Sir Tony Blair

[Jack Halford]

Ffs. 
Should be rotting in a cell somewhere

Gallows wouldn’t be harsh.

+1

+2

[Derek Hardballs]

I had more hedonistic pursuits / hobbies at the time but I think the opposition were just as keen perhaps more so to go to war if my hazy memory is correct. Anybody who thinks that the Conservatives at the time would have said no to the US is living in a blue rosette fantasy world.

I suspect they already know this but cannot bring themselves to acknowledge it.

[Johnnykayeengland]

Any sitting PM of the time would have followed the US into Iraq, sadly.

From a domestic perspective, he's the greatest PM of my lifetime, not that its stiff competition.

Wilson refused to follow the US into Vietnam. Great credit for that.
Blair achieved a lot domestically, but Iraq will always taint him.
I suppose when Johnson goes he'll become a Lord.

---

I had more hedonistic pursuits / hobbies at the time but I think the opposition were just as keen perhaps more so to go to war if my hazy memory is correct. Anybody who thinks that the Conservatives at the time would have said no to the US is living in a blue rosette fantasy world.

There was a huge parliamentary majority in favour. Only the Lib Dems opposed war.

[SophLad]

Any sitting PM of the time would have followed the US into Iraq, sadly.

From a domestic perspective, he's the greatest PM of my lifetime, not that its stiff competition.

Wilson refused to follow the US into Vietnam. Great credit for that.
Blair achieved a lot domestically, but Iraq will always taint him.
I suppose when Johnson goes he'll become a Lord.

---

I had more hedonistic pursuits / hobbies at the time but I think the opposition were just as keen perhaps more so to go to war if my hazy memory is correct. Anybody who thinks that the Conservatives at the time would have said no to the US is living in a blue rosette fantasy world.

There was a huge parliamentary majority in favour. Only the Lib Dems opposed war.

And Jeremy Corbyn

[Borin' Baggie]

Any sitting PM of the time would have followed the US into Iraq, sadly.

From a domestic perspective, he's the greatest PM of my lifetime, not that its stiff competition.

Yup.

Let's not forget Howard's or IDS' response to the calls to war. IDS also lucky he had parliamentary privilege when he slandered Charles Kennedy, even though Kennedy was 100% right.

[baggy1]

Any sitting PM of the time would have followed the US into Iraq, sadly.

From a domestic perspective, he's the greatest PM of my lifetime, not that its stiff competition.

Wilson refused to follow the US into Vietnam. Great credit for that.
Blair achieved a lot domestically, but Iraq will always taint him.
I suppose when Johnson goes he'll become a Lord.

---

I had more hedonistic pursuits / hobbies at the time but I think the opposition were just as keen perhaps more so to go to war if my hazy memory is correct. Anybody who thinks that the Conservatives at the time would have said no to the US is living in a blue rosette fantasy world.

There was a huge parliamentary majority in favour. Only the Lib Dems opposed war.

And Jeremy Corbyn

Jeremy Corbyn, Diane Abbot, Tam Dalyell and Glenda Jackson all voted against - aligned very much with the thoughts and beliefs of those decrying Blair on here I'm sure. I see one Boris Johnson voted for the war as well, who'd have thunk it, eh?

[Old Stroller]

It's not true to suggest only a few Labour MPs voted against going to war.

Taken from The Guardian at the time:

"A total of 217 Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat and nationalist MPs voted against war, on an amendment saying the case was "not yet established", with early estimates putting the Labour rebellion at 140 - up 17 from the vote last month.

The government's own motion, allowing for military action, was easily carried by 412 votes to 149. It is thought 83 Labour MPs voted against their government."

[fuzzbox]

It wasn't just that he led us into a war though, was it?

The Americans needed a pretext for war, preferably from an independent source. Blair 'found it' in a dossier claiming they had weapons of mass destruction.

it's now accepted they didn't have any such weapons and the convenient 'dossier' upon even the most rudimentary inspection was found to be based on no evidence whatsoever from a source with no credibilty. He must have known that. 

He was either a complicit lapdog of an aggressive bully or his incompetence led to a war. I know which I believe. I don't  believe hes that naive and nor do the people who still give him multimillion pound 'advisory' fees.

Leading us into a war with a powerful ally is weak, but understandable. However, making up lies for them to start the war is unforgivable.

Re. Tory approval of war. I've never voted tory, but you can hardly blame them for voting for war based on evidence that was made up.

I've never been so disappointed in a politician. Even bj hasn't lied to get us into a war. Yet.

[Pontificator]

I had more hedonistic pursuits / hobbies at the time but I think the opposition were just as keen perhaps more so to go to war if my hazy memory is correct. Anybody who thinks that the Conservatives at the time would have said no to the US is living in a blue rosette fantasy world.

I suspect they already know this but cannot bring themselves to acknowledge it.

Of course, 412 to 149 and 94 abstensions - overwhelming. They were in possesion of the facts.
Before anyone calls Blair a liar have a look at what Chilcott said at the end of the inquiry - to quote "I absolve him from a personal and demonstrable decision to deceive parliament or the public or to state falsehoods knowing them to be false that I think he should be absolved from"

[Pragmatist]

Any sitting PM of the time would have followed the US into Iraq, sadly.

From a domestic perspective, he's the greatest PM of my lifetime, not that its stiff competition.

Wilson refused to follow the US into Vietnam. Great credit for that.
Blair achieved a lot domestically, but Iraq will always taint him.
I suppose when Johnson goes he'll become a Lord.

---

I had more hedonistic pursuits / hobbies at the time but I think the opposition were just as keen perhaps more so to go to war if my hazy memory is correct. Anybody who thinks that the Conservatives at the time would have said no to the US is living in a blue rosette fantasy world.

There was a huge parliamentary majority in favour. Only the Lib Dems opposed war.

Based on false information - no WMD!