Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION The Anywhere Machine Tony Blair: Lying poodle or Churchillian hero?

Not worth a poll, but I was wondering...heard a talking heads interview in which a professor from American University in Cairo and another from Yale in New Haven were discussing Mr. Blair - I was not surprised to hear the Cairo man say Blair's lost credibility, he was lying - but I was very surprised to hear the thundering support for Blair which the Yalie delivered - she did indeed compare him to Churchill - taking great personal risks to fight a deadly enemy.
I'm more inclined to put him - and every other world leader - in the lying poodle category - but maybe others applaud him for his stance on Iraq?

Lying poodle? Nah it's far too good for that bastard. I wouldn't want to give lying poodles a bad name. Tony Blair =

Let's just say...he want be able to use that "You're going to have to just trust me on this one" line on the public again. Me personally I'd like to smack him one in the and I'm a pacifist.

I better stop at this point I think. I can feel another rant coming on.

This is as good a place as any to tell you all about the little kid I saw playing cards at my restaraunt with his dad. Not just any cards. It was the Iraq's Most Wanted deak, complete with pictures of the 52 Iraqis the US is searching for dead or alive. A little kid. Probably 7 or 8. It made me sick to my stomach. Playing cards with the images of Saddam's sons who we (and I use that term loosely) blew to a bloody pulp.

I have stronger words in my vocabulary for our current leadership than "lying poodle," to be sure.

i think lap dog would be appropriate

Lap Dog? Too whom?

From my perspective he held to his beliefs, showed he was strong and willing to risk his position for them, and has been able to get along with, and quite honestly lead, two completely different types of our (US) political leaders.

Most of us on this western side of the Atlantic have no idea his politics. I think Blair is highly respected for political and personal courage by our population, irregardless their stance on the war.

Blair followed America right down the line, it didn't matter what he thought. The majority of the country were against the war, hell most of the government were against it, but Blair knew that if he didn't follow America it would completely sour the (essentially economically based) relationship between the two countries. Of course John Howard (Australian PM) was even worse but then again he's a complete right wing arse to start with so you shouldn't expect any less of him.

To be honest I've never liked or trusted Blair. His holier than thou attitude, the whole thing about how fabulous and good his government are despite being proved time and time again to be at least as corrupt and manipulative as the Tories before them don't exactly endear him to me. And that added to his relentless toadying to Shrub (who we should point out is *supposed* to be from a completely different political spectrum from Labour PM Blair) and I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him. Mind, that's true of most politicians.

See with Maggies even though she was an evil witch from hell at least you always knew where you stood with her. When she said she thought something or that she was going to do something you knew it was true. With Blair that's simply not the case. His public image in America may be great but I would bet that that's largely due to spin and a lack of knowledge from most Americans about the actual political situation in the UK and the day to day business of the government (the same is true with regards to the British public and Shrub mind. We just detest him on an international scale not a national one, if you see what I mean).

There are a number of politicians that I would so prefer to be PM over Blair from all areas of the political world. Ken Clarke (about the only honest Tory MP there's ever been as far as I can tell), Margaret Beckett, Mo Mowlam, hell even Gordon Brown. Really I'd like to see the Lib Dems come to power though (I've always voted Plaid Cymru when I was in Wales and Lib Dem in England) but I simply can't see Charles Kennedy as PM. He's actually a great politician but he simply doesn't have the 'image' that you need these days to make it in politics.

Heh, and I say I'm not into politics.

I remember what happened the last time I commented on UK politics. I won't do that again.

Except in the past tense: "Churchillian hero," from all that I've read, unfortunately ends up being a contradiction in terms .

to whom?? who do you think referring to? i dont think i have to explain who's lap blair is sitting on. Blair held to his beliefs did he?? You bet he did , if holding true to your beliefs means making evidence up, sexing up documents as they say, then yes he held true to his beliefs. Now see Canada'a PM stayed true his beliefs, and canada got shit on for it, our PM was true to his beliefs, blair was not.

Actually, every time I see him I can't help thinking that he should be doing a commercial starting with the line "I'm not a Prime Minister, but I play One on TV". If only we can make that true for his buddy the <SHRUB>

Well, Mr. Blair didn't come off too well in today's testimony IMHO. But I doubt any of this will get him thrown out of office; I have heard there just isn't anyone strong enough to replace him - although Bevis listed a few candidates - I certainly don't know the UK political scene.

I bookmarked Greybird's link to the Lew Rockwell site's articles on Churchill to read later - I have read some accounts that Sir Winston was not all the image is cracked up to be. (I like that Lew Rockwell site, except for the "South shall rise again" type of stuff, and they do go on about Lincoln.... but I try to get there once a week, always lots of nuggets to munch on.)

As for Canada's stance, I'm personally glad Chretien chose to stay out of the Iraq war - although Canadians were split pretty much 50-50 on it . But who knows why he took that position? He is retiring from politics early next year, so he's legacy-tripping; perhaps the fact that our helicopters are falling out of the skies, our frigates are plagued with electronic problems and our 2nd hand submarines have cracks had something to do with the decision as well.

Bevis is SO Right!!

Bevis, I couldn't have said it better myself. I think I'm in !

Seriously though, politically I believe that the worst thing that happened to this country was that John Smith died before he could be elected PM. Blair just inhereted a sleek electable party that Smith had worked damn hard getting back on the rails.

I too would like to see the Lib Dems get a shot at power. They couldn't be as incompetent as Blair and his cohorts or as destructive as the Tories.

Since moving down to England I tend to vote Green or Lib Dem. When I was in Scotland I voted Scottish Nationalist, except when I was living in those areas where Labour was so popular it wouldn't have mattered who you voted for. Then my anarchist streak broke out and I'd spoil my ballot in protest at the UK's antiquated political system.

Anyway what I find interesting is that in the build up to war with Iraq, the conflict itself, the Kelly affair and the Hutton enquiry Gordon Brown has kept very, very quite. Hmmmm...I think Mr Brown is keeping a very low profile. Leadership challenge anyone?

I vote for Churchillian poodle.