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Thursday, 12th April, 2007

  • Newsnight
  • 12 Apr 07, 05:39 PM

baghdad.203jpeg.jpgThe bomb explosion in the Iraqi Parliament, which killed 3 politicians and injured many other people, has exposed a serious breach of security in Baghdad's heavily protected Green Zone. We look at what might have happened and are joined by the US Undersecretary of State, Nicholas Burns, But What impact this will have on the US surge and exit strategies in Iraq.

Plus: Political Editor, Michael Crick is pursuing one of the key questions in the payments to sailors story. Was Downing Street involved in fielding calls to newspapers and not just observing events? He should have the answers on the programme tonight.

With Tony Blair expected to stand down within a matter of weeks, his legacy as PM is under fierce debate. US pollster, Frank Luntz, grills a room full of former Labour voters in Birmingham on their views of the outgoing Prime Minister and how they judge his leadership.

In a rare interview, Philip Glass talks to Madeleine Holt, about the power of opera and his extraordinary career.

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Frank Luntz's discussion with the Birmingham voters was interesting. At the start they mostly seemed to rate the PM badly. But once people actually thought about Tony Blair and what he had done, most of them conceded that he had not actually been the devil incarnate, and had achieved one or two things, come to think of it!

But Iraq seems to be his achilles heel. And yet, Iraq is not yet over. It must be that they consider the accumulating deaths there (at the hands of insurgents, NOT coalition troops) over-rules every other consideration about our Prime Minister. They can't imagine that it might just have been worse if this terror had not been tackled and brought to the forefront of our minds. It wouldn't have gone away, though, yes, I concede it might have been a few more years with only a few more bombs in Bali or North Africa to remind the world of the threat. Years when more grooming of terror would have continued unabated, maturing more misguided sacrifices to "the cause".

And I see Tony Blair completely differently as a leader. Why?

Well, unlike most of the people on the programme I have NEVER voted Labour. I was pleased when he got in, but didn't expect a lot. But I will vote Labour now in May. Partly so that I can say I voted for this reforming Labour government while it was still led by the greatest Labour leader for decades. Partly because I am not inspired by any other party. Partly because I like Blair's Britain. But mainly because I admire Tony Blair as a leader and politician, and am impressed by his legacy. I'm even impressed by his approach to Iraq!!

Despite everything he is accused of, he has the strength of character not to disintegrate before our eyes, for which he could be forgiven.

Despite knowing he has been pushed aside by many in his own shortsighted and forgetful party he still looks like a politician with unfinished business and refuses to slow down, until the end. Even now policies are being implemented and brought to fruition by Mr Blair, personally. I can think of many areas of our daily lives where changes have been made which we kind of ignore or even forget.

And although the death count in Iraq makes some call him names which I sincerely hope his little boy is never taunted with at school, the alternative could have been SO, SO much worse. We should be grateful that we have a leader who recognises the threat of international terrorism. If he didn't, or pushed it aside as being a bit too worrying to deal with, one day one of our Prime Ministers would have to deal with it. Possibly only after the country's water or air had been poisoned by WMDs. They DO exist, as witnessed by Litvinenko's easy dispatch in London before Christmas. Do you want a PM who sits back and lets events happen and then tries to patch up the consequences? Me, I prefer Tony Blair ANY day.

I for one would like to thank him for all he's done for this country, and for making me proud to be British. Sorry, any "moaning poms" reading this in incredulous disgust. But I mean it; sincerely. Thus my blog - Keep Tony Blair For PM.

Thank you Mr Blair. And I'm proud of you too, by the way, as one of the world's great leaders. I suspect more of us will come to realise this in years to come.

  • 2.
  • At 01:09 AM on 13 Apr 2007,
  • Mad wrote:

As someone who lived for many years in Birmingham my concern about the discussion of Blair's Legacy was how these Labour supporters were chosen. They did not come across as a cross section of labour supporting Brummies. They all seemed very middle class, educated and apart from one lady, I question how many of them are even from Birmingham.

  • 3.
  • At 12:58 PM on 13 Apr 2007,
  • dicky wrote:

Music for social change through non violence? Not very sexy? Neocons like the sound of napalm or at least country music in the morning.

I am waiting for 'Iraq The Opera'.

  • 4.
  • At 01:04 PM on 13 Apr 2007,
  • keith fleming wrote:

Come now, BlairSupporter...

Feel free to defend Blair's legacy, but don't open yourself up for ridicule by peddling: tired falsehood that the world is a safer place as a result of the misadventure in Iraq; the implicit suggestion that Iraq was a hotbed of Islamic terrorism before invasion; or (worst of all) the suggestion that WMD were and are present in Iraq.

Outside the bunker at No 10 and the fevered imagination of John Bolton, I doubt there are many who share your optimistic outlook and impassioned defence.

Keith

  • 5.
  • At 01:21 PM on 13 Apr 2007,
  • Marko Nguet Yai wrote:

The legacy of Tony Blair, as far as I am concerned as, is that of a certain amount of commendation from the perspective of the fact he did not limit himself to his domestic realities and issues.

He extended himself to the world issues for a greater benefit of common peoples there.

His role in the north-South Sudanese peace talks which ended age-old civil war in Sudan is a commendable legacy that will never and never fade away in the minds and hearts of South Sudanes and their sympathizers.

Blair's legacy deserves my praise and,indeed, that of entire South Sudanese.

Marko Nguet Yai is a South Sudanese in Kampala, Uganda,

  • 6.
  • At 06:07 PM on 13 Apr 2007,
  • dicky wrote:

tony came to power selling dreams then changed to follow in effect leo strauss philosophy and began to tell 'noble lies' to sell false nightmares.

the idea behind the noble lie is that there is an inner circle of 'golden souls' who have the capacity to understand truth the rest of us are either 'gentlemen - people who are virtuous but thick' and the vulgar who can only be whipped with fear. So the golden souls can use lies to trick the gentlemen and the vulgar into doing things for their own good like spreading 'freedom'.

whoever has drunk from the straussian cup has failed probably for the same reason why David could not build the Temple [because he had sinned by having blood on his hands] or if you like you can't 'do good' by giving to charity from the profits of doorstep distraction crime.

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