The former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has taken up a new role as a special
envoy in the Middle East. The typically upbeat Blair has claimed he can
solve the decades-old Arab-Israeli conflict in 45 minutes, a boast that
regional experts say is no less implausible than his claim that Saddam
Hussein could deploy WMDs against Britain in the same amount of time.
Tony Blair believes his intervention in Palestine will be at least as successful as his intervention in Iraq
Blair's participation has already helped forge common ground between the Israelis and Palestinians, who are talking for the first time since the Clinton presidency. The dialogue to date has focussed on how much both parties dislike Blair. "We have already been able to agree that we find Blair irritatingly smug, and resent his poncey, patronising accent," Israeli PM Ehud Olmert said. "Perhaps we two nations aren't so different after all?"
The countries are already negotiating on other key points, such as the controversial ‘right of return' issue, where significant ground has already been made. Both Israel and Hamas have agreed not to let Blair return to their territory.
Blair has been appointed by the ‘Quartet' of the EU, US, Russia and the UN, a sign that the former Prime Minister says is a sign of his capacity to make peace. "You think Israel and Palestine is hard? Try getting the EU to agree with the US on Israel and Palestine," he said. "I only won through after the Europeans realised that the role would mean I'd have to leave Europe."
The appointment has been met with criticism by Hamas, which has offered Blair a new role, that of terrorist target. "We believe a successful attack on him would be a unifying force. Not only in Iraq, Iran and Syria, but also for much of the British Labour Party."
New British PM Gordon Brown has welcomed his former colleague to the role, but warned his Quartet partners that Blair may ultimately prove a liability. "He's all charm and smiles to begin with, but when he can't get the job done and become chronically unpopular, he's impossible to get rid of," he said. "He may be there for a decade."
[Article]Middle East crisis worsens: Blair to get involved pseudonym July 2nd, 2007 - 8:36 AM
Brilliant stuff.
Whose is this? Can you guys start using bylines? Pretty please? Dom? I assume it was you, because you were online when this was posted. It'd be really nice to know who writes the articles on the front page.
Re: [Article]Middle East crisis worsens: Blair to get involved DiddlySquat July 2nd, 2007 - 11:48 PMHear! Hear!
On all counts - great stuff
*Edit = praise
Re: [Article]Middle East crisis worsens: Blair to get involved tomgee43 July 3rd, 2007 - 8:35 PMBlair obviously has some pretty powerful friends in this "Quartet",
What is this quartet anyway? Some non governmental organisation alliance between the EU, US, Russia and the UN ....... who controls this quartet, it's obviously not the common people of a country.
Blair's just the puppet! You can't declare war on the puppet, it only moves when the puppeteer makes it.
The War must be targeted at those aiming to control! The people that do control! The people behind this Quartet.
Re: [Article]Middle East crisis worsens: Blair to get involved Erubadhriel July 4th, 2007 - 2:21 AM
Whose is this? Can you guys start using bylines? Pretty please? Dom? I assume it was you, because you were online when this was posted. It'd be really nice to know who writes the articles on the front page.
Dom's the one who posts the articles. That's why he was online. I agree though, it would be nice to know who wrote what.
Greate article too btw
Re: [Article]Middle East crisis worsens: Blair to get involved blue July 4th, 2007 - 10:22 PMVery nice.
I'm looking forward to the day when I stop getting that song by The Stranglers in my head each time I see or hear Gordon Brown's name...
I'd like to know who writes the articles too, but I can sort of understand why they don't tell us. I guess there are many benefits to anonymity, especially when the more controversial articles are published... Plus this way you don't get people posting comments having a go at the individual that wrote it, such as sometimes happens with the columns.
Re: [Article]Middle East crisis worsens: Blair to get involved deepsea July 17th, 2007 - 7:19 PMHouse of Representatives on Wednesday, 14 May 2003. It's hard to imagine what all the current fuss can be about: the war is over. We won. Hurrah.
JOHN HOWARD (Bennelong): I again take the opportunity of reaffirming the correctness of the government’s assessment in predeploying our forces, and I record the bitter opposition of the Australian Labor Party when that decision was taken. Not only was the military operation completed quickly and successfully but it is also worth recording that all of the doomsday predictions, particularly the many that came from those who sit opposite, were not realised.
The oilwells were not set on fire; there were not millions of refugees; the dams on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers were not breached to bring on catastrophic flooding; and there was no long, drawn out, bloody, Stalingrad style street-to-street fighting in Baghdad. For all of this we must be immensely grateful, but it is a reminder of the hysteria and the doomsday predictions that often accompany operations of this kind. And, just as many of the predictions about a Western Front style holocaust that were made in 1991 when the land war commenced were proved wrong, so the predictions on this occasion have been proved wrong.
The decisive victory of the American led coalition reflects enormous credit on the strength and the determination of the leadership of President Bush. Again I remind the House of the way in which his role was vilified and traduced by many of those who sit opposite and of the way in which speaker after speaker from the Australian Labor Party impugned his integrity, assaulted his judgment and called into question his ability to lead the United States in this very difficult conflict.
