rokhed00 Posted June 27, 2007 Posted June 27, 2007 Wonder what Tony will do next? Fall under a high speed train with a bit of luck.
KKOB Posted June 27, 2007 Posted June 27, 2007 I watched the coverage on the BBC this afternoon. Was quite enjoyable. Nice little speech, and very nice of Cameron to wish him luck in his future. Loled at Cherie's little comment to the Press when they left. But my oh my, Brown is very very boring in my opinion, but has a very sexy wife I really can't see him winning the next election, or getting 'on' with Bush. Wonder what Tony will do next? Guest host HIGNFY... You do realise why Cameron praised Tony? so the Blairinator wouldn't unleash hell on Cameron for the switch of one of his MPs from Tory to Labour yesterday. Tony's the Middle East envoy voted by the quartet- America, Russia, EU and UN. The last PMQs made me cry with laughter, Blair really owned all in the commons.
Guest Jordan Posted June 27, 2007 Posted June 27, 2007 Hmm. Blair was good for us, bad for others. He have a fantastic ecconomy, world renouned health service (yes, there still places for improvement), less crime. However, PC is now rife in this country, immigration is out of control, theres alot of stealth taxing and spin going on. Then it comes to the wars, if you believe it was to get rid of the Telban and Saddam, making Iraq and Afghanistan into democratic countries, you're way off. We went for oil, awful for them, but if we didn't go to war, we would have been in awful economical problems. A good PM, but not great imo.
Haver Posted June 27, 2007 Posted June 27, 2007 Christopher Hitchens has it right, I think. http://www.slate.com/id/2117328/ The commonest liberal and Tory jeer against Tony Blair—that he is George Bush's "poodle"—is self-evidently false. Far from being a ditto to Washington, it was Blair who leaned on Clinton and Albright to intervene in the Balkans, putting an end to the long and disgusting Tory appeasement of Slobodan Milosevic. Without asking for any American approval, Blair also decided to stand by Britain's treaty with Sierra Leone and to send troops to put down the barbaric invasion of the hand-loppers and diamond-dealers, based in Charles Taylor's Liberia, who were among other things the regional allies of al-Qaida. In 1999, when Bush was still an isolationist governor of Texas, Blair made a speech in Chicago pointing out that Saddam Hussein's defiance of international law made a future confrontation with him inevitable. After Sept. 11, 2001, Blair told Bush that he would send ground troops to Afghanistan even if the United States would not. ... There are things to dislike about Tony Blair. His rather sickly piety is one, and his liberal authoritarianism, on matters such as smoking and fox-hunting, is another. I can't forgive him for calling Diana Spencer "the People's Princess," or for seeking the approval of the Fleet Street rags, and he is one of those politicians who seems to think that staying "on message" is an achievement in itself. Nonetheless, he took a bold stand against the establishment and against a sullen public opinion and did so on a major issue of principle. It is absolutely necessary that his right-wing and clerical enemies be humiliated at the polls. As far as Iraq is concerned, I think Blair (as well as Hitchens) was and is fighting a different war than the one transpiring today, and I do think there was and is a strong case for Liberal Regime Change, but the post-conflict stuff wasn't nailed and the culture wasn't there and it has, for good or ill, mutilated Blair's record in office. [EDIT] Jordan, don't betray yourself with that Oil Wars trash.
Slaggis Posted June 27, 2007 Posted June 27, 2007 Fall under a high speed train with a bit of luck. You try and run the country better then.
Guest Jordan Posted June 27, 2007 Posted June 27, 2007 [EDIT] Jordan, don't betray yourself with that Oil Wars trash. You really think that we went to 'free' these people? Pssh, way things are going they're all gunna kill each other anyway. I don't want to turn this into a political debate, to be honest. I'm tired and on a shoddy laptop keyboard and i can't be arsed to type
Dan_Dare Posted June 27, 2007 Posted June 27, 2007 Prime Minister's question time was well amusing. I loved his put down of the tory euro-phobe. Classic. I'll leave attempts at ripping on Blair to the pseudo political teenagers. I think he's done far, far more good than bad, and Brown has a serious act to follow.
Haver Posted June 27, 2007 Posted June 27, 2007 I cannot speak for the motivations of the Bush Administration, Jordan, although I do not suspect them to entirely noble, but there was and is a strong case for regime change and the removal of a theocratic, genocidal bully from power (see Salmon Rushdie's 'A Liberal Case For Regime Change': http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A49220-2002Oct31¬Found=true). That is, I admit, likely a case for a different war, or at least, one that was played down as 'unsellable' in favour of the far more sexy charge of hidden WMDs, and only now do the policy makers return to it.
jayseven Posted June 27, 2007 Posted June 27, 2007 I'm also going to miss his voice and hand gestures during speeches. well then keep an eye out for Gordon Brown's really really weird dropping-jaw. He lets it drop and leaves his mouth open when he pauses in his talks. He's clearly been working on it though as he'll often just clench his mouth shut. And as for what Tony Blair will do now - well he's got to still be the MP for his constituency 'til the next local elections.
KKOB Posted June 27, 2007 Posted June 27, 2007 well then keep an eye out for Gordon Brown's really really weird dropping-jaw. He lets it drop and leaves his mouth open when he pauses in his talks. He's clearly been working on it though as he'll often just clench his mouth shut. And as for what Tony Blair will do now - well he's got to still be the MP for his constituency 'til the next local elections. Nope, He's no longer an MP. A By-election will take place next month in sedgefield. Tony's off to the middle east as an envoy-to try and bring peace between Palestine and Israel. See the news.
thirtynine. Posted June 27, 2007 Posted June 27, 2007 A Pri-Minister whos only real flaw was his decision to support the iraq war. Overall and pound for pound, he did a good job. And ignore the biggest protest in UK history.
Blackfox Posted June 27, 2007 Posted June 27, 2007 A great leader. Made some massive massive improvements to this country, will be missed!
KKOB Posted June 27, 2007 Posted June 27, 2007 And ignore the biggest protest in UK history. Because he was doing what he thought was right. And his decision was based on intelligence that was like jelly. Anywho the commons voted on it, they decided to invade ira to get rid of saddam and that's democracy for you. I'm glad Saddam Hussain is dead, and that Iraq is finally starting to get somewhere.
rokhed00 Posted June 27, 2007 Posted June 27, 2007 Tony's off to the middle east as an envoy-to try and bring peace between Palestine and Israel. See the news. That can't end well.
Blackfox Posted June 27, 2007 Posted June 27, 2007 That can't end well. Look at his work with Northern Ireland...
KKOB Posted June 27, 2007 Posted June 27, 2007 That can't end well. Palestinian Leaders seems happy with it, as do Israelis of course, palestinians aren't so happy but he won't be dealing with them initially so i think he has a good shot, and don't forget what he did with Clinton.
Haden Posted June 27, 2007 Posted June 27, 2007 Hmm.Blair was good for us, bad for others. He have a fantastic ecconomy, world renouned health service (yes, there still places for improvement), less crime. However, PC is now rife in this country, immigration is out of control, theres alot of stealth taxing and spin going on. Then it comes to the wars, if you believe it was to get rid of the Telban and Saddam, making Iraq and Afghanistan into democratic countries, you're way off. We went for oil, awful for them, but if we didn't go to war, we would have been in awful economical problems. A good PM, but not great imo. Hmm evidence? I mean really awful economic problems? I have literally never heard this before. I admit hes made some mistakes rokhed but he is a first class statesman and on things like northern ireland to less serious issues like the olympics he has been a supreme negogiator. And on both the middle east and climate change the fact that he got bush to the table on both is a superb achievement. Sierously he has punched way beyond the weight of Britian we aren't a superpower anymore but this country under Blair has had huge influence compared to the Major years.
KKOB Posted June 28, 2007 Posted June 28, 2007 the whole oil iraq thing-is just securing the oil for western countries rather than say china etc, also ensuring the US is able to command oil prices, like it has done. Without the US being able to control oil prices, it's own economy would suffer even more than it has done recently. The price of everything is set against the price of oil at the moment remember. and the conspiracy theorist in me believes this is why there's been slow progress on creating cars with different energy sources and such like. craziness!
Emasher Posted June 28, 2007 Posted June 28, 2007 i don't follow british politics but was this kinda like when Paul Martin replaced Jean (no way i can spell his last name) in canada
thirtynine. Posted June 28, 2007 Posted June 28, 2007 Because he was doing what he thought was right. And his decision was based on intelligence that was like jelly. Anywho the commons voted on it, they decided to invade ira to get rid of saddam and that's democracy for you. I'm glad Saddam Hussain is dead, and that Iraq is finally starting to get somewhere. The thing is, its not getting anywhere. They have taken several steps back.
KKOB Posted June 28, 2007 Posted June 28, 2007 The thing is, its not getting anywhere. They have taken several steps back. Indeed, but this is down to the Americans. Tony was apparently assured that they had a full exit strategy worked out, but Americans are shit when it comes to peace, they just know how to throw grenades and kill their comrades. Anyone else watching the new Cabinet formation?
rokhed00 Posted June 28, 2007 Posted June 28, 2007 It really pisses me off everyone saying what a great prime minister he was citing how good he's been for other countries. I good prime minister would look after his own people before sticking his nose in to other countries business. I don't care what he's done for someone in a different country, I care what he's done for me, and that's bugger all, less than bugger all. He made reforms to the benefits system, great you say, crack down on benefit fraud, when I came out of hospital and my disability benefit needed renewing I was refused, because of Blair. He's made reforms to the NHS, then why did it take two years for me to get an operation I desperately needed, Blairs fault. Who was responsible for selling off council housing, leaving my tenancy in the hands of a housing association that is very lax when it comes to looking after their tennants, Blair. I'm not saying any other politician would be any better, they're all as bad as each other and I despise each and every one of them, but he is such a smarmy git and his main priority was getting himself a place in history rather than the good of this country.
killthenet Posted June 28, 2007 Posted June 28, 2007 "For the next 24 hours praise him like he was your dead brother!"
Platty Posted June 29, 2007 Posted June 29, 2007 Blair was ok. Did well when he first came in and made some good changes but in turn some things went down the pan and the whole party made some bad moves. One of our better PM's tho.
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