Reply to: The Tony Blair Interview with Andrew Marr

[Doggy Styles]

Consider the following facts:

1. The idea that Iraq could hits us in 45 minutes was never believed by anyone. That was laughable even at the time.
2. Hans Blix, the UN inspector, has recently said the Iraqis were cooperating in everything he asked
3. WMD, possibly, but not a threat to the UK.
4. Terrorism? No quite the opposite - Iraq is NOW full of Islamic terrorists, none under Saddam.
5. Regime change because Saddam was a bad guy? Why didn't we do Zimbabwe?

And most damningly:

6. What's going to happen to Iraq after we leave. By most analyses, civil war between Iranian and Syrian proxies and their opponents.

So the Iraq war has cost lives and treasure for not very much ooutcome. The more intelligent of us predicted that back in 2003.

What sas said. Especially number 4.

Strategically, getting rid of Saddam was an own goal in the "war on terror".

[d000hg]

Check out some of the comments on his book at amazon

Fiction always sells better anyway

[lilelvis2000]

Check out some of the comments on his book at amazon

Once a conman, always a conman! And there are always those who love to be conned. And so it goes on...

This man is incapable of telling the truth, so how can you believe one word of what is written in this book?

too funny.

[lilelvis2000]

In all seriousness, I reckon it would be pretty interesting. Tony's clearly a smart guy and has been around a lot of people and information that would be interesting to hear about. I'd certainly read it if I had a copy though I won't buy it.

Did anyone actually watch the interview, I heard the soundbites on the radio.

I watched the first 15 minutes and then it got into Iraq..and as we've heard it all before. I turned it over to a Bollywood channel - which had some startling beauties engaged in some type of dating game. Yowza!

[TestMangler]

But it would be nice to dig the whole country up and have a look

[northernrampage]

Are there any lefties on CUK, champagne or otherwise?

I am. I feel so lonely

I'm not of the champagne vintage either, old-school. But I am changing over the years the more tax I lose. Hypocrite that I am.

I can't stand Blair. Something about him and his mannerisms makes me want to punch him. Nothing is real. But I might buy the book despite all the press quotes/interviews seeming so narcissistic... just Blair going "me, me, me, I did the right thing you know I did and Gordon is such a twat". Are all politicians like that or are they doomed to end up that way?

[d000hg]

In all seriousness, I reckon it would be pretty interesting. Tony's clearly a smart guy and has been around a lot of people and information that would be interesting to hear about. I'd certainly read it if I had a copy though I won't buy it.

Did anyone actually watch the interview, I heard the soundbites on the radio.

[Clippy]

So, anyone going to buy a copy of his book?

[d000hg]

Are there any lefties on CUK, champagne or otherwise?

[DodgyAgent]

You mean the one for which he's giving all profits away?

I find it slightly surprising CUK seems quite strongly anti-war in Iraq. Have they cleared up yet if Tony acted on bad information or knew the real facts? And, is the CUK anti-Tony movement more about much more mundane things like our economy/government, and Iraq is just used as another paddle to hit him with?

Iraq is the only paddle that the hypocrite pro tory behaving, affluent, priviliged, champagne lefties CUKers have ever had to hit Blair with. No one really knows where that money for the British legion is actually going to end up. Presumably Blair was sensible enough to set up a Gulf bank account whilst he was out there?

[NickFitz]

I think future royalties too but happy to stand corrected.

It seems you are correct: A spokesman said Mr Blair would hand over the reported £4m advance payment plus all royalties to honour "their courage and sacrifice".

[d000hg]

Is he? I thought it was just his advance he was giving away!

I think future royalties too but happy to stand corrected.

[NickFitz]

Was Saddam withholding the oil from us?
Don't think so.

More the other way around surely?

[xoggoth]

Not sure it ever pays to interfere in another country. Watching that Childern of Zimbabwe last night and thinking, like many, they should have sent in a hit squad and executed Mugabe.

But then when would ever have been the right time? At the beginning it would have looked like a move to keep all the land for rich whites and probably ended up in them being slaughtered. By the time the scale of the disaster was apparent and many black Zimbabweans would have been happy for him to be assassinated, it was far too late.

[doodab]

I expect we'll be back within 15 years.