Liberal Vision

B-Day ! Blair at the Iraq inquiry

Ok its go go go….

I for one am fixed to my desk. TV on BBC, PC on Sky with windows open for Guardian /Politics Home and Times blogs.

More police than protestors outside – and probably more media than police. Constant buzz of the overhead helicopter adding interesting sound effect to TV and radio news reports.

I am not going to blog minute by minute updates – more gifted people than I are doing that.  For info I have found the following that all look like good options:  Guardian live blog, The Times’ live blog, Channel 4′s Iraq Inquiry blogger on Twitter, The Daily Telegraph’s live blog, Iraq Inquiry Digest’s live blog, Sky News Twitter feed, FT’s Westminster Blog,Politics Home live blog. Doubtless there are others.

Tags: Chilcot inquiry, Iraq, Tony Blair

This, Mr President, is how your government will “build a nation”

The story, in short:

A consultancy in London provided this nation-building plan to the Pentagon. Wonderfully it ended up online (still available, here).

A quick visual of the plan to build a new nation of Afghanistan…

STEP 1: Look for support! Yes, this is your “Popular Support”

Step 2: Ah, but these strange A-rab folk are a bit different to us, yes? What about their “Conditions, Beliefs & Structures”? Better shove them in.

Step 3: But ugh, the insurgents! And all those poppy fields. Better shove them in ‘n’ all…

Step 4: Right, there might economists in the room. Mention infrastructure and the economy and stuff…

Step 5: Not to mention the ‘public sector workers’. Fit them in somewhere…

Step 6: And the Brits, don’t forget them. You know, the ‘Coalition’, the other governments. Include the ‘Coalition’. Still following?

Step 7: Dammit, there’s still a gap left. Make something up…

Step 8: Add some colour. That’s better. But actually, what happens when all these things link together? Don’t we need to…

Step 9: …ah yes, that’s better. Everyone reading from the same hymn sheet now? Ladies and Gentlemen, the Development of Afghanistan Stability!

YES.

This will definitely work.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Hat-tip: Chris Coyne.

Tags: Afghanistan, nation building, neo Cons, Tony Blair

Brown bows to Blair (again) but Nick says “naff off”

“Get in” as they say on the football terraces.

 The BBC reports today that Gordon Brown has finally admitted defeat – and – presumably through gritted teeth, let it be known that he will  actively lobby for his predecessor Tony Blair to be named the first president of the European Council.

In the same report it is said that later today (Wednesday) Nick Clegg will  publicly declare his opposition to Blair’s appointment. I hope so. Tony Blair, is, afterall, not yet cleared of war crimes. He orchestrated what most of us recognise as an illegal war against Iraq. A war that the Lib Dems single-handedly opposed when the Labour party, the Conservative party, large chunks of the media and a significant proportion of the British population (no doubt as a result of the above) thought was “a good thing”.  

Nick – sing it loud and sing it clear. Until there has been an honest and open public investigation into the events surrounding the war on Iraq (i.e not the current one), a suspected war criminal - who went at odds with the rest of Europe on the matter – can’t surely be eligible for this post – no matter what ones feelings are on Europe more generally.

Tags: EU President, Nick Clegg, Tony Blair

Shouldn’t the LibDems say that “President Blair” is totally unacceptable?

The view in the more hysterical reaches of the Eurosceptic press is that Tony Blair is heir apparent to become President of the European Council should the Lisbon Treaty be ratified.  This fits a neat narrative for those on the Right who wish to warn Cameron that Lisbon is roughly synonymous with Armageddon. Tony Blair is the only man in three and a half decades to have successfully challenged – indeed, reversed -  the electoral ascendancy of the Tory party. He is feared, respected and reviled by Conservaties in about equal measure.

But the major issue about Blair for liberals must be that he led Britain casually into an illegal war, on a false prospectus and with utterly catastrophic consequences. There has yet to be a full public enquiry into the Iraq war. Until there is, and until any possible subsequent legal action against Blair is resolved, Nick Clegg and the LibDems should surely use what (limited) political power they have to argue that Blair should not be considered for any meaningful public appointment within the UK or the EU.

Tags: Tony Blair

Did Hague Flip or Cameron Flop ?

Ok I am confused…

The Times  on-line front page reports that David Cameron will give Tony Blair a free run if he tries to become the EU’s first president. It goes on to say “The Conservative leader has told senior colleagues that they should do nothing to oppose a Blair candidacy if the Lisbon treaty, which creates the role, is ratified later this year”

Then William Hague pops up on Sky News saying “..We are not in favour of an EU president at all….but I can tell you we have not spent ten years opposing Tony Blair as Prime Minister of Britain, to agree to him becoming President of the European Union. So that story is absolutely without foundation…”

Generally it is the SKY “Never Wrong For Long” boys that I would expect to have ”gone off a bit early”. But The Times? Not usually their modus operandi. And their statement seems unequivocal (and has now been up for some 8 hours as I write). 

That leaves me thinking that it is the Tories on this occassion that gaffed. I know they call him flip-flop Cameron – but thats a bit quick even for him isnt it ? Or could it be that Mr Hague is over-ruling his boss on this one? Ah the intrigue.

Tags: David Cameron, EU Presidency, Tony Blair, William Hague