By BAGEHOT
TONY BLAIR'S speech on Brexit on the early morning of February 17th brought in a foreseeable storm of derision. Today the previous prime minister functions as a sort of Rorschach test for whatever annoys the audience: to the left he means free-market industrialism and war, to the right he represents a hyper-metropolitan internationalism, to a few of his previous acolytes he means how not to protect one's political tradition after leaving politics. In parts of Westminster and Fleet Street voicing nuanced viewpoints about Mr Blair consults with a mix of bafflement and distaste, like purchasing veal at a vegan dining establishment.
