Labour lemmings beware.......

[Guest pelmetman]

This is the kinda warmonger your repetitive voting creates *-)................

 

Blair's speech on Islamic extremism generates strong reactions

International commentary focuses on former prime minister's credibility on the subject as much as the subject itself

 

Julian Borger and Ian Black

theguardian.com, Wednesday 23 April 2014 14.53 BST

 

Tony Blair's speech has been compared to Winston Churchill’s famous 1946 warning about the descent of the iron curtain.

 

Tony Blair's speech seeking to rally global support for a confrontation with Islamic extremism generated a storm of reaction, most of it negative and much of it focusing on the messenger rather than the message.

 

The director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, Chris Doyle, said the former prime minister had been right to underline the importance of the subject in his Bloomberg speech but was sharply critical of the way he went about tackling it.

 

Doyle said: "Blair is largely right to highlight the issue. Islamic extremism is not on the wane. It is flourishing in many areas of the world. Nobody should be complacent.

 

"It is his solutions that are very problematic – particularly the idea that people in the Middle East have to choose between dictatorship and Islamic extremism, and in criticising the Muslim Brotherhood he has endorsed the military leadership in Egypt. But the choice the people of the region need is not between dictatorship and extremism but between those systems and pluralist democratic rule. In fact, dictatorships have often been a significant cause of frustration and anger, and a driving force behind the rise of al-Qaida."

 

Blair found support for his position from a former foreign office minister, Denis MacShane, who said he had warned about the threat of Islamism in 2003 and was nearly sacked for his stand. He compared Wednesday's speech to Winston Churchill's famous 1946 warning about the descent of the iron curtain.

 

MacShane tweeted: "Just read Blair speech. Ignore headlines. This is Fulton Mark 2. Bien pensant left then refused to challenge Stalinism. Orwell knew better."

 

Others complained that the speech conflated different strands in political Islam. The Palestinian editor of the Rai al-Youm news website, Abdel Bari Atwan, said: "Blair is implying that extremist Islam is a danger for the whole world. But the target is the Muslim Brotherhood. He is a very good friend of Mr Sisi in Egypt and he does a lot of consultancy work in the region so it's not surprising that he's speaking out. He had spent years as peace envoy but what kind of peace has he achieved? We have to differentiate between radical Islam and moderate Islam. If you criminalise Islamists like the Muslim Brotherhood then you are pushing them into extremism."

 

Much of the commentary focused on Blair's own credibility on the subject as much as the subject itself, particularly his role in leading Britain into the war in Iraq alongside the former US president George W Bush.

 

Doyle said: "Before 2003, there wasn't an issue of al-Qaida in Iraq. There is now. Intervention is highly risky and almost always leads to situations where extremists flourish. They profit from instability, civil war and the inability of states to manage their territories."

 

A columnist for the Saudi-owned al-Hayat daily, Jihad al-Khazen, said: "Blair and George W Bush are as responsible for radical Islam as any of its leaders. The war in Iraq caused the death of almost a million Muslims. It gave a reason for every radical in the Middle East to go to war against the west.

 

"I don't think Blair will absolve himself of responsibility by making this speech. He talks about how the Middle East matters but he says nothing about Israel's continuing occupation. He is definitely not the right person to be lecturing on this subject – or to be a peace envoy. That's an oxymoron."

 

Daniel Seidemann, an Israeli lawyer and expert on Jerusalem, where Blair spends some of his year as envoy for the Quartet (the UN, EU, US and Russia), also noted the absence of any mention of the occupation of Palestinian territories, settlements and the prospect of a Palestinian state.

 

Meanwhile, a columnist on the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Anshel Pfeffer, tweeted: "The fascinating thing about Blair's speech today is that it could have been a Netanyahu speech, word-for-word, they share the same outlook."

 

This is the muppet who stoked the the fire of Islamic extremism by invading Iraq *-)....................Although rumour has it he's found it a nice little earner :-| ..................

[CliveH]

B'liar and hubris are synonymous.

 

That is not to say that elements of what he says is not now true - but the fact that it is B'liar saying it - given his previous actions.............................. >:-(

 

 

 

 

[Guest pelmetman]

peter - 2014-04-23 8:21 PM

 

 

Sussed you at last Peter B-)................I had an inkling ;-)................but what puzzles me is why people like you vote for the same old party?.......... even when they have been taken over by self seeking sh*te like Blair 8-).................

[CliveH]

Certainly the repeating of the same old same old by the politically myopic is indeed boring.

 

Especially given Nu-Labours relationship with Thatcher.

 

"Both New Labour prime ministers had the temerity not just to embrace Thatcherism, but to invite the Iron Lady herself into her former HQ for tea.

 

And yet, behind the simplistic attacks lies a more intriguing political reality. The Left, or at least the mainstream Left, has - for all the fury - accepted much of the Thatcher legacy."

 

Thatcher was, if anything, an inspiration to the mainstream of the Left.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/themargaretthatcheryears/1895878/Margaret-Thatcher-inspiration-to-New-Labour.html

 

Yawn.........................

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest peter]

Still

[malc d]

peter - 2014-04-24 9:05 PM

 

Still

 

 

 

 

But it saves you buying your own newspaper when other people keep providing links to, or cut and pasting, from theirs,.

 

 

;-)

[CliveH]

Well you would be hard out to buy something from 2008 8-)

 

 

"By John Kampfner 12:01AM BST 17 Apr 2008"

 

 

(lol) (lol) (lol) (lol) (lol)

 

 

 

[Tracker]

 

A pretty little girl named Suzy was sitting on the pavement in front of her home.

Next to her was a basket containing a number of tiny creatures; in her hand was a sign announcing FREE KITTENS.

 

Suddenly a line of big cars pulled up beside her. Out of the lead car stepped a grinning man. "Hi there little girl, I'm the leader of the Labour Party, Ed Miliband, this is Harriet Harman, my Deputy and this is Ed Balls, my Chancellor.

What do you have in the basket?" he asked.

 

"Kittens," little Suzy said.

 

"How old are they?" asked Miliband.

 

Suzy replied, "They're so young, their eyes aren't even open yet."

 

"And what kind of kittens are they?"

 

"Labour supporters," answered Suzy with a sweet smile.

 

Miliband was delighted, Harman was tickled pink, Balls was thrilled, a golden opportunity beckoned. As soon as he returned to his car, he called his PR chief and told him about the little girl and the kittens.

 

Recognizing the perfect photo opportunity, the three of them agreed that they should return the next day; and in front of the assembled media, have the girl talk about her discerning kittens.

 

So the next day, Suzy was again on the pavement with her basket of "FREE KITTENS," when Miliband’s motorcade pulled up, this time followed by vans from BBC, ITV, Channels 4/5, CNN and Sky News.

Cameras and audio equipment were quickly set up, then Miliband got out of his limo and walked over to little Suzy.

 

"Hello, again," he said, "I'd love it if you would tell all my friends out there what kind of kittens you're giving away."

 

"Yes sir," Suzy said. "They're UKIP supporters."

 

Taken by surprise, Ed stammered, "But...but...but...yesterday, you told me they were LABOUR SUPPORTERS."

 

 

Little Suzy smiled and said, "I know, but today, they have their eyes open."

[CliveH]

Now that I like..............

 

(lol) (lol) (lol)