Everyone has something to say about Tony Blair, including Biteback author Francis Beckett, who got involved in a little spat with fellow Blair biographer John Rentoul this weekend.
Appearing on BBC One's Sunday Morning Live, Beckett took part in a little bit of unkind banter towards the former Prime Minister, with Rentoul telephoning the show to offer his opinion. The ensuing conversation led to Beckett blogging about Rentoul's attack on the BBC's use of language, stating "It was an utterly shameful episode, and it sends a shiver up my spine to hear a pro-Blair journalist appearing to renew the campaign of terror [against the BBC], almost a decade on." Rentoul responded with comment on the BBC's use of language, suggesting the corporation should "reserve the term war criminal for people such as Slobodan Milosevic and Saddam Hussein who committed war crimes or attempted genocide rather than Blair, who stood against them."
With a bit of confusion over who said what resolved, the spat concluded harmlessly enough, but with today's release of Blair's memoirs refuelling the fire one only has to observe the Twitterati to know that this won't be the last heated exchange of words.
Francis Beckett is the author of What did the baby boomers ever do for us? and his blog is available to read here.