Tony Blair: lockdowns in developing world did more harm than good

Several months after interviewing Dominic Cummings, podcast host Dwarkesh Patel has bagged another big-name guest from British politics. In a new interview, former prime minister Tony Blair told Patel that, having previously advocated a strict tiered system during the pandemic, he now believes that Covid lockdowns in the developing world “did more harm than good”.

Tony Blair on:

– What he tells the dozens of world leaders who come seek advice from him
– How much of a PM’s time is actually spent governing
– What AI’s July 1914 moment will look like from inside the cabinet
– What he learned from Lee Kuan Yew

Links below. Enjoy! pic.twitter.com/RwoGT28Tfv

— Dwarkesh Patel (@dwarkesh_sp) June 26, 2024

The former Labour leader added that “part of the problem was that governments weren’t sure where to go for advice,” and that leaders had “to balance [scientific advice] with the needs of their economy and the anxiety a lot of people had”. Ultimately, Blair argued, “you can’t really leave [the decision to lock down] to [politicians] because that’s not their expertise.”

In the 52-minute chat, Blair also labelled the process of governing as “a conspiracy for inertia”, and stated that “we live in a multipolar world today. Personally I think that’s a good thing. In any event, it’s an inevitable thing.” No doubt we can expect such provocative soundbites from the present Labour leader in tonight’s debate…