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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Blair knighthood

383 replies

Mummyrowland · 03/01/2022 02:54

Nearly half a million people have signed a petition over his knighthood in 48 hours.

It should be removed and he shouldn't be awarded it.

After all what did he do that was good?

What about all the squaddies he sent to their deaths over the supposed wmds?

High ranking members of the armed forces are threatening resignation if his award isn't reconsider

OP posts:
mynamesnotMa · 09/01/2022 12:06

Tumbleweed....
You can only hide behind the war for so long...now tell us please what this government has achieved for Us?
What dies BJ stand for,? Other than making us a laughing stock in Europe and the world?

BiBabbles · 09/01/2022 12:25

I agree that the honours list does often feel more like a power game than anything to do with honour, Blair is just the latest example.

I'm not sure what his knighthood would give him, I find the system complicated on which honours do what, but I think there should be a reduction in politicians being put into more positions of power just for their previous political positions.

I think much as the hereditary peers were shrunk down on an interim basis as part of 'updating' the House of Lords, similar needs to be done for political life peers and other 'honours' given. It's fucked up that each year's life peers list seems to me mostly politicians, it kinda erases what benefits there could be in having a house not tied to electoral whims with a range of expertise if it's just political game expertise filling up. It makes the changes to the House of Lords look more politically motiviated to become a politician's retirement plan than wanting to have a second house that can be a different part of the process.

PlanktonsComputerWife · 09/01/2022 13:22

There is no need for a HoL. Unicameral systems like Israel's Knesset and the New Zealand Parliament function perfectly well.

Luredbyapomegranate · 09/01/2022 18:57

[quote madisonbridges]@Luredbyapomegranate
All people are complex. I'm sure I have more in common with views of a man born in 1953, so quite close to my own age, and a man born in 1874.
But it wasn't me who compared them, it was another poster who said that churchill had sent squaddies to their death. I was saying that Churchill was defending his country from an aggressor whilst Blair was an aggressor who went to war on information he knew, wasn't true. (According to Geoff Hoon, Defence secretary.)[/quote]
@madisonbridges

Ok, you need to go and read up on Churchill. I was referring to him defending the British Empire because a) that was a large part of his concern at the beginning of WW2, and because b) his long Empire career was a brutal and bloody one - in S Africa, Kenya and India for example. He loved a jolly war against uncivilised peoples, as he put it, he was notoriously racist even for his era, and believed in the inevitable triumph of the Aryan peoples.

He was the aggressor in many conflicts around the Empire prior to WW2. You certainly can’t distinguish him from Blair on that front.

Tealightsandd · 09/01/2022 23:05

Do you feel BJ is an ethical responsibile Leader?

What has that got to due with Blair's crimes?

Tealightsandd · 09/01/2022 23:06

@Tealightsandd

Do you feel BJ is an ethical responsibile Leader?

What has that got to due with Blair's crimes?

Ok tbf there is a relevance.

All of his (Blair's) heirs have continued to do his bad work, including but not only the war on the disabled. What we have today - government, and separately the state of the country, are in large part the legacy of Blair.

Tealightsandd · 09/01/2022 23:10

We get the politicians we deserve, we have voted in these politicians, it really isn't their fault, its all on us, especially with Bojo, we knew exactly what he was like, his lying, lack of morals, contempt for family and his incompetence.

But did we care... nope.

Wrong. Blair (and Corbyn) were a massive part of why people didn't vote Labour at the last election. Denying or ignoring this doesn't change reality and it helps nobody but the current government.

Tealightsandd · 09/01/2022 23:13

That attitude too - sneering at and/or castigating voters for not voting the way you wanted them to - is another major part of the problem. You don't win people over and get their votes by doing that.

Mummyrowland · 09/01/2022 23:48

Blair sent in armed forces ill prepared and ill equipped

Not enough body armour not enough protection on vehicles people died as a result that's inexcusable

OP posts:
Tealightsandd · 09/01/2022 23:49

@Mummyrowland

Blair sent in armed forces ill prepared and ill equipped

Not enough body armour not enough protection on vehicles people died as a result that's inexcusable

This.
mynamesnotMa · 10/01/2022 21:24

You can't answer can You?

Mummyrowland · 10/01/2022 22:04

@mynamesnotMa

You can't answer can You?
Why?
OP posts:
mynamesnotMa · 15/01/2022 12:27

Probably because you can't possibly compare the great things they did for our country to these lying arrogant dangerous buffoons.

mynamesnotMa · 15/01/2022 12:29

I've repeatedly asked you to share their successes. Yes comparing is a very healthy and relevant part of decision making .
Don't keep quoting Daily Mail sound bites in your response.

Tealightsandd · 15/01/2022 15:11

@mynamesnotMa

Probably because you can't possibly compare the great things they did for our country to these lying arrogant dangerous buffoons.
Churchill and Atlee did great things for our country.

Sadly since then we've had the likes of lying arrogant and dangerous Blair (and other bad 'uns).

He certainly did 'great' things... 'great' crimes against humanity.

A 'great' warmonger. Both abroad, and against his own people - particularly some of society's most vulnerable, through his war on the disabled.

mynamesnotMa · 15/01/2022 15:36

Repeating earlier mis quotes is not answering my question.
I repeat many of us have given you many examples of the positives changes to Britain by Labour. Tell me what this government and their leader has done. What changes to our society economy education health care system have their Been?

mynamesnotMa · 15/01/2022 15:45

You mentioned lost lives in war. When is not the Case? How many have died due to his arrogance about the seriousness of Covid-19.
So many old people those with compromised immune systems are down to him. He couldn't decide to lock down and ofcourse not as there he was with his chums boozing it up whilst we all obeyed his rules. He lied repeatedly. This chimp is the worst PM in living memory.

Tealightsandd · 15/01/2022 15:51

Like I've said before, the crimes, negligence, and incompetence of others doesn't absolve Blair of his. And also as I said, what we have today is in large part due to the long-term consequence of his toxic legacy.

Tealightsandd · 15/01/2022 15:52

Btw you shouldn't insult chimpanzees. I expect they'd do a better job than most of us humans Smile

Thirtytimesround · 15/01/2022 17:12

Well, I think that Tony Blair was the last competent PM that Britain had. Gordon Brown grumped about doing nothing, David Cameron created Brexit (costing our economy billions and pissing off all our allies), Theresa May tried hard but achieved nothing because she got stabbed in the back by the lying drunk who followed her, and Boris is the worst PM in British history.

Yeah Iraq didn’t go how he hoped, but Blair was trying to avoid the political isolation of USA who were definitely going to invade Itaq, and also deal with the chemical weapons Saddam claimed to have, as well as the humanitarian issue of how he routinely tortured his people. And more importantly there was a House of Commons vote and the majority of MPs chose to wage war in Iraq, it was a democratic choice, not one man running around the Middle East on his own. You can’t blame Blair for Iraq.

Blair negotiated and achieved the Good Friday Agreement, which brought peace to N Ireland, he stood up for Kosovo against Serbian genocide, he made Britain fashionable and cool for a while (Britpop! Olympics! Etc), and was a heavyweight in the European Union. Not to mention things like Surestart centres, therapy for disabled etc etc.

I think he’s awesome and I despise this pathetic petition by the woke brigade looking for someone to hate.

Tealightsandd · 15/01/2022 17:46

Competent indeed. More than that in fact. Just a shame that it was war - including one waged on society's most vulnerable, the disabled, where he excelled.

The GFA? That was John Major and then Mo Mowlam. They did all the work... before Blair breezed in and stole the credit.

Tealightsandd · 15/01/2022 17:48

therapy for disabled etc etc

Therapy... to cope with the devastating effects of his harsh benefit cuts, taxpayer funded private company 'assessments' and the manipulating of public attitudes into viewing them as a 'burden'. Wonderful!

Tealightsandd · 15/01/2022 17:50

Still, you're right that his heirs have been bad 'uns too. Unfortunate part of his legacy.

madisonbridges · 15/01/2022 19:42

Yeah Iraq didn’t go how he hoped, but Blair was trying to avoid the political isolation of USA who were definitely going to invade Itaq, and also deal with the chemical weapons Saddam claimed to have, as well as the humanitarian issue of how he routinely tortured his people

Saddam had been torturing his people for year. And yet Blair didn't step up to do anything about it, so crediting him for being a humanitarian when he'd done nothing about the situation for the previous 6 years in power is crediting him with humanitarian credentials he doesn't deserve. Plus the fact if he was doing it to oust Saddam for being a tyrant, why didn't he put that forward as part of his argument for war? Further, everyone knew there were no chemical weapons. Hans Blix had searched everywhere the security services had said there were weapons and there was nothing. The UN wouldn't sanction invasion because there was no evidence to say there were weapons. And because there was no evidence, Blair manufactured some and over represented other intel. Chilcot is damning about his actions over the dossier. We even know that when Straw and Hoon spoke up that claims were being exaggerated, they were told to zip it.

The HoC did vote, that's true. But they voted on a lie. On evidence that Blair said was proven to be true, but MI6 said was unproven intel from sources that they couldn't say were reliable. Maybe they would have voted for war on the truth, but we'll never know because Blairs manipulations took that option away from anyone.

The fact that the war didn't go as Blair hoped is the most damning of all. Before the war. Blair was told that the country would fall into sectarian chaos and he did nothing to prepare for it. "Wholly inadequate" Chilcot said. His actions left a vacuum that created space for the turmoil that has taken place since. And Tony Blairs response? Taking a paid position as a middle east peace envoy where he was criticised on all sides both for inadequacy of his work and for taking millions from UAE as he furthered his financial interests in the region.

Yeah, he's a real hero. But hey, at least he didn't leave the USA isolated!

Mummyrowland · 16/01/2022 00:48

Blair went to war on false evidence

Blair sent troops in ill protected quite insufficient ppe

Blair unskilled skilled jobs

Blair implemented tuition fees at uni

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