To think Tony Blair has resurfaced right before the Chilcot Report As If He Has Nothing To Worry About

[incywincybitofa]

He first popped up in the lead up to the referendum supporting Remain.
A lot of political commentators cite his recent article on Brexit as an application to handle the EU exit negotiations
He is smiling like that cat who has the cream

I can't help but feel he knows that he has nothing to worry about and I think that is just plain wrong.

[TheNaze73]

For legal reasons I won't add my feelings here. No comment!

[t4gnut]

Even if the Chilcott report were to be critical of Blair, what do you think could possibly happen to the multi-millionaire former prime minister?

[MissHooliesCardigan]

I don't know how he sleeps at night. I remember staying up all night for the '97 election and how euphoric it all felt to finally get rid of the Tories. I feel/felt so utterly betrayed by him.

[ClopySow]

He'll sail through it unscathed. They've focussed all of the negative attention onto Jeremy, old Blair and his well connected media pals.

[incywincybitofa]

I think he will sail through unscathed and I think he will use the report to launch his UK come back as an international statesman
I also remember 1997 there was a real hope that he would unite the nation and bring integrity back into politics, he rode the family ticket just as much as the Tory MPs had before him but he promised that he really meant it.
I look at his smug face now and just think he did betray those he encouraged to believe in him.

[BillSykesDog]

He was apparently hinting this morning that he wants to be the Brexit negotiator!

The man is a class A psycho. I am so hoping Chilcott isn't a whitewash. I want him to go down like a hoors knickers!

[RosesareSublime]

I had to re read that a few times - Blair the Brexit negotiator.

Such impermeable arrogance I think the man is more hated than Thatcher.
Class A psycho indeed. I want him tried for crimes against our country.

[molyholy]

He is a bloody sociopath!! The Chilcott report is going to be extremely damning, but he couldn't give a fuck!!!!!! He also had a lot of backing from many of the shadow cabinet who have recently resigned. It is going to be very interesting.

[molyholy]

That is - the recently resigned people voted to go to war.

[Musicinthe00ssucks]

Did anyone watch the BBC film 'Reg'? It made me despise Blair more than I previously thought possible.

[SymphonyofShadows]

Isn't this why JC is digging in though? To try and ensure that Blair gets his just desserts?

[BillSykesDog]

A lot of this stuff with Corbyn seems like the Labour Party is gearing up to back Blair to the hilt post Chilcott.

I suspect if they try and do that they may finish themselves as a viable political force forever.

[PigletWasPoohsFriend]

Isn't this why JC is digging in though? To try and ensure that Blair gets his just desserts?

Who is going to listen to him other than his 'fans'.

No shadow cabinet. No support of PLP etc etc etc.....

[emotionsecho]

Yes, I have a feeling he will Teflon away from the Chilcott Report and I would not be surprised if him and Peter Mandelson were on the Brexit negotiating team, we live in strange and interesting times.

[QueenLaBeefah]

I think he is a psychopath. A very disturbing individual.

[BillSykesDog]

Who is going to listen to him other than his 'fans'.

A lot more people than if he was on the back benches. An awful lot of focus is still on JC and what he says precisely because of the situation he is now in.

The PLP are bricking it because they know that he's going to point the finger at them. I think what he has to say is going to be very interesting to many people.

[RortyCrankle]

He's a war criminal and it makes me sick to the stomach to see his vile face on my tv screen.

[VikingVolva]

"more hated than Thatchare"

A phrase I never thought I'd read on MN, but one I agree with.

Corbyn is, I think hanging on until post-publication (6th), not because of Blair but in case there is fallout landing on others from that era who are still in MPs.

Blair as Brexit negotiator is laughable.

[incywincybitofa]

I agree he comes across as a psychopath
Given this was the remit of the report I am not hopeful TB will come out of it with any mud on him

^"The primary objective of the committee will be to identify lessons learned. The committee will not set out to apportion blame or consider issues of civil or criminal liability."
Gordon Brown, 2009"^

[CaptainMarvelDanvers]

I've heard that if Jeremy Corbyn is not leader of the Labour party then he would not be able to access the report uncensored, how true is this?

[meditrina]

The final report will have some sections which are classified.

I don't know how they will decide who gets access to those parts in full, but I can see there might be a different assessment of the need-to-know for an ordinary MP compared to the leader of the opposition and members of the shadow cabinet with the relevant portfolios.

But my guess is that any classified bits that are not released in the main report will deal with the operational detail relating to intelligence and security matters, not political scalps.

[PigletWasPoohsFriend]

I've heard that if Jeremy Corbyn is not leader of the Labour party then he would not be able to access the report uncensored, how true is this?

As far as I'm aware no one gets an uncensored version of it.

[Mommawoo]

Can anyone give a quick summary of what the Chilcott report is and why Tony Blair is so hated now? I've been out of the UK for many, many years and have no idea of this but it sounds interesting.

[meditrina]

Momawoo this is a reasonable introduction:

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/28/chilcot-inquiry-when-is-the-report-being-published-and-why-has-i/

It's an Iraq War enquiry, and it has been underway since 2009.

[Mommawoo]

Oh thank you!