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".
And the son of a socialist (probably a socialist himself) is here for what reason?
Begone, socialist.
Ivan
I see, we're lap dogs when virtually the rest of the world, the UN, the media, and the EU is telling us not to support you and yet we stick to the line and send a quarter of our army to fight by your side.
What part of "take a massive dose of shut the hell up you fool", do you not understand?
Ivan
One thing you must remember is that Clinton ran down American intelligence assets to ridiculous levels - so it is not surprising if Blair showed Bush something that Bush didn't know. For example, on 9/11, America had no intelligence operatives in Afghanistan. Not one. MI6, fortunately, did.
When Bill Clinton is going to be tried for treason is another matter.
Regards, Ivan
Why is it that you find it so necessary to silence free speech and throw the constitution out the window? You are the people I fear most and are the ones who will bring our country down. You ought to stop and listen to yourself.
Richard W.
That the best you can do? Blair is a houseboy. With his own people against him, Blair should be quiet and just follow Washington's instructions.
Richard W.
He's a houseboy for standing up for what he believes in, in the face of public opinion? Excuse me, but what planet did you drop off of?
Blair is no houseboy. A houseboy would have caved a long time ago to what the media wanted. It is simply not expedient for Blair to be doing what he is doing. For you to suggest otherwise is not only wrong, it's disgusting.
Ivan
I didn't silence you. I told you where it was more appropriate to express peacenik crap. But if you continue to stay, I will be delighted to take you on. I'm sick to death of hearing peacenik crap in the face of overwhelming logic.
Ivan
Ivan
And one other idea - Ebola.
Regards, Ivan
I'm curious: you can click on the link in post #78 and get to the website? Which browser and version are you using?
Blair is only there to take orders from Washington regardless of what the British people think. He's a lackey, nothing more and nothing less.
Richard W.
Therefore, every soldier that dies in removing this evil man, we can partially blame on the French, Germans, Russians and the peaceniks. Every bomb that falls, every single casualty. Because by giving hope to Saddam, they killed hopes for this to be done peacefully.
Regards, Ivan
That is an assertion without any facts behind it whatsoever. Try again.
He's a lackey, nothing more and nothing less.
Garbage. He was in office before George W. Bush arrived - how could he be on Bush's "payroll"?
Do better or shut up. Or don't, actually. You make yourself look more the fool the more you talk.
Ivan
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