Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: xrtoronto on August 05, 2006, 11:26:03 AM
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By Colin Brown, Deputy Political Editor
Published: 05 August 2006
The extent of the Labour backbench unrest over Tony Blair's handling of the Middle East crisis is laid bare for the first time today in a petition calling for an immediate ceasefire.
More than 110 Labour MPs, including Paul Clark, the parliamentary private secretary to John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, have signed the petition. That would be enough to wipe out Mr Blair's Commons majority. Mr Blair will not face the immediate threat of a vote because the Commons has risen for the summer recess, but it shows that he has lost the support of almost a third of the Parliamentary Labour Party on the issue.
The petition has been organised by Crisis Action, a campaign organisation.
The signatories included Martin Salter, the MP for Reading West, a member of the Parliamentary committee, a group of senior MPs who meet the Prime Minister every week. Most Liberal Democrat MPs, including Sir Menzies Campbell, said they would sign the petition, along with 10 Tory MPs.
Cabinet ministers are ordered not to sign petitions to avoid splits in the Government. "We contacted every cabinet minister and none of them said they supported Mr Blair's position, which is pretty surprising," said Brendan Cox, director of Crisis Action. He said the petition, available at http://www.ceasefiretoday.org, had been signed by more than 35,000.
* A new political party launched by the families of British soldiers killed in Iraq plans to contest every by-election and field up to 70 candidates at the next general election. Reg Keys, 54, who stood against Tony Blair last year, and launched Spectre, said members would meet over the next two weeks to establish its strategy.
Now get the T-shirt
The Independent is offering readers the opportunity to own their own limited edition Katherine Hamnett "Unconditional Ceasefire Now" T-shirt for the special, discounted price of £3. Present this coupon at the Stop the War Coalition stalls at the beginning of today's march at Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park to collect the shirt. Alternatively, you can write to STWC, 27 Britannia Street, London WC1X 9JP. An additional charge of £2 will be made for postage and packing.
c&p (http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article1214560.ece)
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You forgot to tell us what you think about all this.
It's a mere cut and paste. Did you have an opinion to offer on this?
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Ceasefire where? Do they imagine they can vote a ceasefire into existence in Lebanon? Do they have the necessary influence over Syria and Iran to enforce a ceasefire on Hezbollah? Getting Israel to stop shooting will work only until the next rocket is fired into an Israeli city.
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Hezbollah will respect the ceasefire until they get some more missiles and crews trained to fire them into Israel.
What more could anyone ask?
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LOL
how about a
"Go Israel!! Bombs the hell out of those Terrorist cheekboness!!" T-Shirt now for the special, discounted price of £1 :)
just wondering why Israel's defense of her own country is so many others business? It isn't like they have rockets raining down on them or anything...must be a Mel G mindset under the surface..
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Originally posted by Toad
You forgot to tell us what you think about all this.
I view the British PM in the same way I view my own Canadian PM...with disdain. The sooner they are both removed from office the better IMO.
Our Canadian PM may not be in power too much longer if a non-confidence vote occurs soon.
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Originally posted by Eagler
the link doesn't work.
just checked the 'c&p' link I posted...it works for me
(anyone else have problems with link?)
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Originally posted by xrtoronto
just checked the 'c&p' link I posted...it works for me
(anyone else have problems with link?)
it worked when i tried it again - though it was a waste of time :)
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Originally posted by xrtoronto
I view the British PM in the same way I view my own Canadian PM...with disdain. The sooner they are both removed from office the better IMO.
Our Canadian PM may not be in power too much longer if a non-confidence vote occurs soon.
Didn't that allready happen? IIRC they kicked the liberals to the curb.
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Originally posted by Eagler
"Go Israel!! Bombs the hell out of those Terrorist cheekboness!!" T-Shirt now for the special, discounted price of £1 :)
I would wear that. I could even pay 2 for it.
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Originally posted by Gunslinger
Didn't that allready happen? IIRC they kicked the liberals to the curb.
ya...that's right...libs got caught in a scandal; awarding millions to Quebec companies that didn't do anything to earn the money...kickbacks and all that
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I have been watching with bemused contempt the so called controversary generated by the fact the Tony Blair hasn't called for a ceasefire in Lebanon.
A few things to point out. Whether Tony Blair or the Dalai Lama or George W Bush calls for a ceasefire there will not be one. The combatants really don't care what Tony Blair or a hundred cranky British MP's think.
Tony Blair did not start the war nor do the British have any business involving themselves in it. Britain unlike the USA does not materially help the Israelis and makes precious little effort to solve the issue in that region.
Britain is not the power it was and has essentially the same influence on what happens in Lebanon as the Swedes or the Greeks or any other random country of a similar size.
As if to prove it the latest draft UN resolution designed to end the fighting was drawn up by the USA and FRANCE!
This is as much about internal Labour party politics as international affairs.
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xTO
If the opposition wins a non-confidence vote and then wins the resulting election, we'll be back to the same old Liberal policies of an open door policy on the treasury for Quebec, moral relativism on a grand scale, higher taxes, a much more constrained military, a weakening economy and a growing reputation for diplomatic cowardice in the international arena. Won't that be lovely :aok
asw
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I never cared for Blair when he was blowing sunshine up clintons a-hole, but I have grown to think he is an above average englishman, although that probably doesnt mean alot. The brits eat their best PMs like so much crow pie. Blair will end up like the rest of them. Bird turds splashed on passing windshields :rolleyes:
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a small island off the coast of France is going to vote to end the "war" in Lebanon, ok, we will now have "peace in our time".
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Isnt it ironic that the French are eager to be peacekeepers over there, tho?
Finally we can see the French military in , err, action?
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Originally posted by john9001
a small island off the coast of France is going to vote to end the "war" in Lebanon, ok, we will now have "peace in our time".
Well give us a chance, need about 30 years like the US has had to see if we can make it work.
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Originally posted by LePaul
Isnt it ironic that the French are eager to be peacekeepers over there, tho?
Finally we can see the French military in , err, action?
Check out their record recently in the Ivory Coast.
France admits Ivory Coast deaths (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4057769.stm)
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Originally posted by Gunslinger
Didn't that allready happen? IIRC they kicked the liberals to the curb.
Yes, but now the Conservatives are in the same position the Liberals were in with a minority government.
xrtoronto, Harper has his finger directly on the pulse of the nation...it's just not ours.
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Originally posted by Yeager
I never cared for Blair when he was blowing sunshine up clintons a-hole, but I have grown to think he is an above average englishman, although that probably doesnt mean alot. The brits eat their best PMs like so much crow pie. Blair will end up like the rest of them. Bird turds splashed on passing windshields :rolleyes:
Everyone expects conservatives to be hawkish and liberals to be dovish about everything. After all, that is where their constituencies are 99% of the time.
You also expect political parties to oppose anything the "other side" of the politcal coin is currently advocating. Regardless of whether the policy or program works or makes sense or not, if it is "your side's" program, you defend it, if it is the "other side's" program, you oppose it.
Which to me says that Tony Blair is the only person you can 100% totally say has been acting on principle throughout the entire "war on terror" instead of out of political expediency. He is 180 degrees out of phase with the rest of the Libs.
For doing what he believes is right, regardless of political reprocussions, I admire him. It's a rare thing in a politician, regardless of country.
I wish they were all like him in that regard.
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Britain is not the power it was and has essentially the same influence on what happens in Lebanon as the Swedes or the Greeks or any other random country of a similar size
"Mr Blair's total identification with the White House has destroyed his influence in Washington, Europe and the Middle East itself; who bothers with the monkey if he can go straight to the organ grinder? "
Sir Rodric Braithwaite
Sir Rodric, who served as chairman of the British joint intelligence committee, was commenting on British Prime Minister Tony Blair
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I think Blair is ok, and as caustic as that comment is, there's more than a grain of truth to it.
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I refuse to make a comment until I hear a response from Micheal Moore, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt and Hillery Clinton...ohh and Ted Kennedy.
:D
Rock On Israel !!!
Mac