Do most people 'dislike' Tony Blair?

[AgentZigzag]

I accept that the word dislike may not fully encompass the emotional response he provokes in some people, but I personally don't think he's that bad. I see him as a politician who's had to make difficult decisions, rather than someone who took us to war for dishonest reasons.

It was his job to look at the bigger picture after 9/11, I've just seen him saying on the Iraq Inquiry that 3000 people were killed on that day, and if they could have, they would have killed 30000. Surely he had to do everything and anything he thought necessary to try and protect us from people whose reality is so distorted that they would gladly kill and maim as many people in the west as possible, and certainly don't play by any of the rules of normal modern warfare.

I don't think I'm being naive, and I can't stand Labour so it's not because I'm some NuLab fan, but I just don't think he's as bad as the media wants us to think he is.

Georgimama, I accept that nobody can be as intelligent as you

Seriously Georgimama, if you think journos are non-political, dream on.

I try to go on what I have heard him say. TODAY, God was not mentioned.

People are often misquoted in the papers.........we do know that right?

"Oh yes, the hunting ban and free museum entry for the middle classes who could afford it anyway was worth 200,000 Iraqis."

That was a nasty comment, georgimama.

Nobody said anything was "worth" anything else. I didn't agree with the Iraq war. It is possible, as an adult, to dislike some things a government does and like others. And what's all this "middle classes" nonsense?

Actually the British public has always been able to hear the words of Sinn Feinn, just not spoken by Gerry Adams himself. Which was indeed a bit daft. And I think, overturned by John Major. Who brokered the entire NI peace process in fact, whicn was just mopped up by TB post 1997.

Nick Robinson, the BBC's political hack, is a paid up member of the Tory party.

Well, I was just responding in kind UQD. Your attitude seemed to be, "never mind all this complicated nasty stuff about foreigners, TB did some good stuff, not?"

"I would rather Lord Sugar than some tosser born into it"

Like Tony Benn?

Did I say journalists have no political agenda? Really?

I truly hope his little christian conscience does not let him sleep for the rest of his life. LIAR!

You chose to read that into what I'd said. My post was more a comment on how people feel towards Blair with the benefit of hindsight, and how they would have felt about him if the Iraq war hadn't happened.

I appreciate that would have meant reading it properly, though.

My aunt used to know him when she was a barrister in chambers. When he became leader of the Labour Party she told us he was the most right wing person she had ever met.

Thought he was slimy but then he is a politician. Am reading Andrew Marr's history of modern britain and its quite interesting how he worked.

If you think back to 9/11 everything was in a state of flux and no one knew what was coming next. I do think Bush jr wanted to finish off Iraq and they used it as an excuse.

i like him. Don't think he got things right but think he truly thought he was doing the right things athe the time. Now his wife .....

Also, I just wonder if anyone in the Iraq/post 9/11 situation would have done things any differently. Not sure they would have done.

And for the thinking that he was Bush's puppet and wanted to be a bigger fish, well Prime Ministers have done that before - the name Thatcher ring any bells?

Gaga - you realise how pathetic that comment is, yah?

Nay...don't realise...

You're talking sense UnquietDad. I didn't vote for Tony Blair but detest hunting. I hope I am fair minded enough to recognise what I feel are good points about any party / leader. It's very unrealistic to take a 'blanket view' of anything party political.

Oh there we go with the liberal intelligentsia patronising tone again. "That would have meant reading it properly". I read the words you wrote UQD. Perhaps as a writer you ought to try expressing yourself more precisely, if what I took from your words was not your meaning.

I think it was though.

noe ...breeeeeeaaathe....

UQD "I appreciate that would have meant reading it properly, though."

Well said.(lol)

Ladygaga, I think your brain has gone gaga considering your peurile post.

Georgiemama, you accuse posters who disagree with you as being patronising and then go on to patronise them, be it about their intelligence, their writing skills etc.

You do come across as superior, infallible and unyielding - a bit like Thatcher.

"superior, infallible and unyielding - a bit like Thatcher"

"I think you are fool for despising [Blair] who made a difficult decision, stood by his decision and showed unswerving leadership instead of pandering to the populist vote."

Double standards, anyone?

Terribly sorry, intrusion of RL. 3 year old demanding recitation of Cinderella.

Any more for any more?

Sorry, toddler round 2. Will have to leave this I fear.

"The lengthy period during which the inspectors will have been unable to enter many Iraqi facilities has made it even less likely that they will be able to uncover all of Saddam?s secrets. As a result, in the not-too-distant future we will be unable to determine with any reasonable level of confidence whether Iraq does or does not possess such weapons.

Such uncertainty will, by itself, have a seriously destabilizing effect on the entire Middle East. It hardly needs to be added that if Saddam does acquire the capability to deliver weapons of mass destruction, as he is almost certain to do........the security of the world in the first part of the 21st century will be determined largely by how we handle this threat"

A 1998 letter from Wolfowitz

That to me says it was gonna be decision time. Yours was obviously to let him arm up !?