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Exclusive: Watch Young Labour Blairites Chanting for 'Tony' at Conference Karaoke

"Things Can Only Get Better" has become an anthem of defiance against Corbyn.
Simon Childs
London, GB

This is the moment that young Labour members burst out into D:Ream's "Things Can Only Get Better", before chanting, "Tony! Tony! Tony!" at this year's Labour conference socialist karaoke night. As you'll probably remember, the song helped to propel Labour to victory in 1997 under Blair, soundtracking their election broadcast, and at this year's conference seemed to an anthem of defiance for those in the party opposed to Jeremy Corbyn.

The continued adulation of Blair is in stark contrast to the views of current leader, Jeremy Corbyn. Following the release of the Chilcot report, JC backed a parliamentary motion declaring Tony Blair guilty of "contempt" over the Iraq War, and at the party conference in Liverpool he refused to applaud after Deputy Leader Tom Watson praised the governments of Blair and Gordon Brown, while some delegates gave a standing ovation. Supporters of Jeremy Corbyn often use "Blairite" as an insult against those who oppose him.

The feeling is mutual. At a conference rally of Progress, a Blairite organisation in the party, MPs queued up to declare their continued concern about Corbyn's leadership.

A poll last year showed that 61 percent of voters called Blair an "election liability". Just 14 percent said he was an asset. But the fact that he's election kryptonite clearly hasn't stopped some people turning him into an idol and longing for the halcyon days of '97.

@SimonChilds13