Tony Blairs dreams of grandeur.
The week's news at a glance.
United Kingdom
Editorial
Daily Telegraph
Prime Minister Tony Blair is one step closer to his dream of being president, said the London Telegraph in an editorial. He has ordered his own private jet, so that he can travel in luxurious style, just like an American head of state. The plane isn’t even ready yet, but the press has already dubbed it “Blair Force One.” Downing Street argues that it robs Britain of dignity when the prime minister must arrive for state visits on commercial airliners—particularly when he must use a carrier other than British Airways. That argument, though, misses the point. The charm of the British is precisely our egalitarianism. The prime minister is not a head of state but merely a head of government, a subject of the queen like the rest of us. Blair’s constant attempts to be “more than presidential, positively imperial,” are nothing short of vulgar. “He diminishes himself, and embarrasses us all, by his preening.” Let’s hope the government comes to its senses and cancels the order. Surely it can find a better use for 12 million pounds.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Book reviews: ‘Red Scare: Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America’ and ‘How to End a Story: Collected Diaries, 1978–1998’
Feature A political ‘witch hunt’ and Helen Garner’s journal entries
By The Week US Published
-
The backlash against ChatGPT's Studio Ghibli filter
The Explainer The studio's charming style has become part of a nebulous social media trend
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Why are student loan borrowers falling behind on payments?
Today's Big Question Delinquencies surge as the Trump administration upends the program
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published