Is Tony Blair's Political Career at Risk Due to Iraq War Support?

[Les Sleeth]

I don't know if anyone here has given opinions on this, so if it is redundant just refer me to the thread. But I wonder if Tony Blair is going to be politically damaged by his support of the US in the Iraq war. Personally I think he is a great leader, and that he didn't have much choice about going along with the US given his European unity commitments and friendship status with us.

Yet each day we don't find WMD, and the Iraqis become more difficult to get on board with democracy, the more it looks like Iraq may become a long, drawn out project with little if any success.

I watched him try to defend his decisions in the weekly debate he has with parliment (BTW, wouldn't that be a great format for congress -- President Bush would be particularly fun to watch debate like that). Blair seemed shakey to me, and not the usual confident speaker he is when he believes he's right (selling the Euro idea to Britains, for example).

Anyway, what do you think.

 

[Zero]

I don't know if he will be able to get away with simply lying...but they have a free and honest press over there, something Bush doesn't have to contend with.

 

[FZ+]

I think Blair will survive this, personally. Listen to his language. He knows the risk, and he knows how to get out of it.

I think his strategy is to distance himself from the most damaging charges of deception, and try to cover over that by offering an alternative error of naiviety. Ie. "Sorry, I genuinely believe then, but it was these intelligence officals who deceived me. Please trust me. I promise not to allow these people to influence me again." Then he will play this towards the moral high ground and portray his accusers as sacrificing moral standards for political gain. With luck, he'll get over this thing in a month or so. Already, as you can see from the debate on wednesday, he has confused the issue with one of faith in government and the war, rather than political misjudgement. The vote against allowing an independent inquiry was a real coup for him, and one acheived by mostly nebulous arguments by ad hominem defense.

 

[phi1978]

It's difficult to know where all this will lead to for sure. Tony Blair arguably faces stronger opposition with Michael Howard now leading the Conservative party and there's been this spat with Gordon Brown coming into the open. But he seems determined to stay put.

And then there's the Hutton Inquiry. If Blair is heavily criticised by Lord Hutton what will that mean for his future?

Apparently Tony Blair is very popular in the United States...[?]

 

[selfAdjoint]

Well, the Tories have just selected a new leader with a nasty backtrail, so I don't think they are going to be a threat. And who else could put up a fight?

 

[Adrian Baker]

Originally posted by LW Sleeth
... I wonder if Tony Blair is going to be politically damaged by his support of the US in the Iraq war. Personally I think he is a great leader...
Anyway, what do you think.

The only way that you can think he is a great leader is because you are 4000 miles away and don't have the misfortune to live in a country governed by him!

Great at what exactly? Crime up, taxes up, hospitals in a worse state, University fees for students, school budget deficits, pandering to the EU over everything, love of the Euro, lack of democracy, no respect for parliament, spin in everything he does, ...

Pah!

 

[Andy]

I like your style adrian, but do you think that the Tories could do any better?

 

[FZ+]

The only way that you can think he is a great leader is because you are 4000 miles away and don't have the misfortune to live in a country governed by him!

I would think rather that people seem to view stuff with relativity in mind...

Blair > Bush > Mass Suicide

That kind of thing.

Tories: Confused riot of pseudo-facists and traditionalists.

Lib dem: Confused riot of pseudo-liberals with a critical lack of experience.

Business as usual, then... Excuse the cynicism...

 

[Adrian Baker]

Originally posted by Andy
I like your style adrian, but do you think that the Tories could do any better?

What could they do worse? The Labour Party's best policy was carried out in the first week after the election in '97 - making the Bank of England responsible for setting interest rates. This made all the decisions Economic rather than political. Apart from that, what has been made better?
In the first year after TB came to power, my school's budget was cut, in the second year a good friend at the school was made redundant... Do you remember his policy of 'Education, Education, Education'?

Brown has take over £27 Billion (yes billion) out of the pensions industry in new taxes and spent it on what? Ask anybody nearing retirement what they think of the value of their pension! Robert Maxwell stole pension funds and was prosecuted for it - Brown steals £27 billion, puts our pensions in crisis and then decides to tax people even more to pay for a 'Pensioners credit' to help people out. Incidentally, the new pensioners allowance that 'helps' old people to claim relief on Council tax is a 39 paged form! He steals our money and makes it alwmost impossible to get any back..

And what about democracy? Over 80% of the British Public want a Referendum on the new European Constitution, but will we get it? Will we F**k! Why not? Because TB does not believe in democracy and doesn't believe we, the public, will make the 'right' decision.

I ask again, what could the Tories do worse?

 

[drag]

Greetings !

Considering the recent unfortunate events in Turkey
I think that more of the public in the UK will
wake up. Which is, despite the unfortunate circumpstances,
going to increase support for PM Blair.
That is in spite of those Muslims and "I don't care about
anybody" - pacifists dropping Bush statues at Trafalgar.
It's a zoo...

________________________________________________

May the British counsul and all Turkish and UK citizens
killed in Istanbul rest in peace.

Terrorism is extreme Islam, extreme Islam has adresses,
we must pay them a visit.

Live long and prosper.