Tony Blair’s memoirs: the first extracts

Even the literary critics have to wait until tomorrow for the Blair memoirs – but the book’s contents are slowing spilling out onto the Internet this evening. A series of extracts has just been published on the official website, and the Guardian has extensive coverage, including an interview with the man himself. So far, there’s nothing too surprising. Blair, for instance, lays into Brown – but adds that it would have been wrong to sack him as Chancellor. And he declines to endorse a candidate for the Labour leadership, beyond offering a handful of veiled criticisms of Ed Miliband. Coffee House will have more tomorrow. For now – and for those who can deal with the often cringeworthy prose – here are some extracts of the extracts:

The opening

“I wanted this book to be different from the traditional political memoir. Most such memoirs are, I have found, rather easy to put down.