Tony Blair in oscene gesture scandal

[Gilps]

Gesture Politics

 

Lee Glendinning

Friday March 2, 2007

The Guardian

 

Disconcerting photos from days gone by can often come back to haunt us. But this one, for a long period, remained at most, a mildly interesting snapshot of the prime minister's younger years.

 

From the waist up - that is.

 

A Portrait of the a****** as a Young Man

 

The image of a fresh-faced, gawping Tony Blair from a time at Oxford University in the 1970s when his band Ugly Rumours was his main concern, has been in the public domain for at least 10 years. Last night, the uncropped version was revealed. And while others in the group strike pretentious poses, along with the odd carnation in the top pocket, it is the future world leader who offers the universally understood gesture.

 

Mr Blair is, of course, not the only politician to find himself at the mercy of what at the time was no doubt a light-hearted souvenir of larking around with fellow undergraduates. A photo of David Cameron and his fellow Bullingdon dining club members at Oxford, including Boris Johnson, appeared in national newspapers two weeks ago and was interpreted as more damaging to the Tory leader than any cannabis allegations which surfaced at the same time.

The image of Mr Cameron in waistcoat and tails is deceptive in its respectability: Boris Johnson fondly-recalled a debaucherous evening soon after the picture was taken.

 

The night ended, he said, with a number of club members crawling on all fours through hedges of the botanical gardens trying to escape police dogs and the cells.

 

The firm which took the Cameron photo, around 1986, withdrew its copyright yesterday. It said it acted for commercial reasons and not due to any form of pressure. The photograph of Mr Blair, which has been on display at Cheltenham College for many years, was revealed for the first time in its full glory on last night's Newsnight.

 

EDIT: yes I know that should read obscene

Edited March 2, 2007 by Gilps

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