TONY BLAIR SPEECH

[azkad]

Hi there,

A few days ago, I was listening to a fabulous speech made by former UK PM Tony Blair who was expressing his gratitude and thanks to those who assisted him, in particular, his family.
Dear native speakers I did not figure out why people burst into laughter after Tony Blair said:

'At least I don't have to worry about running off the block next door'.

Is there anything cultural? In short, I could not get the message. Please help me to make the sentence more clear.

Another thing I would like to ask you is that we have got an English Club which needed an appropriate name, and we named it 'FULL SPEED AHEAD'. Is it OK? If you have any other suggestions we would appreciate it very very much.

 

[BobSmith]

"BLAIR: At least I don't have to worry about running off with the bloke next door."

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0609/26/sitroom.03.html

 

[azkad]

"BLAIR: At least I don't have to worry about running off with the bloke next door."

transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0609/26/sitroom.03.html

Dear BobSmith, thank you so much

 

[BlairSupporter]

Hi there,

A few days ago, I was listening to a fabulous speech made by former UK PM Tony Blair who was expressing his gratitude and thanks to those who assisted him, in particular, his family.
Dear native speakers I did not figure out why people burst into laughter after Tony Blair said:

'At least I don't have to worry about running off the block next door'.

Is there anything cultural? In short, I could not get the message. Please help me to make the sentence more clear.

The "bloke" just means the man/guy/fella. It was "running off with the bloke next door", btw.

The jocular reference was because Cherie Blair had been widely reported by the press as having laughed when Gordon Brown had earlier praised Tony Blair. She had reportedly said "that's a lie". So Tony meant she wasn't all that keen on Gordon. It defused things in this - Blair's last speech to conference as leader, especially since Blair & Brown had been known to have had differences over many years, and it was/still is widely believed that Brown led the "coup" to be rid of Blair as party leader, thus PM.


I have edited out the last sentence. We do not in this forum support, in any way, any political view or politician. This is a language forum. - 5jj

 

[RobMasters]

"BLAIR: At least I don't have to worry about running off with the bloke next door."

transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0609/26/sitroom.03.html

Nice one!
As an Englishman but with a 20-year absence from the current gossip, I didn't hear this as "bloke". And if I had, I would have not the faintest idea what the connotations might have been . . . and I've not the fainest idea what's popular on the TV in the UK either! Thanks for the clue-in.
R