Sunday, June 18, 2006
Labour Party Wants Blair to Go * Gifts recived by Our President
Clock Ticking for Tony Blair * Lethal Weapons
Unless the Labour Party has a change of heart, Tony Blair's term as prime minister would end before 2008 when there will be a new president in the United States. I was in England shortly after the 1997 election when Tony Blair broke the Conservatives' 18-year lock by defeating John Major. There was a sense of hope among Labourites, and he did not let them down,,,,not then. But people change and power corrupts. Over the course of years he became arrogant and, among other things, led Britain into an unpopular and unjustified war. Why Tony Blair, a far more intelligent and eloquent man than G.W. Bush can ever hope to be, decided to hitch his star to the American president is a mystery. Perhaps he miscalculated. He saw a chance of glory and, after committing himself, he was unable back out. Blair was an active partner in the lies and deceptions spun about Iraq. Influence of "donors" has also raised its ugly head.
Patrick Wintur in The Guardian: "Nearly a quarter of current party members disclose they were close or "quite close" to quitting the party because of the invasion of Iraq, but 60% say they were not at all close. Asked to name the party's six worst mistakes, Iraq comes top, cited by 52%. Subservience to the US comes second (49%), relying on privatisation in the public services (46%) comes third, and refusing to raise the top rate of income tax (36%) comes fourth.
Only 15% of party members cite removing Saddam Hussein as the one of the most six successful aspects of the government."
- A quarter of current party members think that rich donors have a "great deal of influence", with a further half claiming they have "some influence". Yet 62% believe individual donors should have no influence.
- In a blow to Mr Blair's efforts to secure a legacy, members believe policies most associated with the chancellor, Gordon Brown - a stable economy and tax credits to help the poor - have been the most successful aspects of the Labour government. The poll also reveals members want the deputy leader, John Prescott, to stand down at the same time as Mr Blair.
Knives, Rifles and a Whip - Do They Tell Something
Julian Borger in The Guardian: "A braided leather whip, a sniper rifle, six jars of fertiliser and a copy of the Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook were among the presents foreign leaders have given George Bush. They are clearly trying to tell him something. The inventory of official gifts from 2004, published this week by the state department, reads like the wish list of the sort of paranoid survivalist who holes up in his log cabin to await Armageddon, having long ago severed all ties with the rest of the world."
- The president received a startling array of weapons, including assorted daggers and a machete from Gabon. He got the braided whip with a wooden handle from the Hungarian prime minister. The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook, a gift from the Sultan of Brunei, has some tips on how to use some of these implements in a tight spot.
- The paperback also explains how to wrestle with an alligator, escape from a mountain lion and take a punch. But the small arsenal of guns presented by Jordan's King Abdullah, including a $10,000 sniper rifle, would presumably render much of that advice unnecessary.
- It is apparent that a lot of the foreign dignitaries do not do much research before buying gifts. President Bush, a reformed drunk, was given a cellarful of wine over the course of 2004.
