'Hallelujah!' Blair's resignation as Middle East peace envoy prompts internet celebration
When Tony Blair resigned as Middle East peace envoy for the Quartet group on Wednesday, the internet applauded. From sarcastic tweets to satirical videos, the web rejoiced in his departure and speculated on why he was stepping down.
Implying that the former British prime minister hadn't actually done anything in his eight-year tenure, one person in the Twittersphere decided to compare his legacy with a potato.
For 8 years this potato has contributed as much to the Middle East peace process as #TonyBlair has. pic.twitter.com/zhyFtoa2cs
— Menny Kurphy (@Smurf_Boy_73) May 27, 2015
The announcement of Blair's resignation took place on Wednesday, after he told officials that he had written to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Tony Blair resigns as Middle East peace envoy: "My work* here is done." *additional £20,000 to my after-dinner speaking fee.
— David Schneider (@davidschneider) May 27, 2015
Tony Blair resigns as Middle East Quartet.140 characters is easily enough to list his achievements during his time in this role: 1) ...
— Charlie Garnett (@charliegarnett1) May 27, 2015
Following the news, some actually congratulated Blair on his achievements...though we're pretty certain there was a large dose of sarcasm in those tweets.
Congrats to Tony Blair on bringing lasting peace to the Middle East.
— ishmael n. daro (@iD4RO) May 27, 2015
As peace envoy, Blair was tasked with helping develop the Palestinian economy. However, significant economic strides largely rely on political stability and progress, which didn't happen during his time in office. This has led many to accuse Blair of failing in his role.
Blair resigns as Middle East peace envoy leaving Middle East in a bigger mess than when he started - Just Like The UK pic.twitter.com/nIvVwmawTr
— Malcolm Carter UKIP (@MalcCarter) May 27, 2015
But some say that Blair did, in fact, accomplish something – just not anything good.
Did Tony Blair achieve anything in his 8 year stint as #MiddleEast 'peace envoy'? Yes, endless war... pic.twitter.com/YAEI2kR79x
— Peter Pyke (@PeterPyke) May 28, 2015
Drawing from current events, some joked that Blair was leaving his post as peace envoy, but was transferring over to FIFA, currently being investigated for racketeering and corruption.
The good news is that #TonyBlair has quit as Middle East Peace Envoy. The bad news is that he's standing for the Presidency of #FIFA....
— Neil Clark (@NeilClark66) May 27, 2015
A video montage of some of the reactions was posted to Facebook, beginning with a choir singing “Hallelujah!”But perhaps the choirs shouldn't be singing just yet – because Blair is still officially in office until the end of June.
Meanwhile, some asked how a “war criminal” ever became peace envoy in the first place – though Blair hasn't officially been charged with war crimes for his role in the Iraq war.
Tony Blair..Peace envoy..my arse...war criminal...nothing more. #TonyBlair
— Bearyear O'Fringe :) (@bearyear) May 27, 2015
Many noted Blair is stepping down right as Britain's Labour party is looking for a new leader.
Has Tony Blair quit as (failed) Mid East envoy in order to (re-) run for Labour leader? #justasking
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) May 27, 2015
Others speculated about why Blair was resigning. Though the answers varied widely, they all took up a similar anti-Blair theme.
Tony Blair obviously sat up in bed last night with a start and said. “Wait a minute. PEACE envoy? Well, fuck that."
— SimonNRicketts (@SimonNRicketts) May 27, 2015
Tony Blair is stepping down as Middle East envoy in order to spend less time ruining families.
— Tiernan Douieb (@TiernanDouieb) May 27, 2015
Tony Blair has resigned because he wants to spend more time with his demons.
— Matt Owen (@MJowen174) May 27, 2015
He's actually thought to be stepping down due to an increasingly strained relationship with Palestinian authority figures.
But regardless of why he resigned, those FIFA suggestions keep rolling in, with many thinking he'd be a perfect president for the organization.
Tony Blair resigns as peace envoy. Any openings for an expert at rubbing shoulders with dictators and handling stacks of money? Ah, Fifa ...
— GeorgeMonbiot (@GeorgeMonbiot) May 28, 2015
If Tony Blair is looking for a new job there's probably a position at the top of FIFA going spare. It would be right up his alley.
— Dan Ellis (@NotDanEllis) May 27, 2015
After screwing the Middle East up, Tony Blair resigns envoy position. Well, I hear there are vacancies at FIFA and the bar is pretty low.
— Yousef Munayyer (@YousefMunayyer) May 27, 2015
No matter what Blair's future holds, one thing is certain – Twitter will be armed and ready when he announces his next move. Stay tuned.
