![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() Just Above Sunset
March 7, 2004 - An item indicating Bush is lucky folks here are not really that angry with him...
|
![]() |
||
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
||
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
|||||
![]() |
![]() |
||||
![]() |
![]() |
||||
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
|
![]() |
||||
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Bush has had a rocky few
weeks, but poor Tony Blair! So now what happens? Our prime minister is up to
his neck in it. His attorney general appears to have changed his advice about
the legality of the war a few days before it began. Blair refuses to release
either version, apparently for fear that he will be exposed as a liar and a war criminal.
His government seems to have been complicit in the illegal bugging of friendly foreign powers and the United Nations. It went to war on the grounds of a threat which was both imaginary and known to
be imaginary. Now the opposition has withdrawn from his fake inquiry. Seldom has a prime minister been so exposed and remained in office. Surely Blair will fall? Yep, reminds me of the
hypothetical goofy student in the back of the classroom mentioned above. British people know that our legal system stinks. Over
the past week, the attorney general's conflicts of interest have been exposed three times.
First we discover he instructed that a prosecution be dropped when the case threatened to reveal his own advice to
the prime minister. Then we discover that he took his decision in consultation
with the government. The "Shawcross principle" he invoked in the House of Lords
(ministers shall be consulted over a decision to prosecute) sounds very grand. What
it means, of course, is that the law is applied only when it is politically convenient.
Thirdly we find that he changed his professional opinion about the legality of the war to suit Blair's political needs. Well, Monbiot, welcome
to the club. It’s not that much different on this side of the pond. … nothing happens now unless we get off our butts and make it happen. This means abandoning that very British habit of expecting someone else to act on our behalf. Worse still, it means recognising that, for all the complexities and evasions of a modern political system,
the motive force of politics is still the people, and the people remain responsible for what is done in their name. It does? Perhaps we should try it.
I guess. The idea is that if the campaign is well organized and popular, the issue becomes a liability, and politicians
seek to protect themselves by dumping either the policy, or the author of the policy.
Monbiot says in this case it's too late to dump the policy. The idea is
to dump Blair. If we depose the prime minister through direct action, he will doubtless be succeeded by someone
almost as bad, but the political context in which that someone operates will have changed.
He will be forced to govern with one eye on the people, and to demonstrate that his policies differ from those of his
predecessor. In any event, over here, one doesn’t “take to the streets.” That’s so sixties. And anyway out here the streets are clogged with Hummers and Excursions and Escalades – so it’s too dangerous. Thus Bush gets a pass. But poor Tony…. |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
||||
![]() |
![]() |
This issue updated and published on...
Paris readers add nine hours....
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
||||
![]() |
||||
![]() |
||||