FOOTBALL LEAGUES "

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BBC


Tony Blair became "obsessed" with creating a British football league as a way of bringing the UK together, the former prime minister has revealed.

Mr Blair said he believed merging the Scottish and English leagues would strengthen the bonds between the two nations after devolution.

But he said a British national football team would have been a "step too far".

Mr Blair was speaking to BBC Scotland to mark the 20th anniversary of the devolution referendum.

The referendum was held just four months after he led Labour to a landslide victory in the 1997 general election.

Looking back at the referendum - which led to the creation of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh two years later - and its aftermath, Mr Blair said he believed in retrospect that he could have "looked for more ways to keep Scotland and England culturally aligned".

He told BBC Scotland's political editor Brian Taylor: "I know it sounds a bit strange but I was for a time quite obsessed with the idea that, for example, for football we should be opening up the English league and the Scottish league and having them together.

"I always thought we should be looking at ways of making sure that people felt a connection."

It has often been suggested that Rangers and Celtic in particular could join the far wealthier English league but the idea has never come to fruition - partly because of the lack of widespread support for the move from English teams.

Mr Blair, a Newcastle United fan, said he could still see a "certain logic" in the concept of a combined British league.

But he acknowledged that any proposals for a British team to replace the Scottish, English, Welsh and Northern Irish international teams would be a "step far too far".

He added: "I was looking for ways of making sure that as we in a sense diverged around devolution, that there were elements of convergence and I still think in the future it is important we look for that."

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Blair should be in jail the traitor

Blokes a scumbag, face in the trough along with his low life wife

Blair should be in jail the traitor

100% agree Wez.

He's just a two faced liar With a fake tan!

There are few people I truly hate and Blair is one of them. He's done so much damage to this country it beggars belief why he's not in jail. Now the Chilcot report is over, he's now getting his face all over the media again and is so far up Junckers arse he could drink his morning whiskey for him. He's apologised for his biblical immigration policy disaster and apologised for the Iraq war. The worst PM this country has ever had and now he's trying to derail a Brexit that ultimately his 6th form project immigration disaster caused in the first place. He needs locking up and silencing.

Tony Blair is a war criminal who should have been put on trial then jailed. He is a greedy money grabbing scumbag who should never be considered for political power ever again.
Do I like him? No way.

He should be tried for war crimes.

He sent me and my mates to war in 2003. I had 10 rounds of ammo and no body armour as I crossed into Iraq.

ceri

He is a megalomaniac who has a lot of blood on his hand but is protected by the rich and powerful.....


Just seen his devolution interview on BBC Wales, he railroaded it through because he believed it was the right thing to do......Delusional, total waste of money !!!!

Wales devolution

50.3% for against 49.7% against 50% turnout

Exit EU

Leave 51.8% remaining 48.2% 72.2% turnout.

Funnily enough when the devolution vote was counted the for's won and the against got on with it. Compare that to Brexit

He is a megalomaniac who has a lot of blood on his hand but is protected by the rich and powerful.....


Just seen his devolution interview on BBC Wales, he railroaded it through because he believed it was the right thing to do......Delusional, total waste of money !!!!

Wales devolution

50.3% for against 49.7% against 50% turnout

Exit EU

Leave 51.8% remaining 48.2% 72.2% turnout.

Funnily enough when the devolution vote was counted the for's won and the against got on with it. Compare that to Brexit

railroaded is correct...
devolution was supported and funded by the labour uk government..

He's from Edinburgh, so what does he know about football?!

The man is a fraud, history will see him for that and he couldn't be any more unpopular if he took up the editors role at The Sun newspaper!

........and his wife looks like she's got a coathanger stuck in her fat gob.

........and his wife looks like she's got a coathanger stuck in her fat gob.

zippy

He's from Edinburgh, so what does he know about football?!

The man is a fraud, history will see him for that and he couldn't be any more unpopular if he took up the editors role at The Sun newspaper!

Spoon warmers know nothing about anything

Blair lost what little credibility he had years ago, he's only getting airtime from BBC because, like them, he's anti Brexit. As for his wide mouthed wife........