Defeat for Blair, Victory for Free Speech

[OwlHoot]

Can't get it right can he, Tony Blair. Fecks up everything he interferes in. One day someone is going to write a very funny book about his time as PM.

Better for everyone if he retired to his London pile, except that he's paid too much for it and has still got to work to pay the mortgage. I'd offer him my garage to doss in, but I can't stand the c***.

Too true in general, except in this case I don't reckon they really did screw up (in terms of their plans): Think about it - They get the credit, maybe somewhat backhanded, for accepting the amendments without pressing for the full original scope of the act. They also may get approval from muslims for supposedly at least trying to bring in a more oppressive bill.

Also, in making a big song and dance about admitting they screwed up they bolster their credibility when they deny or play down genuine screw ups in the future, and God knows there are sure to be enough of those.

[stackpole]

Can't get it right can he, Tony Blair. Fecks up everything he interferes in. One day someone is going to write a very funny book about his time as PM.

Better for everyone if he retired to his London pile, except that he's paid too much for it and has still got to work to pay the mortgage. I'd offer him my garage to doss in, but I can't stand the c***.

[AlfredJPruffock]

Tuesday March 18th 2003

Tony Blairs speech to Parilament on the Iraq invasion


What is the claim of Saddam today? Why exactly the same claim as before: that he has no WMD.


Indeed we are asked to believe that after seven years of obstruction and non-compliance finally resulting in the inspectors leaving in 1998, seven years in which he hid his programme, built it up even whilst inspection teams were in Iraq, that after they left he then voluntarily decided to do what he had consistently refused to do under coercion.

When the inspectors left in 1998, they left unaccounted for: 10,000 litres of anthrax; a far reaching VX nerve agent programme; up to 6,500 chemical munitions; at least 80 tonnes of mustard gas, possibly more than ten times that amount; unquantifiable amounts of sarin, botulinum toxin and a host of other biological poisons; an entire Scud missile programme.

We are now seriously asked to accept that in the last few years, contrary to all history, contrary to all intelligence, he decided unilaterally to destroy the weapons.

Such a claim is palpably absurd.

Yesterday sadly witnessed the 100th death of a UK Soldier in Iraq


Their grief, they have left no doubt who they hold responsible for the death of their son in Iraq. As the number of British servicemen killed since the March 2003 invasion reached 100 yesterday, the family of the 99th to die said Tony Blair had blood on his hands.

Lance Corporal Allan Douglas, 22, of the 1st Battalion the Highlanders, was shot dead on Monday after coming under small-arms fire while on patrol in the volatile Maysan province. He was removing an aerial from the roof of his vehicle when he was killed.

Just over a month before being shot by insurgents, he told his family he wanted to leave the army at the end of his tour because he hated the war in Iraq so much. Yesterday, his father, Walter, made it clear he had no doubt where the finger of blame lay.

He said: "Tony Blair has 100% got blood on his hands over this - our boys shouldn't be out there in the first place. It's just such a waste that Allan has died."

From his home in Aberdeen, Mr Douglas, a cleaner, said: "Allan used to love the army, but as soon as he went to Iraq that changed. He just didn't like it out there. He told us it was crazy, and he didn't want to go back after his leave before Christmas. He didn't think it was our war to fight, and he wanted out - but he knew it was his duty, so he was going to finish the tour.

[EternalOptimist]

Have you heard the one about Hilary Armstrong the *** and the mad mullah

[AlfredJPruffock]

We didn't expect to win," one senior Tory admitted. "But they took their eye off the ball, that is the arrogance of power." David Davis called it " a moment of defeat for Blair, but a victory for free speech." "We messed up," one government whip admitted




Government suffers chaotic double defeat over bill to combat religious hatred

· Blair's missing vote could have been decisive
· Ministers forced to accept Lords amendments



The government last night suffered a chaotic defeat over its bill to combat religious hatred when a lethal mixture of Labour rebels, abstentions and absentees from Westminster delivered an unexpected triumph to the combined Opposition in both Lords and Commons.


Though the racial and religious hatred bill came from Charles Clarke's Home Office team, and some MPs predicted that chief whip, Hilary Armstrong will today offer her resignation, Tony Blair contributed personally to the defeat by missing the night's second key vote - which was lost by just one vote, his own.



As the Home Secretary immediately confirmed to gleeful MPs in the Commons the two defeats - the first by 288 to 278 votes - mean that the bill will now go for royal assent in the version amended substantially by the Lords last autumn.


Ministers had made concessions to reassure religious critics - Christian and Muslim, as well as atheists and civil libertarians, who claimed the bill was unnecessary and would threaten basic freedom of speech. Several hundred demonstrators had protested outside parliament for much of the day.

Twenty seven Labour MPs joined Tory, Lib Dem and nationalist critics of the bill and up to 24 did not vote - many because they were working to defend Labour's majority in the Dunfermline and West Fife byelection on February 9.

It was only the second Commons defeat for Mr Blair since 1997, just two months after his reduced 2005 election majority of 64 was overturned in the battle over 90 day detention for terror suspects. But it is certain to embolden critics - peers and MPs - who are determined to defeat the ID cards bill and to modify the secondary school reforms before a bill is published next month.

David Cameron's reviving Conservatives were only on a two-line whip, in contrast to Labour and the Lib Dems, whose three-liner was intended to bring all MPs in to vote. But Labour whips miscalculated and did not think they had to bring their byelection team home, let alone keep the prime minister at Westminster.

"We didn't expect to win," one senior Tory admitted. "But they took their eye off the ball, that is the arrogance of power." David Davis called it " a moment of defeat for Blair, but a victory for free speech." "We messed up," one government whip admi