Posted on 02/15/2003 5:58:20 PM PST by MadIvan
Tony Blair warned the estimated one million anti-war protesters in Britain yesterday that they would have blood on their hands if they succeeded in stopping action to depose Saddam Hussein.
As mass marches took place in cities around the world, the Prime Minister used his strongest terms so far to confront the critics of military action, including some in his Cabinet.
He told Labour's Spring conference in Glasgow: "Ridding the world of Saddam would be an act of humanity. It is leaving him there that is inhumane." There would be "consequences paid in blood" for failing to disarm the Iraqi dictator, he added.
The Telegraph has learned that the Prime Minister avoided a Cabinet split by holding private talks before his speech with Clare Short, the International Development Secretary, to secure her support for putting a "moral case" for toppling Saddam.
A Downing Street official said: "He had lengthy discussions with Clare about the humanitarian aspects of the speech. There is absolutely no problem with Clare."
Mr Blair challenged his party to support his leadership, saying: "I do not seek unpopularity as some badge of honour, but sometimes it is the price of leadership."
Cabinet colleagues said his speech amounted to a "back me or sack me" ultimatum and that it was an unprecedented political gamble by the Prime Minister. Hilary Armstrong, the Chief Whip, said: "This is something that he's considered carefully. He is aware of the dangers to himself of this."
Mr Blair has also secured the support of other potential Cabinet critics of a war on Iraq, including John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, who will back his stand in a speech to the conference today, and Margaret Beckett, the Environment Secretary.
One senior minister said: "Everybody is worried, but I don't see anybody in the Cabinet who doesn't understand that the balance of the argument is in backing action if necessary."
David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, said the crisis was "one of the more difficult" in the past 40 years for Labour. In a message to those who had "left the party or who were toying" with quitting, he urged the Labour "family" to "pull together and stick together".
However, Diane Abbott, the Labour MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, gave warning that members were threatening to tear up their cards. "Blair is risking liquidating his own party," she said.
Mr Blair's allies conceded that there could still be a Cabinet split if he failed to win a second resolution at the United Nations Security Council.
Robin Cook, the Leader of the House, is regarded as the most likely to quit the Cabinet if Mr Blair decides to back United States-led military action without a second resolution.
The Prime Minister will try to revive his hopes of avoiding a French veto for a second resolution when he confronts President Jacques Chirac at the European Union emergency summit on Iraq in Brussels tomorrow.
Mr Blair said UN weapons inspectors should be given more time in Iraq, but he remained committed to action "within weeks, not months" if Iraq refused to disarm.
Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary General, warned Baghdad last night that a new Security Council resolution could be forthcoming.
He said: "I believe that the inspectors should continue their work, but if there is no co-operation then the council will see that the operation has become meaningless and that inspections could end. The ball is again in the Iraqi leadership's court."
While Mr Blair made no reference to a second UN resolution in his speech, Downing Street later insisted that he remained committed to seeking a "final verdict" on Iraqi failure to disarm. "He still has confidence in the UN and he still has confidence in Hans Blix," said an aide.
Another official at Number 10 said Mr Blair was "not exactly upbeat" but that "his moral certitude is as strong as ever on this".
they only say they can't respond to emails for the Prime Minister, not that they wouldn't recieve them and if there were enough pass them on :-)
Thanks for the post!
Flagg
But still, he's got quite a pair.
Stupidity can get people killed. If you just get yourself killed, that's one thing. But when you do something stupid and thoughtless and it leads to consequences, like 20 million Russian deaths in WWII and 6 million Jews killed in WWII, and millions of Americans, British and French, then voicing your opinion for "peace in our time" is your right and marching so Saddam figures he doesn't need to give up after all is your right, but Hitler-enablers have blood on their hands.
Words have consequences. Words mean things.
Like the New York Times continually trying to publish our war plans for Saddam to read. Evil incarnate has an opinion and speaks, too.
You should try the one where the ladies have to straddle a concrete trough and pull up their skirts and squat. That was a real eye-opening experience.
Out in the country the only food you can get is ham and bread. No vegetables. And definitely no ice.
However, the best meals I ever had in my life were at Brasserie Flo in Paris--calf brains, and at La Tupina in Bordeaux--foie gras and mushrooms on noodles.
French are definitely not people you want to go to the well with; but in a few carefully selected places, they really can cook.
Richard W.
Yeah, they are all lap dogs and poodles. Here boy Roll Over Good Doggie
Richard W.
Shove it where the sun doesn't shine, peacenik. You had your day yesterday. You have your site at Democrat Underground.
Ivan
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