Cluedo Game

The BBC were last night stopped from broadcasting an item about the "Cash for Honours" scandal that has Tony Blair's fingerprints all over it (The Scandal that is).

The Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, a well known lackey of Tony Blair, obtained the injunction on Friday night at a hearing which lasted about two hours at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. Lord Goldsmith's office said he had acted

"Completely independently of government" on the matter.

Back in the land of reality various people have speculated on who the injuction might cause embarrassment to. Benedict White implicates Lord Levy, hints from Iain Dale point at him also.
Guido meanwhile points to Ruth Turner or Sleazy Levy. Interestingly the BBC early on had a photo of Ruth Turner on their article.

My take is it's probably both of them with more than a hint of Tony Blair in there as well.

Charges relating to this now look imminent.

Blair announces Iraq Withdrawal to Media.

I see our "Glorious Leader" is announcing his plans for withdrawal from Iraq.

Tony Blair is expected to announce a timetable for the withdrawal of UK troops from Iraq.

The prime minister is due to make an announcement in the House of Commons on Wednesday in which he is expected clarify the details.

Mr Blair is expected to say hundreds of troops will return from Basra within weeks with more to follow later.

As usual the announcement is made first to the newspapers and media rather than to Parliament. Not surprising this as the "Glorious Leader" seldom wants to be associated with debates on Iraq in the House of Commons.

As usual the details are leaked to the press with no real substance and are probably aimed at quieting his back benchers after todays bad news in the Polls.

From what little details are available it looks like the promised withdrawal will be longer and slower than expected, though I'm sure this will be glossed over.

As my wife wrote on Political Betting

"Whatever decisions this government have taken over Iraq, it has been been for their own political agenda rather than the good of the Iraqi people or the British military"

"I have concerns about how much involvement the commanders on the ground in Iraq have had in the withdrawal details and media operation before this announcement was leaked."

"Before every newspaper in the UK has it on their frontpage, I hope that the MP’s sitting in the chamber remember that comment (A Downing Street spokesman said: “It is right that the prime minister should update Parliament first").when they read about before they troop into the HoC tomorrow!
Still never let it be said that Blair has ever shown any regard for the British soldiers and their families injured or killed, or parliament when he could not be bothered to even turn up for the last debate on Iraq. Watching the panarama programme last night I was struck by how little media coverage has been given/allowed or figures issued for the casualties in Iraq.

Obviously the "Glorious Leader" will be hoping that this announcement will be part of his legacy as Prime Minister, unfortunately nothing could be further from the truth, his legacy will be Iraq but it will be a hollow legacy.

His real legacy will be how he brought us into the war via a series of lies and half-truths, His legacy will be the hundreds of thousands of dead civilians because of a horrific lack of foresight, His legacy will be the thousands of dead soldiers and allied personnel and finally his legacy will be the grieving families of all the British Armed forces killed in Iraq.

Let us hope that this withdrawal is accomplished safely and that Iraq will be a more peaceful place.

Perhaps I am cynical but tomorrow may also bring other announcements that may not reflect well on the Blair government.

UPDATE 21-02-2007 12:48

Amazing as prophesied by my Wife and agreed by me news of further interviews in the "Cash for Honours" scandal is released this morning. Oh what fortuitous timing. This continues the unbelievable stench that now surrounds Mr Blair.

Let us only hope that withdrawal from Iraq has been properly discussed, correct strategies have been developed and politicians have not been forcing the pace.



BBC NEWS | UK | Blair 'to confirm Iraq timetable'

Equality from Discrimination - But not Us of Course.

Dizzy via the Independent and an article by Dominic Lawson points out that after all the ho-ha going in Parliament about the Catholic Church and Abortion and how no-one could possibly be exempt from Discrimination that the following ARE exempt:-

This is the full text of the Equality Act 2006. Section (52) titled "Public Authorities" says the following

(1) It is unlawful for a public authority exercising a function to do any act which constitutes discrimination.

It then says,

(3) The prohibition in subsection (1) shall not apply to-

• (a) the House of Commons,
• (b) the House of Lords,
• (c) the authorities of either House of Parliament,
• (d) the Security Service,
• (e) the Secret Intelligence Service,
• (f) the Government Communications Headquarters, or
• (g) a part of the armed forces of the Crown which is, in accordance with a requirement of the Secretary of State, assisting the Government Communications Headquarters.

Dominic Lawson then goes on to say.

When I inquired about these exemptions I was told by a government official that, at least in respect of MI5, MI6 and GCHQ, they were made "on grounds of national security". The official wasn't immediately able to explain why the Houses of Parliament were exempt. The point is, however, that if this law, as Falconer states, "applies to everybody" then "everybody" cannot mean "everybody except us and the spooks". It is also not clear, to me at least, why it is perfectly proper for national security to be used as a reason for special treatment, but outrageous for religious conscience to be put forward as an argument.

So there we are nobody is above the Law apart from Spooks and Westminster of course.

Perhaps this explains why Tony and his cronies don't feel they have done anything wrong in the "Cash for Honours" saga. Maybe they feel all laws only apply to "The Proles".

Remember

• WAR IS PEACE
• FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
• IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

Watergate taunts rile Blair as calls to quit grow

And more references to Nixon. What a damning legacy he will leave.

The Scotsman - UK - Watergate taunts rile Blair as calls to quit grow

Blair loses his grip on government and reality

More Tricky Dicky references as the Mad One gets closer and closer to an inelegant departure from Downing Street.

I must admit my feeling is that the meeting with the police last week was more a case of a warning to Mr Blair that they had the evidence of a cover-up and that he should just do the decent thing as soon as possible.

Hopefully this will be soon so that we can get some sort of functioning Government in place. We are quickly becoming a laughing stock.

Blair loses his grip on government and reality | Dt Leaders | Opinion | Telegraph

MEMO: Those who stuck with Tony made money

This is a link to the Political Betting blog which I like to poke about with but seldom comment on (though my Wife does).

I just loved the following comment on Tony Blair, maybe slightly over the top but with Britain becoming a laughing stock due to his antics probably justified.

Rubbish. Blair is a political magician, no doubt, but his failings far outweigh his merits. The main achievement of this Labour government has been economic stability and continual growth - for that they must be properly credited. But Brown is the one who should get the credit. Why? Because Blair, given half the chance, and convinced of his own messianic destiny, would have taken us into the euro - and consigned us to the high unemployment and low growth of the eurozone over the last decade.

Apart from that, Blair, as a pathological liar, has traduced and poisoned the British political system with his mendacity. He cannot open his mouth without telling a fib, his mother tongue is falsity, his speech is pure dissembling, his vocabulary is that of a used car salesman on coca leaves.

Because of his aversion to the truth, he is also responsible for infecting the British political bloodstream with Peter Mandelson and Alistair Campbell, two odious and manipulative bullies, a pair of the nastiest men ever to work in Westminster. With his own lies and his employment of other liars (like Mandelson and Campbell) Blair has reduced voter confidence in politics to catastrophically low levels.

Because Blair lied about Iraq, the biggest issue of the decade, it will be hard for any other government ever to win the people’s trust on an issue as grave as going to war. This is incalculably damaging for our country.

Furthermore, Blair is a dangerously vain and insecure man who hides his failings and self doubts with a carapace of charm - like all charlatans. All that matters to Blair is his own image. This is why he is so desperately clinging on to power, in the futile hopes that his legacy will not turn out to be, yes, the charred corpses in Iraq.

He will fail, of course. When they finally drive a stake through Blair’s career, people will remember him only for this, for Iraq, and the lies he told to take us there.

Blair is a bowel movement of a man. A voided bladder making pitiful noises.

Posted by SeanT. I leave you to find out who he is!

politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » MEMO: Those who stuck with Tony made money

Tricky Dicky revisited

A while back I posted about Tricky Dicky Now it all looks to be coming closer to being true.

Again it is, apparently, the cover-up that is doing for the accused rather than the actual deeds. Pop along to some of the following to see the latest.

The Scotsman
The Independent
Iain Dale
Guido

Honours police arrest Blair aide

I previously noted in my blog that the whole cash for honours affair was beginning to look like the Tricky Dicky affair. Well now with the arrest and bail of Miss Turner this is beginning to look more and more true. What price a tearful Blair appearing on our screens to announce his resignation in the not too distant future.

According to Political Betting it may not be too long now.

Also it is well to note that Guido reports that the Attorney General is also being investigated. A little reading between the lines on this seems to indicate that someone has been leaning on the man. Wonder who that might be?

BBC NEWS | Politics | Honours police arrest Blair aide