[Red Moon]

Oasis's Noel attacks Blair record

Oasis's Noel Gallagher - who famously chatted with Tony Blair in Downing Street in 1997 - has launched a scathing attack on the prime minister.

He said people had thought Mr Blair "was going to be John F Kennedy", but he was now "saddled" with the Iraq war.

Tory leader David Cameron, meanwhile, was "no different" from Mr Blair and was "like a songwriter who's eternally ripping off someone else's song".

He told BBC Newsnight he did not think there was "anything left to vote for".

Mrs Thatcher

Mr Gallagher was closely associated with New Labour's heyday after its landslide general election victory almost 10 years ago.

He was among several celebrities who attended a celebratory drinks party at 10 Downing Street.

But Mr Gallagher said that, since then, the media had turned Tony Blair into a "president", adding: "It's no wonder he acts like one."

He said: "David Cameron is no different from Tony Blair, and Gordon Brown is no different from David Cameron.

"They're all cut from the cloth and it annoys me that the biggest political icon from the last 30 years has been Margaret Thatcher, someone who tried to destroy the working class... it freaks me out you know.

"So I don't really think there's anything left to vote for. That's why people don't vote... why people would rather vote for celebrity talent shows than would vote for politics."

Drugs

During the so-called "Britpop", or "Cool Britannia", period of the mid-1990s, the media made much of Mr Gallagher's feuding with his bandmate and younger brother Liam, in much the same way that commentators have focused on Mr Blair's alleged difficulties with Chancellor Gordon Brown.

But Mr Gallagher said the media were spending too much time looking at individual politicians.

He said: "Nobody ever mentions Labour, they mention Tony Blair now. Everything is Tony Blair's fault.

"You made him into a president, no wonder he acts like one."

Mr Gallagher also criticised Mr Cameron for refusing to admit or deny using drugs while at school.

Poles better off

"To say no comment is typical of him and his party copping out.

"They wait to see what Tony Blair says...and then they move in behind and switch it and change a little bit.

"It's like a song writer who's eternally ripping off someone else's song and just changing the odd line a little."

Mr Gallagher said a Unicef report ranking the UK bottom on child wellbeing across 21 industrialised countries "kind of makes me angry".

He added: "When the Labour Party got in it was all about children and education and yet 10 years down the line there's people saying that kids are better off in Poland."

"That's not right."

Iraq war

Everyone had got "carried away" by the significance of Labour's 1997 landslide, he said.

"It was a big deal, the landslide and all that, and everybody got carried away.

"We thought it was going to be John F Kennedy and for a year or two it was.

"Unfortunately for this Labour government, they are going to be saddled with the Iraq war and nobody can get around that."

On Wednesday, Oasis, whose hits include Wonderwall and Don't Look Back in Anger, won a Brit for their outstanding contribution to music.

Source: BBC News

[easypeasy]

Noel is a working class hero and he is right, especially about Cameron.

[GiRTh]

Politicians are all the same. All they want it get into government; when they're in government all want is to stay in government. They're not too bothered about the average man in the street.

Noel is right, but he probably has more inluence over the public than most politicians. I particularly like the bit about Margaret Thatcher. Scary!!!