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Eminentoes
The Enigmatic Mr. Blair
It seems that he retains at least some tattered rags of valor.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is an infuriating character. Just when you think you have got him neatly categorized as a pretentious, self-seeking political wrecker, he does something right and brave.
Maybe he has acted for no more noble a motive than consideration for his American royalties and lecture fees, but anyway he has stood up and unequivocally opposed Mahmoud Abbas’s bid for full recognition of a Palestinian state at the UN.
“You can pass whatever resolution you like at the United Nations or the Security Council, it doesn’t actually deliver you a state on the ground in the West Bank and Gaza, and if you don’t have a negotiation, whatever you do at the UN is going to be deeply confrontational,” Blair, who is the international community’s official Middle East representative, was quoted as saying.
He can expect a storm of attacks not only from a huge Third World voting bloc, but from the British Left, where anti-Zionism, a.k.a. Jew-hatred, is deeply entrenched. Count how many times the phrases “America’s poodle” or “Zionist” come up.
It all seems reminiscent of the British politicians in G.K. Chesterton’s book, The Man Who Knew Too Much, in which the narrator, after listing their many sins, says in a curiously moving climax, “and they are standing firm for all that.”
Blair has supported the US and Israeli position that a real peace settlement can only come about from face-to-face negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Given the whole history of the conflict, this seems the only feasible position. A UN resolution recognizing a Palestinian state, as matters are at present, would have only one point: it would contribute to the delegitimization of Israel.
This is in some contrast to British Tory Prime Minister David Cameron, who at the time of writing has not made his government’s position clear.
A crucial question may be the extent to which Cameron is prepared to stand up to his left-wing partners, the Liberal Democrats, who, though they command less than 10 percent of the vote, have just been indulging in an orgy of Tory-bashing at their annual conference, some of their senior speakers openly referring to their coalition partners as “the enemy.” The British Foreign Office also has a reputation for being traditionally Arabist.
The Liberal Democrats apparently subscribe to more-or-less the whole left-wing package deal. Although Cabinet meetings are of course secret, there is no reason to believe the Liberal-Democrats will not support the Palestinians. Attitudes to the Palestinian question in the face of this may be a critical test of Tory moral fiber.
Cameron has said: “We support Palestine having its own state next to a secure Israel. In the end we have to recognize we will get a Palestinian state alongside an Israeli state by the Palestinians and the Israelis sitting down and talking to each other.…We don’t yet know what resolution is going to be put forward, what it is going to say, what its terms are. There will only be one test for British policy, which is: Will this help to bring about the establishment of a state for the Palestinians next to a secure state for Israel?” This, taken at its face value, is simply political double-speak and could mean anything. What “secure” Israel borders are the Palestinians — or rather the Palestinian leaders — likely to agree to?
The 1967 boarders of Israel, which leave its main airport within easy range of attack and would allow the country to be, in theory, cut in two by a tank-attack in minutes, have been described by some Israelis as “Auschwitz Mark II.”
Palestinian rhetoric is in the direction of Israel’s total elimination, and it is hard to see how any Palestinian leadership could control this, or indeed that any possible leaders have any desire to, especially if the Palestinians believe they can now get support from Egypt and/or Turkey.
Yet Cameron, too, displayed what was, for me, surprising firmness and courage when Russia threatened Georgia and he flew to offer it support and encouragement.
Whatever can be said against Blair — which is quite a bit — he has stood by the U.S. when the chips are down, and he appears to appreciate how disastrous for the West throwing Israel under a bus would be. It seems he really does recognize that the Atlantic Alliance, or the Anglosphere — call it what you will — is, as it was in the 20th century, the best hope for civilization in a chaotic and danger-filled world, and that there are times when a stand must be taken without equivocation. It is a pity, to say the least, that his Prime Ministership left Britain an economic and social shambles, and hardly able even to defend itself, but it seems that he retains at least some tattered rags of valor.
About the Author
Hal G.P. Colebatch’s “Immram,” Counterstrike, is being published by Australian publisher Imaginites.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (23) | Leave a comment
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PC repair Manchester | 9.26.11 @ 6:57AM
Also he is a very very rich man.
Christopher Manion| 9.26.11 @ 9:00AM
It must be rather embarrassing for serious policymakers working to achieve peace in the Middle East to have Tony Blair's malignant carcass dragged in to pose as their comrade in arms. If the author were serious about policy **and** character, he should have suggested that Blair butt out of the world stage and go clean toilets at Toynbee Hall in East London, the way John Profumo did for forty years after his affair with a Soviet "swallow."
The author's contemptible smirk that Blair's critics are anti-Semites can be forgiven, perhaps, given that a Blair intern must have written this treacle (come on, "boarders of Israel"?), but it still reeks of desperation. Isn't it interesting that Blair had to go all the way to Australia to find someone to sign it?
The record is clear: Tony Blair is corrupt. He wanted to be the first president of the European Union. He wanted to make tens of millions of dollars. He wanted to be a hero on Iraq ("History will vindicate us," he crowed in 2003) and wanted Bush to celebrate him as another Churchill.
Poor Tony. History has had the last word: he is a conniving, preening, superficial sellout who destroyed his country in his efforts to enrich himself and to advance his career into the glitteratti stratosphere.
Instead, he belongs in the East End. Where he should pray that they might let him in.
Southern_Comment| 9.26.11 @ 7:29PM
Nothing you have posted substatiates your accusation.
Jack in Wi.| 9.26.11 @ 10:03AM
Tony, GW. Dick, Colin, Condelisa, Rummy, and their Neeocon friends all belong in prison for all the lies and war crimes.
Pat Mason| 9.26.11 @ 1:01PM
Why is Tony Blair - a George Bush disciple if there ever was one - still walking around a free man? Isn't lying for your government and to the people against the law in Britain? Oh well, just like in the 'Good Ol' USA,' I guess it's not really a 'crime' when you get right down to what is considered 'criminality' these days. 'Justice' and the Rule of Law go out the window when they stubbornly get in the way of an agenda.
Occam's Tool| 9.26.11 @ 2:41PM
He has had moments of decency, and jack in Wi. hates him, which shows that he has some decency, as Jack is a foul, foul man.
Jack in Wi.| 9.26.11 @ 2:56PM
Good old Occam: He loves defending liars and war criminals, be they American, Israeli, or British. By the way the other comments up above generally agree with me. You are now the odd man out.
TrueBlue| 9.26.11 @ 3:52PM
And yet nobody has been able to prove that any of them lied. On the other side there is quite a bit of evidence showing they DIDN'T lie. It's just an inconvenient truth for those that hate Bush and anyone that supported him in any fashion. He did a lot of stuff wrong, but nothing illegal, and removing Saddam was the right thing to do.
Southern_Comment| 9.26.11 @ 7:35PM
First, how is Tony Blair a war criminal? Second, what did he lie about? Please do not respond with that tired liberal falsehood (as it has been proven to be) about intentional lying regarding WMDs in Iraq.
If that is your argument it's silly at best. Saddam was playing games with the inspectors. Second, he was gassing tribes of his own people - how disgusting is that. You all want to call Repbulicans neocons and Nazis but then when the time comes that there is a truly horrendous dictator - you throw over your own country and without reason continue to spread falsehoods to defend the killer. Seriously, how can you expect anyone to have any respect for the words you post once they look at the intention?
Mike D.| 9.26.11 @ 9:11PM
Good old Jackboot: He loves defending Muslim terrorists, be they hamas, PLO, or Just plain Arabs anywhere. By the way the other comments up above generally agree with me. You are now the odd man out.
RCV| 9.26.11 @ 10:34PM
Always liked Tony Blair. Good, decent and clear-headed. Cleansed the British Labour Party of its far left Trotskyites and brought some common sense back to the party. Always a good friend of the US. And far preferable to the current dishrag who is PM.
Jack in Wi.| 9.26.11 @ 6:03PM
The British Press ia awash in proof of the lies of Blair and Bush, Just go Google them. You will get many hits.
TrueBlue| 9.26.11 @ 6:24PM
If anything they did was illegal one or both governments would have put them on trial. If you think otherwise you're delusional given how hostile both governments have been to Bush and Blair. Yet they're still free... funny that. People say they lied, but it's all based on "he said this to so and so" or "this note from such and such said to do this" but those notes have never been shown to the public, people just say they exist. There is no PROOF. Show me physical evidence to support what you say, or shut up about it. Conspiracy theories are not proof!
On the flip side, the reason given for attacking Iraq (I don't care if there were other supposed reasons for going in), WMDs, they were there! Stores of chemical weapons, some even used on his own people, were found. You don't need a nuke to have a WMD. If you can drop a chemical weapon on a town and wipe it out, that's a WMD!!
Mike D.| 9.26.11 @ 9:07PM
Better watch it True Blue, jackboots gonna zap you with that Zionist water pistol. Because jackboot says so, that good enough for the world.
Welcome to jackboots universe. In jackboots universe, jews run everything, the dawn of history occured in 1948, you know when Jews took over the middle east, where Hitler was a failure because he didn't get the job done so its time for the world to finish the job. But remember, jack has many jewish friends(standard disclaimer tactic for hypocrites).
John786| 9.26.11 @ 7:26PM
Mr Bliar the ME peace envoy is a Joke. Constantly calling for war. How does he live with himself. I fear very easily. He has mastered the art of self- deception.
RCV| 9.26.11 @ 10:35PM
Yet another reason to like him.
Southern_Comment| 9.26.11 @ 7:39PM
And here's another thing - if that war were illegal, why hasn't Obama pulled us out? Also, if as a liberal you're going to complain about Bush taking us into war - well I notice that Bush isn't in office and nor was he when Obama handed control of U.S. military troops to the U.N. and didn't get us into any kind of a conflict in Libya - but he has no problem with Iran dealing with their protestors. He has no problem with rigged elections of a country that is doing what right now? A country that is how close to having nuclear bombs as well is run by a nutcase?
stevenjchermak| 9.26.11 @ 8:13PM
Tony Blair is one of the greatest Prime Ministers in the history of the U.K. Second only to Winston Churchill.
President Bush and Prime Minister Blair took action in Iraq when action needed to be taken. For that they have been c0ndemned as history has been re-written to declare that Saddam was no threat.
But Saddam was a threat, and Mr. Blair and Mr. Bush realized it, and I am grateful they were in charge when Saddam had to be stopped.
POST American| 9.26.11 @ 11:32PM
-----------------BOTTOMLESS LINE-------------------
"We are using MASSIVE third world
immigration (largely muslim) to DESTROY
British culture, once and for all, beyond repair
---FOREVER."
-TONY BLAIR
(Daily Mail 2005 interview cited
by ALAN WATT)
---And NOW he's working for the ROT-child
global USURY front JP Morgan.
---KEEP following them thar Glow--ball--ists kiddies!
----KEEP letting them thar TAX FREE
Rock--F--L--Os play out their dreams of 'world
government' and MASS EUGENICS.
"It's NOT a charity the IMF. They're PRIVATE
and using USURY to plunder your country,
its resources, your future, your posterity --the world."
-ALAN WATT
--------------JUST KEEP A GOIN'
Booker | 9.27.11 @ 6:23PM
I've got a couple of issues with this:
1) It is inaccurate to say that the British left is anti- Zionist. Whatever their beliefs and priorities might be, this this isn't even in the frame. The term "America's poodle" is totally unrelated and refers to the UK slavishly following the US, e.g. the invasion of Iraq.
2) The UK is one of the biggest defence spenders and has one of the most capable militaries in the world. "Hardly able even to defend itself" is nonsense. The UK is not a colonial power any more and the cold war is over. What matters is meeting defence need, affordability and sustainability. Wasting hundreds of billions and turning a country into an economic basket case, on the other hand, is rank stupidity. Wake up to the 21st century.
POST American| 9.27.11 @ 11:17PM
---------------BEYOND BOTTOMLESS----------------
"He ( BLAIR ) instructed his Home Secretary,
Jack Straw, to OPEN the floodgates
--to DESTROY the very last of British culture.
And, truth to tell, Maggie Thatcher, another
avowed Globalist, had set the ball rolling
decades ago."
-ALAN WATT
(yesterday's coverage)
-----------------KEEP GOIN' KIDDIES!
supra | 10.18.11 @ 1:45AM
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