Excellent poll – missed it first time round. Love that Palestine is the most popular out of all the eminent figures and institutions you list…

So more people who voted in the 2010 election had negative views of Tony Blair than of Gordon Brown, either Miliband brother, Ed Balls, the European Union, the Labour Party, immigration, Israel or Palestine

Yes, but though his sins were scarlet, his book is read. If the Independent is right about it having sold hundreds of thousands in one day, then by the weekend more people will have bought it (in hardback too…. ) than are members of the Labour Party or buy the Guardian. Why FFS?

Yes, but though his sins were scarlet, his book is read.

What a particularly fabulous expression. I intend to steal it at every possible opportunity, if that’s OK.

So Tony Blair is more popular than Ed Balls? Amusing.

On the up side, had the question been asked, he presumably would have come ahead of Ahmadinejad, bin Laden, Kim Jong and, probably, Mugabe.

Come to think of it, if any of those published an honestish autobiography, it would sell pretty well.

@ 3

Copyright – Hilaire Belloc.

@Flowerpower

Just because people buy a book it doesn’t mean they are keen on the author. Mein Kampf still sells pretty well, y’know…

“Ed Balls 35.6… Tony Blair scored 36.2…”

In 2010, Tony Blair was so unpopular that he almost – almost – reached rock bottom and had a lower net approval rating than Ed Balls! That’s quite shocking.

No doubt there will still be those who think Balls represents a good choice for the Labour leadership…

@ 7

Just because people buy a book it doesn’t mean they are keen on the author

Not sayin’ they are. Just askin’ why FFS so many people are buying the thing….. it’s breaking all previous records.

On your Adolf point, here’s a snapshot of amazon rankings for a suite of comparable titles:

Hitler, Mein Kampf : Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 506,761 in Books

Marx/Engels Communist Manifesto: Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,144 in Books

Machiavelli, The Prince: Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 956 in Books

Peter Mandelson, Third Man: Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 20 in Books

Tony Blair, A Journey: Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1 in Books

Julia Donaldon, The Gruffalo: Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 73 in Books.

draw your own conclusions.

@Flowerpower

Heh, well it’s got me a bit baffled too to be honest, maybe folk just want to see inside the head of our most controversial leader since Thatcher? Love ‘im or hate ‘im, you can’t ignore ‘im (unfortunately).
Just on the “bestseller” note: I own at least two copies of the Bible (and indeed one of the Koran) yet am a staunch atheist… sometimes this shit is just interesting.

Compare:

“Charismatic authority is found in a leader whose mission and vision inspire others. It is based upon the perceived extraordinary characteristics of an individual. [Max] Weber saw a charismatic leader as the head of a new social movement, and one instilled with divine or supernatural powers, such as a religious prophet. Weber seemed to favor charismatic authority, and spent a good deal of time discussing it.”
http://danawilliams2.tripod.com/authority.html

“Fascist ideology also included a romantic, an antirational allure, an appeal to the emotions, to a quasi-religious longing for a mystic union of peoples and their prophetic leader. In reaction to a utilitarian liberal state, fascism revived aspirations towards a normative or ethical state. According to this view, the community existed not merely as a practical convenience but in order to fulfil the individual’s ethical and moral potential. How people perceived these themes depended on the eye of the beholder. Conservatives viewed fascism as a bulwark against Bolshevism or as a middle way between worn-out liberal capitalism and the communist horror. Radicals viewed fascism as a genuinely revolutionary ideology that would sweep away discredited ideals and institutions and replace them with a new disciplined and cohesive society.”
Entry for Fascism in the Oxford Companion to Politics

The interesting thing about the figures for Tony Blair is how polarised they are – his positive and negative figures were both high, leaving only c. 20% of respondents without strong feelings. I suspect something similiar would happen wiht Mrs Thatcher, but not with any other of our prime ministers since 1970.

If success if measured in impact, not popularity, then Tony Blair was clearly very successful.

Damn, I though that was the set up for a joke. Where’s the punchline? OK, lets see what we can do…

“In 2010, Tony Blair was so unpopular that…”

… we had to tie a sausage round his neck to get the dog to play with him. (Yeah, it’s an oldie, but it works.)

… mosquitoes wouldn’t bite him.

… he was kicked out of the Hellfire Club for bringing it into disrepute.

… Josef Fritzl angrily denied ever having met him.

… Caroline Lucas snogged Jeremy Clarkson just to avoid talking to him at a party.

C’mon folks!

… Caroline Lucas snogged Jeremy Clarkson just to avoid talking to him at a party.

Sod changing the world for the better. My new mission in life is to bring that event about…

In 2010 Tony Blair was SO unpopular that…… he earned out his £4.5 million advance.