FORMER BRITISH prime minister Tony Blair’s plans to sign copies of his autobiography throughout the United Kingdom have been thrown into jeopardy, following last week’s disturbances in Dublin.
Already, an event in central London scheduled to take place on Wednesday morning has been cancelled, but Mr Blair is to sign hundreds of copies which will made available to book-buyers the following day.
Saying that he had “very much enjoyed meeting my readers in Dublin”, Mr Blair said: “I have decided not to go ahead with the signing as I don’t want the public to be inconvenienced by the inevitable hassle caused by protesters. I know the Metropolitan Police would, as ever, have done a superb job in managing any disruption, but I do not wish to impose an extra strain on police resources simply for a book-signing.”
One group, the Stop the War Coalition, which opposed his decision to invade Iraq, had announced it would hold a protest outside the Waterstones bookshop in Piccadilly. The British National Party had also given indications it would hold its own protest, threatening to bring rush-hour traffic in central London to a halt.
Waterstones managing director Dominic Myers said: “Our job as a bookseller is to bring books to our customers, and where possible enable them to meet authors as well. It is a matter of regret that . . . our customers are now not able to meet a three-times elected prime minister . . . whose book has become our fastest-selling autobiography ever.”
An early-morning TV appearance on ITV yesterday was accompanied by heavy police security, although the cost of this will be only a fraction of the near £300,000 (€359,000) bill in overtime and other expenses that the Metropolitan Police had to meet from dealing with his all-day attendance at the Iraq inquiry earlier this year.
Despite speculation in the British press that he still holds political ambitions in the UK, Mr Blair said: “Frankly, I doubt there is a way I can play a part. But if I can, I would love to.”
Later, he added that he believed that British politics had probably “finished with me”, rather than the other way around. “I don’t know; you never know, but don’t take that as a great sign that I’ve got some great plan in mind because I don’t really,” he said.