Blair finally admits full scale of war casualties

Tony Blair has been for a long time embarrassed by his decision to take the country into war in Iraq. No more telling example of this is in the article above. Extracts below:

The Independent has learned the figures will show that 114 British soldiers were seriously hurt in Iraq from 2004, compared to 46 during the invasion of 2003.

In Afghanistan, the figures reveal that the casualty rate rose last year to 30 seriously hurt, compared to two for the previous year. The rise was caused by a Taliban offensive last summer, and raised fears that it could rise sharply again when the next, expected, offensive gets underway.

Last night, MPs on all sides called for figures on the wounded to initiate a debate about how British casualties are treated at home. Some MPs contrasted how UK casualties returned home with little publicity whereas in America returning casualties are treated as war heroes.

The refusal to publish casualty figures has helped the impact of both conflicts on communities across the country to be underestimated. In many cases, seriously injured soldiers have had to cope with loss of limbs.

One final point on the article is the following:

The publication of the figures next week is unlikely to end the row. Some campaigners believe they are suspiciously low, but the MoD will insist they are as accurate as possible. They have been processed by the Defence Analytical Services Agency. "It has been a massive job," said one source.

The only bit of this that has been massive has been getting Mr Blair to acknowledge these figures, he would still rather have them covered up. He cannot admit he was wrong.

I also note that he has come out in favour of the Falkland War, which has it's 25th anniversary this year. Speaking to the historian Simon Schama on a website interview he said:

(Mr Blair) agreed it had been a "scary gamble". "But when I look back, yes, I have got no doubt it was the right thing to do," he said."But for reasons, not simply to do with British sovereignty, but also because I think there was a principle at stake which is that... a land shouldn't be annexed in that way and people shouldn't be put under a different rule in that way." He noted that the British casualty figures were higher than those for the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. When you look back on it and you talk to the people who were there at the time, and as I say I wasn't even in Parliament at the time, but I think it took a lot of political courage actually to do that."

You should note the the line in bold where Mr Blair tries to justify his invasion of Iraq, This man is unbelievable!

It is well to remember that in 1982 Mr Blair was a member of CND and would have called the Islands Malvinas and demanded United Nations authority etc etc.

In addition we have the following again from the Independent:

Wives of serving soldiers being made to 'feel like second-class citizens':
The wives of British servicemen feel they are treated like "second-class citizens" and regarded as an "irritation" by the military establishment while being left to cope alone with the constant fear of their partner being killed.

Just one more embarrassment for Mr Blair.

Wives of serving soldiers being made to 'feel like second-class citizens'

Ministers finally admit full scale of war casualties