President Blair?

Seeing stars: would President Blair have as much time for NGOs
as he did while in 10 Downing Street?
Photograph: Council of the European Union

As prime minister of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair fundamentally changed how the British government interacted with civil society. As president of the European Council, he could do the same for the EU.

He was the first leader to seriously engage with civil society in Britain and the first to grasp fully how a modern and effective third sector could reconnect the population to social issues, increase participation and develop a sense of civic responsibility.

As the EU slowly recovers from the financial crisis, it is presented with the perfect opportunity to redesign its economic foundations. An alternative system is possible, built on a belief in civil society. Blair’s achievements in three key areas – public service reform, the green economy, and international development – show that he understands the third sector’s potential.

Domestically, Blair implemented reforms that moved the public sector towards partnerships with civil society. These delivered innovative approaches to areas including health and education, such as the current move towards personalised budgets. In 2003 he created a national foundation to develop the third sector – FutureBuilders – which has so far received £215 million. And in 2006, Blair established a centralised government office – the Office of the Third Sector – to coordinate government’s interactions with civil society.

On climate change, Blair understood that global problems could not be solved exclusively by international agreements or small-scale actions. By linking climate change with poverty, he shed all notions of the issues being separate. Rather than giving primacy to one or the other, Blair allowed both sides to see how they could operate in parallel towards a shared goal. This had the side effect of acting as a catalyst for an emerging green social-enterprise sector.

One of Blair’s most significant and lasting achievements was in making Britain a world leader in international development. Whereas previous governments had treated development as a low priority, under Blair it came to the fore. As well as overseeing huge rises in UK aid budgets, there was also an important mindset shift. A spirit of partnership emerged; no longer was aid tied to clauses that ensured British goods or services were used or projects managed by the British themselves. What developed was an understanding that the organisations closest to the problems understood the issues best. He also established the Commission for Africa, which led to commitments for $36 billion of debt relief and 100 percent debt cancellation delivered for 19 countries at the 2005 G8 summit in Gleneagles.

Though Blair’s reputation was tarnished by his support for the Iraq war, his achievements abroad and domestically were exceptional. In Britain, Blair created a framework where the third sector could flourish. He understood that civil society could empower citizens, invigorate development and tackle the democracy gap. These are issues that Europe is now struggling with, and it needs a visionary leader to address them. That leader could be Tony Blair.