Blair's toxic legacy

 

Politicians' legacies are created in malice.

The good they have done is forgotten. Their sins are remembered. Tony Blair won three elections for Labour and introduced worthy progressive redistributive policies. Not all of them worked but his intentions were noble. He persuaded millions to vote Labour for the first time. Those memories are fading into nothingness.

His poisoned legacy will be his errors. 601 UK lives were lost in Bush's Iraq war and in Helmand. He bullied, bribed and bamboozled MPs into his avoidable vanity wars. 139 Labour MPs honourably defied a 3 line whip and opposed the UK's involvement in the Iraq War. Blair could not have prevented the war but he could have done a Harold Wilson and kept the UK out of it.

It will get worse. Blair's already odious legacy will putrefy. Uncounted thousands of UK veterans now return from battle broken in body or mind. More Falkands and US Afghanistan veterans committed suicide than died in combat. The death price for Blair's vanity will continue to grow.

We have yet to have the Iraq War's Inquiry report. When the truth is known on Iraq and the Helmand excursion Blair's reputation will be ruined. He took us to avoidable wars in which Britain's interests were not threatened.

Instead of embracing Blair, Ed Miliband should fend him off with a ten yard bargepole.

Comments

[HuwOS]

Quite right Blogmenai, if someone participates in a rape that would have happened without them, it doesn't excuse them, it doesn't remove one iota of guilt or responsibility.

And Blair's work wasn't just in persuading Labour MPs to go along with the invasion, he did a lot to put the so called "coalition of the willing" together, to muddy the waters and confuse historians.

He permanently harmed the UN, international law and the foundation of trust between the people and their government on matters as serious as war.
On a sidenote, he also destroyed the Labour party.

[Blogmenai]

Wel - mi fyddai'r rhyfel wedi digwydd - beth bynnag agwedd Blair - ac mae'n ddigon posibl y byddai'r niferoedd o sifiliaid tramor a laddwyd neu anafwyd wedi bod yn debyg.

Ond dydi hynny ddim yn esgusodi Blair o unrhyw gyfrifoldeb yn hyn o beth. Os aeth i ryfel mae'n ysgwyddo cyfrifoldeb am y canlyniadau - hyd yn oed petai'r canlyniadau wedi bod yn debyg pe na byddai wedi cytuno i fynd i ryfel.

[Patrick]

"At what point will you recognise we are all travellers on the same planet and are affected for good or ill by everyone else?"

I realised that Joe having seen the US bullies strut the world stage for many decades.The kings of the double-standard, they invade a mineral rich country to 'save the natives.'

It's amazing that when a country needs genuine help, like Rwanda, 800000 lives in 10days, the US are silent.Then there is the Congo etc etc ..............

Not worth lubricating the millitary/industrial machine without any returns.With nothing to steal,human rights are suddenly forgotten.

[Paul Flynn]

Dear Joe Eldren. The UK has been involved in two wars in which our interests were not threatened. They cost us 601 lives and £30billion. Virtually nothing of permanent values has been achieved or will be achieved. Civil war in Iraq and a Taliban government in Afghanistan.. Rotten Governments have been replaced by new rotten Governments. You appear to have believed the propaganda. All future revelations will show the awful truth of our brave lion soldiers being led by political donkeys..

[Paul Flynn]

'Dydi Blair ddim yn hollol gyfrifol am farwolaethau ac anafiadau pobl tramor. Ond ar Blair ydi's bai am dioddefaith ein milwyr ein hunian. Doedd e ddim yn bosib i osgoi rhyfelooedd yn Iraq ac Afghanistan, oedd yn posib is osgoi cyfraniad ein milwyr.

[HuwOS]

-"Little England" groupthink at it's worst -

Take that Paul, as a parliamentarian for and from Wales, you're a "little Englander" of the worst kind.
I guess, the "worst" here, meaning, not even being English.

[Joe Eldren]

"Little England" groupthink at it's worst. At what point will you recognise we are all travellers on the same planet and are affected for good or ill by everyone else? Blair for all his faults recognised this and attempted to deal with it on a global scale it appears you are incapable of grasping.

[Blogmenai]

Dwi ddim yn anghytuno efo llawer o hyn - ond 'dwi'n meddwl y dylid nodi i niferoedd mawr o bobl gyffredin Iraq ac Afghanistan farw a dod i ddrwg oherwydd rhyfeloedd Blair. Mae marolaethau ac anafiadau tramor yr un mor bwysig ag ydi rhai Prydeinig.