"Yo, Blair, what are you doing?" was an informal greeting reportedly made byUnited States PresidentGeorge W. Bush toBritish Prime MinisterTony Blair during thesummit of the Group of Eight industrialized nations (G8) inSt Petersburg,Russia, on 17 July 2006.[1] The line was popularly quoted in the media.
Although the greeting was popularized as "Yo, Blair", American media outlets such asThe New York Times[2] andThe Washington Post[3] transcribed it as "Yeah, Blair", while several British journalists, includingSimon Hoggart[4] andJohn Rentoul, have characterised the "Yo, Blair" transcript as a "myth":
In a comment on Hoggart's piece,Bryan Appleyard concluded that the "Yo, Blair" version became "entrenched as recorded fact" because it corresponded to the "perceived 'inner truth' of the Blair–Bush poodle–master relationship".[6]
Yo, Blair! is the title of apolemical 2006 book byGeoffrey Wheatcroft, attacking Blair on various issues, particularly his relationship with Bush.
There was considerable interest both in the "Yo, Blair" phrase itself and in the ensuing impromptu conversation. Although supposedly private, it waspicked up by a microphone. In the course of the exchange, Bush, among other things, thanked Blair for the gift of a sweater and, more importantly, referred to an armed conflict that had just broken out inLebanon betweenIsraeli forces and theShi'a groupHezbollah ("What they need to do is getSyria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this shit and it's all over").[7] This was reaffirmed by the suggestion to "get Kofi [Annan] on the phone with [Bashar] Assad and make something happen." He also stated that Condoleezza Rice would visit the area.[8][9]
"Yo, Blair" or "Yo, [any surname]" almost immediately became acatchphrase in Britain. In her annualLanguage Report (2007) for theOxford University Press, the lexicographerSusie Dent devoted over half a page to the term, including some of the references below.[1]
When Blair rose to make a statement in theHouse of Commons on 19 July 2006, he was greeted with cries from the Opposition benches of "Yo!"[10] A cartoon byGerald Scarfe inThe Sunday Times showed Bush in a rocking chair, dressed as asheriff, directing his Secretary of StateCondoleezza Rice, "Yo, Condi. Better go check out that sh*t. Don't hurry".[11]
This was the subject of a cartoon by Scarfe, reflecting on the Anglo-American "special relationship". In it, Bush, atop scenes of devastation, disbursed unequal quantities of munitions for Israel and aid for Lebanon. A small, plaintive Blair looked on and, raising his hand, asked, "Yo George. I just wondered if I might have a word?"[12]
"Yo George", the highly political first track on Tori Amos' 2007 albumAmerican Doll Posse, is a direct reference to the "Yo, Blair" incident.[13]
The satirical magazinePrivate Eye began its regular spoof letter from thevicar ofSt Albion's parish church (the Rev. A.R.P. Blair, M.A.) with the greeting, "Yo!".[14] The ensuing epistle contained a range of variants, "Yo, Running Scared", "Yo, Vicar" and "Yo, Dubya" (the latter invoking a well established play on Bush's middle initial).
"Yo" has been used as an exclamation to attract attention since the 15th century.[15] In the early 20th century "yo" was used inlower middle class British slang as a "declaration of admiration... to the softer sex by the sterner".[16] In the mid to late 20th century, the term was popularized, possibly independently of the previous usage, by theItalian-American community inPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania.[17] The term spread to other communities, notably the Philadelphia African-American community, before spreading beyond Philadelphia. In the late 20th century, it frequently appeared inhip hop music and became associated withAfrican American Vernacular English.
Former British government ministerDenis MacShane observed that "Yo, Blair" was the American equivalent of "wotcher, mate" and that metaphorically Bush and Blair had been addressing each other using theFrench informaltu ("you"), as opposed to the more formalvous.[18]
Former British Foreign Secretary andNATO Secretary-GeneralPeter Carrington reflected, "Iraq, and more recently Lebanon, have totally sidelined us. We have far less influence than we had. That 'Yo, Blair' exchange... was so humiliating".[19]
Following a meeting inWashington, D.C. between Bush and Blair on 28 July[when?] to discuss the situation in Lebanon, cartoonist forThe Times Neil Bennett, depicted, above the caption, "Gifts were exchanged before the Washington summit", aBurberry bag (an allusion to "Yo Blair") being swapped for a tin of dog food marked "Pedigree Chum".[20] That was a reference to the charge of some that Blair had been acting as America's "poodle", a metaphor that had been used in British politics since at least 1907.[21][22]
In May 2007 Bush denied that Blair was his "poodle" but remarked on his "dogged" style of leadership,[citation needed] whileAnthony Seldon, who wrote an unauthorised biography of Blair, noted that when greeting Blair at the White House, Bush would typically welcome him with arms outstretched, yelling, "Hey. Blair. How y'doing'?"[23]
On Monday July 7, 2008 at the 34th annualG8 summit inToyako,Japan, while speaking withNigerian PresidentUmaru Yar'Adua, Bush summonedCanadian Prime MinisterStephen Harper with a brusque "Yo Harper!" Much like in the UK, political and public reaction was divided between this being an indication of the close relationship between the two, the subservience of Harper or simply another example of the "folksy" disposition of Bush.
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