Extract from my 2013 blog –
Blair, Brown and Mandelson created New Labour and it worked – Labour was elected and re-elected. The results, over 13 years, are now history.
Two wars, one illegal, the deaths of hundreds of thousands, terrorism brought to UK by the Iraq War, the gap between rich and poor widened, corruption of Parliamentary institutions, the prosecution and imprisonment of Labour MPs, the resignation of the Labour Speaker of the House of Commons in disgrace, the corruption of the Press and the Metropolitan Police, the banking and financial collapse, cash for access, etc.
Hardly a success, except in one key aspect – Blair, Mandelson, Brown, Labour defence secretaries, Labour ministers and many Labour MPs got very rich indeed, in the case of Blair and Mandelson, egregiously rich.
The revolving door between government ministers, civil servants and industry – especially the defence industry – spun ever faster and more profitably.
And the military/industrial complex rejoiced and celebrated New Labour’s achievements.
And now, in 2014?
We have the key figures in the Blair Government that led us to war – Gordon Brown, John Reid, Alistair Darling, Jim Murphy, et al leading the war against Scotland’s independence.
Iraq has exploded into chaos and near-collapse of the Iraq‘democracy’ set up by the United States and the United Kingdom
What of the report of the Chilcot Enquiry? Delay in publication, talk of redaction of major conclusions and fact.
Posts
Peter, there are so many worries in this interview with Blair, it’s hard to know just where to start, but his self-endorsing continuation as a pivotal playmaker – a member of ‘the quartet’ as Marr put it, seems to be a given and Britain, through Blair’s “we” references, linking us all to whatever Obama decides upon does not bode well.
ReplyDeleteThere’s also a kind of grotesque conclusion forming that, as Marr puts it, the next stages will see drones and fighters, with all the collateral damage then simply written into it, as a matter of fact, which is then accepted by Blair as to be inevitable and as such, then an ok thing, to be endured. It’s all too bad about the poor wee people in the road of things then.
There’s no shaking of the wisdom tree going on, no apples falling down, all of the past being consumed by a future which was created by that same past and all of that was demanded by mammon. Blair and Bush and their followers, directing how this world develops as they mess about with ingredients to produce a dish that suits their own taste and bugger the common man’s needs.
With a single leap – we Scots can at least be in a position to say, no way Jose and seek to demand human rights be placed above bloody money interests – come 18 September it is our duty to start that process to do just that and in our own very sovereign way start a new world order. It’s that big a decision.
It is indeed. Thanks for posting.
ReplyDeleteregards,
Peter
I see from the list at the end of this article the UK appears to be top in swelling the numbers of jihadists leaving to take part in these 'Arab Spring' type 'revolutions' and religious factional wars. Mr Blair appears to be suggesting more bombing and killing (he calls it "targeted" as if that's safer) must be instigated to increase the chance (missed last time?) to impose....sorry - establish democracy
ReplyDelete.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303722104579238542737904868
Mr Blair, Middle East Peace Envoy, appears to have missed the geographical and population enormity of the "regional problem" he seems to think would benefit from a bit more western bombing - No Thanks.
I have absolutely no idea what might be done to help - but more of the same is surely not the answer.
Thanks, Clarinda.
DeletePlease note that clickable links don't work in comments unless you post them in full html code.
regards,
Peter