Reply to: Chilcott Enquiry

[MrMarkyMark]

Another couple of Bliar corkers:-

There will not be a day when I do not relive and rethink what happened.

He said he “couldn’t accept” criticism that British soldiers died in vain.

[MrMarkyMark]

Dianne Abbot is here to respond. I'm turning it off before I conclude Blair was right after all.

So that's where we are all going to end up

[barrydidit]

He's on Radio 4 right now pushing the same argument

Dianne Abbot is here to respond. I'm turning it off before I conclude Blair was right after all.

[MrMarkyMark]

But asked whether invading Iraq was a mistake Blair was strikingly unrepentant. “I believe we made the right decision and the world is better and safer,” he declared.

Weapons of Mass Dementia, anyone?

I suppose in a world where you get a Middle East Peace Envoy job, on the back of it, anything is possible.

[barrydidit]

He's on Radio 4 right now pushing the same argument

[Mordac]

But asked whether invading Iraq was a mistake Blair was strikingly unrepentant. “I believe we made the right decision and the world is better and safer,” he declared.

Weapons of Mass Dementia, anyone?

[MrMarkyMark]

But asked whether invading Iraq was a mistake Blair was strikingly unrepentant. “I believe we made the right decision and the world is better and safer,” he declared.

[Mordac]

Just watched Bliar squirming on the highlights, and felt slightly aroused. Oh bugger, I said that out loud, didn't I.

[xoggoth]

Interesting item in The Guardian:

Chilcot report into Iraq war tells how intelligence agency feared a source’s information had been lifted from Hollywood thriller featuring Nicolas Cage

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...chilcot-report

With so many films and books to draw on why do politicians need to think up any new ideas? I though there was something a bit familiar about all the Boris Johnson/Michael Gove thing, now I remember - it was from an episode of Lord Snooty and his Pals in The Beano.

A bit more seriously, I think this article is correct in saying that the conflicts in Iraq would probably have happened anyway sooner or later. However, what the war has almost certainly done is provide a reason for extremists to blame the west and aided their recruitment.

Is Tony Blair responsible for all Iraq's bloodshed? The truth is more complicated, and less comforting

[Mordac]

Maybe that's why he's held off on resigning. He can make the apology on behalf of his party, make sure it's very clear who is at fault, and then he can resign.
If a Blairite takes over from him, it won't happen.

Funny, I was thinking exactly the same thing...

[meridian]

True there is a government there now - but the damage was done in the time in the year or so when there wasn't a government.

Our neighbours are Iraqi, and went back to Baghdad last year for a visit to family.

There's no government to speak of; no police, no basic services such as functioning electricity (all generators). The suburbs are ruled by militia and gangs, and the civilians live in fear of them as much as Isis.

[minestrone]

I thought the major flaw in Blair's response reasoning was that the arab spring would have happened and Iraq would have fallen if he had not invaded. That is a sign of an unhinged mind.

[minestrone]

"Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors, so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe..."

Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 1994

Are you sure that is not from the Call Of Duty 4 narrative script?

[scooterscot]

"Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors, so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe..."

Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 1994

[minestrone]

The period running up to the surge in 2007 was by far the worst period for terrorism and loss of life. The country had a government, army and police force for years by that point.