Some choice quotes from Marr/Blair

Foxhunting is "more complicated than a bunch of toffs running around chasing foxes". "I reproach myself" for not "getting" the countryside.

"The big lesson that I learnt in that first term was that, actually, today's politics is a lot more to do with structural change, project management, and delivery, than it is to do with ideological fixations, left versus right or the notion that you can, by edict from government, change things."

"I had far more trouble with union leaders demanding something back than I ever did with donors."

"Even though people lost faith with me at certain points, I actually never lost faith with the British people."

"Creative ambiguity was our friend" in N.Ireland.

"I would never... allow Iran to attain nuclear weapons capability." "I think we've got to be prepared to confront them, if necessarily militarily."

On Iraq: "I take responsibility for it but I can't regret the decision [to go to war]."

"The state has to come in to stabilise the economy, but it's not the state or government that's going to bring us back to high levels of growth."

"I'm not a conservative, I'm a progressive."

"It's not about right and left, it's about right and wrong."

"Whoever is elected leader, even if it's Diane, they'll have my 100 per cent support."

"The people who do the blogs and whatever and come on the protests, it's not the whole of people."

The quotes are very interesting, but as the arguments around them all are old and tired I will leave them here without comment.

Labour 'leadership' contest

Viewers were offered the choice last night between the future and the past. Not by any of the 'leadership' candidates, but by BBC and Channel 4, who respectively ran Marr's interview of Blair and a 5-way debate, at 7pm. It was a bit of a false choice to be honest, as you can happily watch and re-watch them both on the internet.

I did a poll (which you can find here) and the results are opposite. I am shocked that it thinks I agree with Balls so much. Going to go upstairs now and take a long hard look at myself in the mirror. Hopefully it won't break...

More seriously (not that the campaign is particularly serious) I thought that David Miliband was the star performer last night. His body language was better, and he has a natural authority when he talks. His policies are also much saner. He also didn't bicker as much as the others, which was a pretty lame sight - I know they have to get their points across but if they all talk at once they all look petty.

I felt sorry for Andy Burnham though, because he was side on to the camera, which did him a great disservice. I don't know how the seating arrangement was decided, but it favoured Balls and the Milibands, as they were face on to the camera.