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LONDON – Former Prime Minister Tony Blair said Monday that he couldn'tstand up to the Britain's media tycoons while in power, telling anofficial media ethics inquiry that doing so could have dragged hisadministration into a political quagmire. Blair's testimony, briefly interrupted by a heckler who burst intothe courtroom to call him a war criminal, shed light on the cannymedia strategy used to create the "New Labour" image thatrepackaged his party as more mainstream and business friendly,bringing it back to power after 18 years in opposition. Blair, who was premier from 1997 to 2007, enjoyed strong presssupport in his early years, including backing from media mogulRupert Murdoch's influential newspapers. But he found himselfisolated near the end of his decade in power due in large part tohis unpopular decision to join the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. The greying ex-prime minister said he long had concerns about whathe once described as the "feral beasts" of the media but had totread carefully where press barons were concerned. "I took a strategic decision to manage these people, not confrontthem," he told Lord Justice Brian Leveson, who is leading theinquiry. "I didn't say that I feared them ... (but) had you decidedto confront them, everything would have been pushed to the side. Itwould have been a huge battle with no guarantee of winning." Leveson's inquiry was set up following revelations of phone hackingat Murdoch's News of the World tabloid, a scandal which has rockedthe British establishment and raised questions about whether toppoliticians helped shield Murdoch — and the media in general— from official scrutiny. Blair's time at the top has come under particular scrutiny becauseof the unlikely — and mutually beneficial — alliancethe media-savvy prime minister forged between his left-wing LabourParty and Murdoch's News Corp. — a company whose holdingsinclude the populist The Sun newspaper and the right-wing Fox Newsnetwork. Blair became so friendly with Murdoch that he was chosen to be thegodfather to one of Murdoch's children. The Blair government'srelationship with Murdoch has since been described by severalformer colleagues as having been too close for comfort. The former prime minister made no apologies for courting Murdoch,saying he was just one of several media tycoons who could make lifedifficult if they weren't happy with a position he was taking. He denied doing any kind of deal with Murdoch, "either express orimplied" — although he acknowledged calling theAustralian-American tycoon ahead of elections to make sure thatLabour could count on News Corp.'s support. Blair's testimony was interrupted when a heckler burst in through asecure corridor behind Leveson, shouting: "This man should bearrested for war crimes!" before being removed by security. Britishmedia reported that the heckler, who identified himself asfilmmaker David Lawley Wakelin, had previously heckled Blair overthe 2003 invasion of Iraq at a televised question and answersession. Such incidents — a testament to the divisiveness of Blair'sdecision to go to war in Iraq — are routine. Last week, ahandful of protesters yelling out "warmonger" interrupted hisspeech at Colby College in Maine. Blair, wearing a navy suit and sporting a tan, watched impassively.Leveson, looking ruffled, said he would investigate how the manmanaged to sneak in to the restricted area. Wakelin — who was released without charge — later toldLondon radio that he took advantage of an unguarded door in themaze-like Royal Courts of Justice, where the inquiry is being held. Blair spent a considerable amount of time challenging thereputation his lieutenants built up for bullying, manipulation, and"spin" in his decade in office. Still, he acknowledged that politics and media had become "far morerude and brutal — and in a sense crude — in itsinteraction." Blair's appearance kicked off an important week at the judge-ledinquiry. Current ministers, including Culture Secretary JeremyHunt, Education Minister Michael Gove and Home Secretary TheresaMay, are due to testify in the coming days. Prime Minister David Cameron is also expected to testify beforeLeveson, whose inquiry was set up last year after it emerged thatreporters at the Murdoch-owned News of the World tabloid hadroutinely hacked into the phones of public figure and crimevictims. The scandal has rocked Britain's establishment, leading to thearrest or resignation of dozens of journalists, media executives,political operatives and police, prison and military officials.It's also exposed a pattern of wrongdoing across the British press,from bribery to blackmail. The investigation continues: As Blair was testifying, police saidthey'd arrested a 42-year-old woman on suspicion of moneylaundering offenses linked to the hacking scandal. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Portable Power Bank , China Computer Wired Mouse, and more. For more , please visit 2.4G Wireless Optical Mouse today!
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