Crocodile Tears From Mr Blair Or Was He Misled?

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-36712735
Do you buy his "good faith" message? If not what where his reasons?
surprised no one has asked a question on this so here it is.

[Bigbad]

The only genuine "sorry and regret" that the despicable Blair now feels, is for himself, and the situation he finds himself in.

It would seem his primary reason for his actions was to grovel to Bush.

[retrocop]

PP and jno
If you wish to discuss the rights/wrongs or morality of Dresden/Coventry/London Blitz then start your own thread. Bear in mind that is not customary in this country to give a 'war criminal' a state funeral or perhaps German would be your language of choice in the first place!!

[mikey4444]

Cam I remind everybody that the Tory opposition of the time, supported the invasion of Iraq wholeheartedly, although you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise now.

As well as Britain and America, Poland and Australia also gave their support.

And 36 other countries were involved in its aftermath.

[dannyk13]

Blair's words to Bush "I will be with you whatever". His downfall?

[grumpy01]

I think you will find that was MI6 Eddie.

[ToraToraTora]

"Whatever else Blair did, he got rid of Major and the Tories, and won three consecutive victories for the Labour Party. In my opinion he would have won a fourth time, had he not handed over the reins to Brown. " - you keep hanging on to that mikey, Labour won't be in power again for some time.

[naomi24]

//Cam I remind everybody that the Tory opposition of the time, supported the invasion of Iraq wholeheartedly//

That's because they, like most other people, believed Tony Blair's lies. Whichever way you try to spin it, Mikey, he lied.

[jim360]

Surely if he lied then he knew the truth? My understanding is that Chilcot doesn't say Blair knew the truth about WMDs, merely that he was too eager to accept the reports of their existence. This would mean that he was horribly wrong and far too gullible at a time when he absolutely couldn't afford to be, but calling him a liar seems mistaken.

[naomi24]

Come off it, Jim. Even his public performance yesterday was a lie!

[jim360]

That doesn't change the fact that lies are deliberate untruths. If he didn't know that there were no WMDs then he couldn't lie about it.

As to yesterday, I've not seen it. I heard an interview this morning on Today where he was trying, and probably failing, to maintain his position as far as possible.

[vulcan42]

Blair " deliberately exaggerated "( Chilcot report), in my dictionary this means to magnify beyond the limits of truth, ie lie.

[naomi24]

Jim, //If he didn't know that there were no WMDs then he couldn't lie about it.//

He didn’t ‘know’ that there were weapons of mass destruction. Nevertheless he claimed he knew.

[Peter Pedant]

I think BigBad is right

Bliar looks on himself chiefly as a victim
( and this episode as unfortunate as it is for the dead soldiers and their families ) the main disadvantage is to one Mr Bliar and his wonderful ideas for his own lucrative future

oh and plausible deniability - he is in a posiiton to say - well at the time it looked like a really good idea and once you pay spooks ( MI5 that is ) to spook you, you dont turn around and say - you're speaking bullocks ....

[ not after all the money one has pumped into MI5 ]

[Peter Pedant]

// PP and jno If you wish to discuss the rights/wrongs or morality of Dresden/Coventry/London Blitz then start your own thread. //

thx for that advice retro - but someone ( not naming who ) said that in his experience Bliar was the only PM to be accused to being a war criminal .....

and I was offering a counter example - only for that person's own educational purposes of course. I stand reproved by someone who knows and follows thread rules.....

[gulliver1]

What was the number of UK troops killed in the Iraq war, compared to the number killed in the Falklands Conflict,? can not get exact figures on google etc. many thanks.

[retrocop]

255 killed in the justified Falklands War. 179 in the Gulf I believe

[gulliver1]

Thank you R/C.

[Togo]

// Your former Labour leader is the only ex P.M. in my lifetime to be labelled a war criminal// Retrocop.

//um no not really
Churchill - destruction of Dresden// peter pedant

I thought it was Harris who had that accusation made against him, by the Nazi sympathisers after the war, not Churchill.

[youngmafbog]

I guess if you are a Nazi sympatiser you will blame any British person you can of being a was criminal.