--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I remember talking to Alex Ferguson about…" description: "\"I remember talking to Alex Ferguson about Tony [Blair] and Gordon [Brown], and he said: \"Why doesn't Tony just get rid of him?\" But if you sack someone..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5a/alastair-campbell-11941_alex_i-remember-talking-to-alex-ferguson-abou_1910577.png" --- # I remember talking to Alex Ferguson about Tony \[Blair\] and… ![“I remember talking to Alex Ferguson about Tony [Blair] and Gordon [Brown], and he said: "Why doesn't Tony just get rid of him?" But if you sack someone in football, they can't turn up to training the next day. In politics they're still on the pitch. Gordon would still have been a big player.” quote by Alastair Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5a/alastair-campbell-11941_alex_i-remember-talking-to-alex-ferguson-abou_1910577.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5a/alastair-campbell-11941_alex_i-remember-talking-to-alex-ferguson-abou_1910577.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5a/alastair-campbell-11941_alex_i-remember-talking-to-alex-ferguson-abou_1910577.png) > “I remember talking to Alex Ferguson about Tony \[Blair\] and Gordon \[Brown\], and he said: "Why doesn't Tony just get rid of him?" But if you sack someone in football, they can't turn up to training the next day. In politics they're still on the pitch. Gordon would still have been a big player.” [Alastair Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-campbell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The anecdote contrasts football’s quick‑fire disciplinary actions with politics’ lingering consequences, suggesting political accountability is harder to enforce. **In simple terms:** Political actions are harder to undo than sports. Key Takeaway Recognize the lasting impact of political decisions. Themes politics accountability leadership consequences comparison Mood critical analytical serious Type commentary reflective When to use this quote - government decision‑making - policy debates - media analysis - leadership training - public accountability Key Concepts Power dynamics ethical responsibility public scrutiny Questions to Reflect On - How can political systems improve accountability? - What lessons from sports can apply to politics? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex political realities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ferguson/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Training](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/training/) ## Related quotes > [ Tony \[Blair\] slowly sucked me back in for the 2005 campaign, and from six months out, I was basically working full time trying to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-campbell/tony-blair-slowly-sucked-me-back-in-for-the-2005-campaign-and-from/) [Alastair Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-campbell/) > [Just as the England football manager starts with bells and flags and balloons and ends up reviled, so do prime ministers. Tony Blair -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-wogan/just-as-the-england-football-manager-starts-with-bells-and-flags-and/) [Terry Wogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-wogan/) > [Tony Blair and Gordon Brown committed to John Major's spending envelopes in 1997. No-one said that Tony Blair and John Major were identical. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-clegg/tony-blair-and-gordon-brown-committed-to-john-major-s-spending/) [Nick Clegg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-clegg/) > [Gordon Brown now bestrides politics and the media like the Colossus of Dunfermline. Whatever happened to Tony Blair?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-mitchell/gordon-brown-now-bestrides-politics-and-the-media-like-the-colossus/) Austin Mitchell > [When you look at the things people are really fed up with, like the collapse of the pension system, like the failure to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-osborne/when-you-look-at-the-things-people-are-really-fed-up-with-like-the/) [George Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-osborne/) > [ As Tony \[Blair\] said in his book, Gordon \[Brown\] was brilliant and impossible. If he'd just been one of those things, the options are… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-campbell/as-tony-blair-said-in-his-book-gordon-brown-was-brilliant-and/) [Alastair Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-campbell/) > [I do think it's strange that I get associated with Iraq more than the people who were Foreign Secretary or Defence Secretary. It's because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-campbell/i-do-think-it-s-strange-that-i-get-associated-with-iraq-more-than-the/) [Alastair Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-campbell/) > [ He \[Tony Blair\] was always ambivalent about the \[Rupert\] Murdoch papers. But he gave other papers the chance to believe it was just about… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-campbell/he-tony-blair-was-always-ambivalent-about-the-rupert-murdoch-papers/) [Alastair Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-campbell/) > [ Tony's \[Blair\] convinced I'm going to find God. I do have spiritual moments, but I don't think it's God. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-campbell/tony-s-blair-convinced-i-m-going-to-find-god-i-do-have-spiritual/) [Alastair Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-campbell/) > [ Sometimes Jonathan \[Powell\] and myself would go to Tony \[Blair\] and ask him if he was absolutely sure about this or that. That was… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-campbell/sometimes-jonathan-powell-and-myself-would-go-to-tony-blair-and-ask/) [Alastair Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-campbell/) > [You're a hero one day, you're a villain another day. They say that's football. When a manager does well, they're applauded, when they don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-tan/you-re-a-hero-one-day-you-re-a-villain-another-day-they-say-that-s/) [Vincent Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-tan/) > [As for Gordon Brown - I've described him and Blair as two cheeks of the same arse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-galloway/as-for-gordon-brown-i-ve-described-him-and-blair-as-two-cheeks-of-the/) [George Galloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-galloway/) > [Do you think George Bush actually knows who Gordon Brown is? He probably just thinks Tony Blair's put on weight and had a mild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-boyle/do-you-think-george-bush-actually-knows-who-gordon-brown-is-he/) [Frankie Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-boyle/) > [I'm not a Tony Blair impersonator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sheen/i-m-not-a-tony-blair-impersonator/) [Michael Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sheen/) > [ ...The British press... \[claimed that Tony\] Blair was simply Bush's poodle - a favorite phrase, bewilderingly popular, although it made no sense - and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-king/the-british-press-claimed-that-tony-blair-was-simply-bush-s-poodle-a/) [Larry King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-king/) ## More by Alastair Campbell > [There are many reasons for the decline in royal esteem. One is that so many of the royals are thick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-campbell/there-are-many-reasons-for-the-decline-in-royal-esteem-one-is-that-so/) [Alastair Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-campbell/) > [I feel like thanking Paul Dacre every time, because the reason they ask me is because they think I've come through the other end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-campbell/i-feel-like-thanking-paul-dacre-every-time-because-the-reason-they/) [Alastair Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-campbell/) > [This may sound arrogant, but I believe that if we'd done teamship better, we'd still be there. Where we fell down was the inability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-campbell/this-may-sound-arrogant-but-i-believe-that-if-we-d-done-teamship/) [Alastair Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-campbell/) > [ Sometimes Jonathan \[Powell\] and myself would go to Tony \[Blair\] and ask him if he was absolutely sure about this or that. That was… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-campbell/sometimes-jonathan-powell-and-myself-would-go-to-tony-blair-and-ask/) [Alastair Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-campbell/) > [I have always been driven. I have always believed in what I believe very deeply.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-campbell/i-have-always-been-driven-i-have-always-believed-in-what-i-believe/) [Alastair Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-campbell/) > [I had a happy childhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-campbell/i-had-a-happy-childhood/) [Alastair Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-campbell/) > [We should confine booing in sports arenas to sport. I love a good boo as much as the next football fan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-campbell/we-should-confine-booing-in-sports-arenas-to-sport-i-love-a-good-boo/) [Alastair Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-campbell/) > [Clinton is a big personality who has led a big life, and for some of the media conventional wisdom to boil it down to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-campbell/clinton-is-a-big-personality-who-has-led-a-big-life-and-for-some-of/) [Alastair Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-campbell/) > [One day, we will look back and wonder how on earth we used to believe that depression was a lifestyle choice, only to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-campbell/one-day-we-will-look-back-and-wonder-how-on-earth-we-used-to-believe/) [Alastair Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-campbell/) > [Greg Dyke is on record as saying that once the BBC was attacked, it was their job to defend themselves. But that is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-campbell/greg-dyke-is-on-record-as-saying-that-once-the-bbc-was-attacked-it/) [Alastair Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-campbell/) > [ Paul Keating told us before we were elected that you can do deals with \[Rupert\] Murdoch without saying you were doing a deal. Did… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-campbell/paul-keating-told-us-before-we-were-elected-that-you-can-do-deals/) [Alastair Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-campbell/) > [Like most meaningful activities, campaigns are team games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-campbell/like-most-meaningful-activities-campaigns-are-team-games/) [Alastair Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-campbell/) > [I'm certainly driven, I hate losing, I can be ruthless and short-tempered and terribly competitive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-campbell/i-m-certainly-driven-i-hate-losing-i-can-be-ruthless-and-short/) [Alastair Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-campbell/) > [The royal family's existence is a constant reminder of the hollowness of John Major's rhetoric, and idiotic statements by its leading members a constant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-campbell/the-royal-family-s-existence-is-a-constant-reminder-of-the-hollowness/) [Alastair Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-campbell/) > [I will continue to help the political causes I believe in in any way I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-campbell/i-will-continue-to-help-the-political-causes-i-believe-in-in-any-way/) [Alastair Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-campbell/) [Explore all 57 Alastair Campbell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-campbell/) ## More Alex quotes > [“I may be the one leaving, but you’re the one giving up everything and walking away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loni-flowers/i-may-be-the-one-leaving-but-you-re-the-one-giving-up-everything-and/) [Loni Flowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loni-flowers/) > [“At least when I'm sleeping I can dream myself back to Alex, can dream myself into a different world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/at-least-when-i-m-sleeping-i-can-dream-myself-back-to-alex-can-dream/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [I am actually working on The Neighbors sitcom. We are starting from scratch. I am also working on a comedy movie and a vampire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-wiseau/i-am-actually-working-on-the-neighbors-sitcom-we-are-starting-from/) [Tommy Wiseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-wiseau/) > [“Something’s up,’ I say, handing the phone back. ‘Not necessarily,’ Jack says. ‘You think this is the first time Lila’s been hot-headed? Seriously, dude,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-alderson/something-s-up-i-say-handing-the-phone-back-not-necessarily-jack-says/) [Sarah Alderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-alderson/) > [Alex: Rosie, I wanted you to be the first person to no that I’ve decided to become a heart surgeon! Rosie: Cool, does it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/alex-rosie-i-wanted-you-to-be-the-first-person-to-no-that-i-ve/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [“I breathed in the memory of his lips, the softness of them, and how they felt tracing across my skin, leaving ripples of goosebumps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-alderson/i-breathed-in-the-memory-of-his-lips-the-softness-of-them-and-how/) [Sarah Alderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-alderson/) > [ I remember having some problems with \[the Deus Ex theme\] when I first heard it and I was trying to figure out how to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-spector/i-remember-having-some-problems-with-the-deus-ex-theme-when-i-first/) [Warren Spector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-spector/) > [You knew where you stood with Sir Alex Ferguson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-scholes/you-knew-where-you-stood-with-sir-alex-ferguson/) [Paul Scholes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-scholes/) > [“Welcome home, Soldier of Furnace.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/welcome-home-soldier-of-furnace/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [“It’s not great. What kind of connection is this? A one-way hotline to Pervyville?” I took a step forward, on a roll now. “It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/it-s-not-great-what-kind-of-connection-is-this-a-one-way-hotline-to/) [Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/) > [He read a lot. He used a lot of big words. I think maybe part of what got him into trouble was that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/he-read-a-lot-he-used-a-lot-of-big-words-i-think-maybe-part-of-what/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [Your name?"The movements of the man's mouth didn't quite match what he was saying, so seeing him speak was a bit like watching a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/your-name-the-movements-of-the-man-s-mouth-didn-t-quite-match-what-he/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [Dora appeared, placing Alex's coffee in front of him."Your girlfriend is a wonder, honey,"she siad to him, squeezing willows shoulder. Willow's smile turned strained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dora-appeared-placing-alex-s-coffee-in-front-of-him-your-girlfriend/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I do have high expectations for Alex Riley. He seems athletic, articulate and intelligent. Only time will tell how far he goes, but Riley…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ross/i-do-have-high-expectations-for-alex-riley-he-seems-athletic/) [Jim Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ross/) > [“I mean, contrary to popular belief, I'm actually not harboring a secret desire to grow up and become a bioterrorist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-norris/i-mean-contrary-to-popular-belief-i-m-actually-not-harboring-a-secret/) [Elizabeth Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-norris/) Browse all 479 Alex quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I remember talking to Alex Ferguson about Tony [Blair] and Gordon [Brown], and he said: \"Why doesn't Tony just get rid of him?\" But if you sack someone in football, they can't turn up to training the next day. In politics they're still on the pitch. 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