FKABS

Comment at end

21st June 2012

(Updated 22nd June 2012)

FYI: blog post following is the last post, and those from previous 6 months or so, as at the blog formerly known as Keep Tony Blair For PM (no longer accessible.)

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As someone once said “it’s hard to let go”, but needs must. I need to earn a living and this ‘hobby’ is life-consuming.

Many thanks to all who have followed this blog for the last (almost) 6 years. But, priorities, priorities. My twitter account will also be closing. My apologies in particular go to Shane & the rest of the faithful Blairites (of all parties and none) that I have had the good fortune to have met online.

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shane ‏@shanedgj

“@DannyHackett: Where is Tony Blair? #assk” >Ask the expert 😉 >— @blairsupporter #topbloke We miss Blair

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It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday

I know it’s not quite a funeral. Forgive me if I admit it feels a bit like that.

Those of you still interested in watching what Tony Blair is up to could do no better than follow my good friend John Rentoul if you don’t already. Recent post of his here – ‘I’ll have that on my gravestone: “Not far wrong”’

And JR will be reporting some more on Alastair Campbell’s book launch (The Burden of Power – of which I have a signed copy – thanks Alastair) at St Mary’s University last night, organised by The Mile End Group. (Video & transcript here)

Related

Alastair Campbell on Twitter and John Rentoul at same place – Mile End Group

The best of luck to you all.

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Tony Blair Launches Two Major Programmes In Kosovo

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Blair Supporter

Blair: Balkans – work in progress…

Comment at end

19th June 2012

Blair: “It means a lot to me for my Foundation to have this partnership with the American University of Kosovo and the University of Pristina. But it means more to me on a personal level; I saw first-hand what happened here and I did what I could with others to make things better.”

Remember what Tony Blair did in Kosovo? Related links at foot of this post, if you don’t.

Tony Blair launches two major programmes in Kosovo

Rt Hon. Tony Blair, former UK Prime Minister and Founder and Patron of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation today launched two major new programmes as part of his Faith Foundation’s work.

He celebrated the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Kosovo and his Foundation which will implement the Foundation’s global schools programme Face to Faith in Kosovan schools and be incorporated into the development of the national curriculum. The programme will provide a transformative experience for Kosovan students to be affiliated globally, without overlooking their national aspirations, and help Kosovan students and teachers to develop deeper dialogue and negotiation skills.

Tony Blair also inaugurated the partnership between the his Foundation’s global network of leading universities, the Faith and Globalisation Initiative (FGI) and two of Kosovo’s prominent universities, the University of Pristina and the American University of Kosovo. The partnership will help current policy makers and future leaders understand the role religion plays in areas where there are, or have been, both political and religious tensions. In Kosovo, and the wider region, the impact of the globalisation is affecting the country and its faith communities at an ever faster pace – and it is crucial to understand it.

Tony Blair, Founder and Patron of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation said:

Kosovo is a country with challenges but it is going places. You are open to the future and open to new ideas. It is an honour and privilege to be here today. It means a lot to me for my Foundation to have this partnership with the American University of Kosovo and the University of Pristina. But it means more to me on a personal level; I saw first-hand what happened here and I did what I could with others to make things better. What this country has to learn is significant but what others can learn from you is more significant. I believe there is a way to have intense pride in your nation whilst at the same time having an open mind to the rest of the world.

In this era of globalisation, societies are changing, Europe is changing. Don’t be frightened of change instead see it as an opportunity. This coming together of different religions and cultures can enrich a country and be a source of strength. But the forces it can also lead to conflict and fear which we have witnessed in the past. If people have problems in dialogue then we need to learn how to resolve this. This is what my Faith Foundation’s universities network, the Faith and Globalisation Initiative aims to achieve in this region: examine the role of faith in more depth. In Kosovo, and the wider region, the impact of the globalisation is affecting the country and its faith communities in transformative ways– and it is vital to understand and hear those perspectives. The University of Pristina and the American University of Kosovo will provide those valuable insights.

Most of the conflicts in the world today have a religious dimension. The purpose of interfaith is not to diminish specific faiths but to gain understanding. The more you understand someone the more likely you are to live in harmony with them. People of a faith need to take responsibility for religion; preventing it from being misused as a weapon of destruction. Harmony between faiths works better than conflict.

The Kosovan Government’s commitment to incorporate our schools’ programme Face to Faith in the development of the national curriculum, shows how seriously they take the advancement of the next generation – and I am excited about its future.”

__________

RELATED

Excerpt: Kosovo is going in good direction, said today in Pristina the former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Pristina: “Kosovo over the last decade has seen significant progress. Yes it is clear. But there is also a lot to do”, stressed at today’s press conference held in Pristina former UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair.

EARLIER RELATED POSTS AT THIS BLOG

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Handy tips: how to get your comment published at Guido’s blog

Posted on June 15, 2012 by Blair Supporter

Comment at end

15th June 2012

Let me say that I don’t actually subscribe to the view of some that Britain’s best-known blogger Guido Fawkes is a pile of manure. The picture is just visual licence as we bloggers have been entrusted it by the great know-all in internetyland. Guido will understand.

Guido has been a trendsetter in recent years showing the mainstream media how to get news, even ‘scoops’ without being in the mainstream. He has an understandable desire to retain this renegade position and at times is, therefore, inaccurate with the verity even if occasionally unintentionally. That aside, Guido has one major problem: his commenters.

Some of them are probably normal people, but to be honest, I’m yet to be convinced that there are that many. The pressure of his aim in life is such that Guido has a tendency not to monitor comments and I have from time to time had a little moan about some of them. Even some success in having some removed due to the intervention of an understudy of Guido’s. GF himself blocked me on twitter some time ago for some unknown reason.

The talk as the Leveson Inquiry into press/media standards nears its end is of regulation of the internet. That “threat” like every other threat Guido and his followers see every time they open their eyes in the morning is boosted by a general distrust, at least on internetland, of politics and politicians.

Sadly, it is my humble opinion that the way blogs, commenters, tweeps and other social network users often behave would itself be to blame for any regulation. So in an unintended way the civil rightists with instant-glue like determination to rant on about their rights while exercising little responsibility may well have brought regulation on themselves.

More blame for the moral descent of normally acceptable behaviour is to be laid at the feet of the mainstream press, the font of all knowledge information and stuff to twist around and then bash people with. Lord Justice Leveson now knows this, as many of us have known for years. Although the papers themselves don’t scream (for) blue murder at (of) those with whom they disagree they lay the ‘freedom of speech’ trap for their commenters. And being ‘troof-finders’ the commenters fall straight into it.

So where was I? Oh yes, how to get your comment published at Guido’s, something which I signally failed to do with a recent one of mine. But I’ve worked it out now, just by taking a look at some of the commenters in a recent blog –

First of all you need to be anti-government. Any government, but preferably a Labour one. Or a Tory one when it sounds too European. Lib Dem governments don’t count except when they do and then you have to dismiss them, anyway.
Make sure you agree with Guido on the gist of his particular post. He will still publish you some of the time if you disagree, but only if you don’t expose his shortcomings.
Make sure you talk loudly about things of which you ~~know little~~ are an undoubted expert, such as the Iraq war, legality or otherwise, decisions made in government re same, and of course who pulls the world’s strings and why. ‘Bilderberg’ is always useful to drop in here.
Make sure you bellow even louder about how at least one ‘Labourite’ is now ‘filthy rich’ after office and that by so being he has obviously impoverished the rest of us, while destroying the UK’s moral fabric and the world as we know it.
Never agree with any politician unless it’s an anti-European one or Tom Watkins or someone of his ilk. His agenda is the same as yours. And Guido’s.
Remember Guido’s is your home-from-home. This is not The Telegraph or even the Daily Mail, where they occasionally expect standards. Well, very occasionally. Think of it as your local pub.
Give yourself a good alias, so that others get your all about before you even tap anything out. Samples of this are – Tony Bliar didnt fool me / socialism is a mental illness / The future is NWO / One day one of his bodyguards will do him / and Lordy Mandelscum just stating the bleeding obvious
And of course don’t forget that you can suggest killing anyone, as long as he’s not the enemy, as we know it or rather knew it before the internet toddled along and told us all otherwise.

Also be as to-the-point as you like. For instance this kind of comment seldom if ever gets removed at Guido’s:

94 socialism is a mental illness says:

June 14, 2012 at 8:57 pm

Blair is long overdue for the snipers bullet.

Well? Just a statement of fact! Not incitement or anything.

Then there’s this in reference to the same clearly ‘deserving’ individual:

92 Timothy Lloyd-Davies says:

June 14, 2012 at 6:25 pm

I pray to God that we see this vile piece of filth hanging by his neck one day!

Well? The commenter IS a religious man.

Then there’s this sort, more wordy so that you can sound ‘informed’ and a clued-up good egg:

62 One day one of his bodyguards will do him says:

June 14, 2012 at 2:27 pm

Chief Inspectors that refuse to investigate claims of treason, malfeasance in public office, etc.

The HMRC officials that don’t care about shredded receipts, or his off-shore accounts.

The EU that pay him shitloads to ponce about as a peace (oh, the irony) envoy to the ME, the very place he brought war to.

The Humphreys in the the Civil Service, who know where the bodies are buried (possibly literally), yet keep schtum.

Probably the worst offenders in allowing this utterly vile piece of filth to continue breathing are the British public that voted for the twat 3 times, and don’t lynch him on sight now they can see he was nothing but a fraud.

Well? Three times “well”. You mean you think this might be a touch OTT, with its suggestive alias an’ all? Not to mention the “lynch” bit? No, never. It’s at Guido’s. It must be right. All of it.

Taranow. Take care.

Related:

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Why did Guido Fawkes monitor (out) my comment? Was it too abusive?

Posted on June 15, 2012 by Blair Supporter

Comment at end

15th June 2012

Or did I do something right?

I imagine my dear friend John Rentoul would suggest I see this monitoring (nay, monitoring OUT – I’ve just checked) as a badge of honour. But I’m a sensitive soul. And it’s my birthday today – Magna Carta Day. True as it happens, all ye “liberals” of the left and right (latter exemplified in Guido’s commentary stream.)

Lord Denning described the Magna Carta as “the greatest constitutional document of all times – the foundation of the freedom of the individual against the arbitrary authority of the despot”. (source)

Not that I’d describe Fawkes as a despot. Oh, that he had that power, eh Guido? But he is now monitoring my comments and refusing to publish those with which he disagrees. Freedom of speech at Guido’s. And it’s odd. I am hardly abusive. I don’t call for a “sniper’s bullet” or for “hanging” anyone. Even if they are as filthy as Guido’s commenters often are. Nor do I curse anyone or any political party or group of individuals in the way his blog commenters habitually do. Perhaps it’s because he doesn’t like being hauled over the coals as to the facts. As if.

As readers of my earlier post may have noticed I have been trying to put Guido right on a few FACTS regarding the Numpty incident at Hong Kong yesterday. Seems Guido doesn’t like facts up him.

Below is the comment I posted at his site earlier. Guido has decided, in his wisdom, that it is not deserving of a flicker across the eyeballs of his ~~brainwashed~~. Sorry, his readers –

Blair Supporter says:

Your comment is awaiting moderation.

June 15, 2012 at 12:32 pm

Jimmy – “Menacingly? Really?” is to put too forgiving a light on Guido’s “story”.

Fact is Tony Blair NEVER said “I wouldn’t come any further.” Professor Daniel Chua, Director of Humanities at HKU said it as he looked towards the security people for cover. Nor did Mr Blair or Prof Chua “threaten” anyone.

Watch the video at YouTube. In full screen at around 50 secs you will NOT see Blair’s lips move. Prof Chua is the “culprit”. Should he be shot too?

Still waiting for Guido to apologise for this latest ‘lies/world/truth/boots on’ episode.

Reply

Terrible stuff, eh? Worthy of keeping away from the tender view of those who share his views.

But Guido is not for deleting me permanently, unlike some of his commenters, no doubt.

Thus far he is still showing my latest comment:

112

keeptonyblairforpm says:

June 15, 2012 at 2:11 pm

Thanks for monitoring out my comment, Guido. Will be following up my earlier post.

To check the truth of what I said in the comment you cannot see – take a peep at the video again. Watch in full-screen view and pay close attention from around 50 seconds.

As “I wouldn’t come any further” is heard, did you see Tony Blair’s lips move? Nor me. The man is astounding. A ventriloquist as well!

A propos today’s 797th Magna Carta anniversary: who is the most infamous name who attempted and failed to destroy our democracy? That’s right – The REAL Guido (Guy) Fawkes in 1605, after which futility he decided to choose the high jump.

By the way, Happy Magna Carta Day.

Next post, handy tips: ‘How to ensure you get published at Guido Fawkes’ blog’

Update: And here it is – Handy tips: how to get your comment published at Guido’s blog

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Tony Blair partners with HKU on “Faith and Global Engagement initiative course”

Posted on June 15, 2012 by Blair Supporter

Comment at end

15th June 2012

[Cross-post] The real story on Tony Blair at Hong Kong University

Conflict and compassion | Tony Blair discusses the two faces of religion

HONG KONG : Tony Blair, Former UK Prime Minister, speaks at University of Hong Kong, Thursday, 14 June, 2012

Today Tony Blair, Founder and Patron of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, delivered a key note speech and answered questions on the impact of faith and globalisation on Hong Kong and the wider region, at a lecture held in the University of Hong Kong (HKU).

This lecture inaugurated the partnership between the Tony Blair Faith Foundation’s global network of leading universities, the Faith and Globalisation Initiative (FGI) and HKU’s Faith and Global Engagement Initiative.

Tony Blair spoke of the significance of the partnership between his Foundation and the Faith and Global Engagement Initiative at HKU.

Addressing an audience of HKU students and professors Tony Blair, Founder and Patron of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation said: “The initiative is very timely. This part of the world is one of the fastest areas of growing Christianity as well as many other faiths. HKU has a steadfast commitment to scholarship and freedom. The basis for the Tony Blair Faith Foundation’s Faith and Globalisation Initiative is similar. I am delighted and honoured to be partnering with HKU, I could not think of a better partner or a better part of the world.”

“My vision for the Faith and Global Engagement at HKU is to change the nature of the debate – I want people to see that you have to take religion seriously and I want to help build interfaith understanding.”

Professor Daniel Chua, Director of Humanities at HKU said: “Leaders should be intelligently engaged with the questions of faith and the global impact. We formed the Faith and Global Engagement programme to initiate a conversation in the spirit of hospitality. Whoever you are and whatever you believe in we want to engage with you about religion. Our initiative here at Hong Kong University has much in common with the principles of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation. For this inaugural lecture on Faith and Global Engagement, “I am honoured to welcome Tony Blair”.

Tony Blair stressed the urgency of understanding the impact of religion in the modern world:

“Just look at the news and you see the impact of both everywhere; in the conflicts in Afghanistan and Pakistan and the debate over whether or not orthodox Jews should serve in the military in Israel. The face of religion in this environment is two-fold: conflict and compassion. Much of the news about religion is about conflict. However, religion is also capable of great compassion. For example, much of the improvement in health for continental Africa is as a result of religious centred endeavours.

“We can promote this face of compassion by firstly, treating religion as religion. There is a temptation to view religious problems as political problems, especially for politicians. If the heart of the matter is religious, than the religious element must be understood for what it is: religious. Secondly, by building platforms of inter-faith dialogue and action. Thirdly, through research and scholarship. Religion has much to say from many perspectives on many issues. What is required is proper, in depth and rigorous research into these issues. This is where these programmes and the work of HKU can help.”

The Tony Blair Faith Foundation’s Faith and Globalisation Initiative (FGI) is a network of leading universities around the world, collectively exploring the relationship between religion and globalisation. Through the Faith and Globalisation network, the Tony Blair Faith Foundation is supporting policy makers, and future leaders, equipping them to appreciate religion’s presence in the world and its relationship to decision-making and public policy. Significantly HKU is the ninth university in the world and the second in China (following Peking University) to join FGI. In collaboration with other FGI partner institutions, HKU’s Faith and Global Engagement Initiative will explore topics including religion and conflict, religion in public life, and human rights bringing critical analysis to the forefront of global debate.

The new Faith and Global Engagement initiative course at HKU will bring a unique perspective to the academic and policy analysis of the relationship between faith and globalisation. Hong Kong’s position at the nexus of East/West relations, adds an important voice to this global debate.

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Guido, BBC, ITN, Huff all mislead re Tony Blair “loses cool, threatens” Hong Kong Grundy Numpty

Posted on June 14, 2012 by Blair Supporter

Comment at end

14th June 2012

Guido Fawkes says:

“…former PM warned menacingly: “I wouldn’t come any further…”

Except the former PM didn’t say that!

I have spent some time looking through today’s video versions, edited and otherwise of this incident in Hong Kong. This is the only full version I can find.

Protester attempts to arrest Tony Blair in Hong Kong (1m 53s from YouTube channel telegraphtv)

The bad news is that this full unedited version – the truth and nothing but the truth (so help them Lord Justice Leveson) – originally appeared at the Huffington Post. Until that is, they realised it showed Tony Blair in far too good a light for their agenda.

So I am calling out the BBC, ITN, The Huffington Post & Guido Fawkes for messing with the facts.

Lord Justice Leveson, Sir. You ARE going to investigate ALL the broadcasters and the internet know-alls, aren’t you? After all, as David Cameron admitted today, the broadcasters are the ones whose reach is all-pervasive and who have by far the widest coverage. Especially the “blessed” BBC. Thus the broadcasters are the main target for those who wish to get a political message out instantly to millions.

Let’s take a closer look at today’s (video) editors.

1. If you read Guido Fawkes’s blog on the Grundy Numpty who tried and failed (as they always do and will) to arrest Tony Blair in Hong Kong today, you could almost believe that our former PM reached into his pocket for his pistol. In fact he didn’t “warn” the protester and spoke in NO WAY “menacingly”. Nor did anyone present. Apart from Tom Grundy. (Isn’t he from “The Archers”?)

At Guido’s –

Blair Loses Cool, Threatens War Protester

Tony Blair lost his rag after being heckled by a protester during a speech to students at the University of Hong Kong. As the man approached Blair, accusing him of breaching the Geneva convention, the former PM warned menacingly: “I wouldn’t come any further…” Asia Pacific News claims that Blair said “that’s democracy for you” as the man was led away.

Neither did anyone else threaten the protester, as a quick look at the only unedited video online proves (Telegraph video above). Well done, the Telegraph. Now please do not remove it!

Guido probably picked the story up from ChannelNewAsia. That sentence was not mentioned by Peter Walker here at the Guardian.

2. At the Huffington Post video version things are actually even worse. Guido could be forgiven for just copying and pasting. After all he has to prove he’s on the ball. Quick with the story, inexact or not. But when I watched the Huff’s video and tweeted on it earlier, twice, I said this:

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Blair Supporter ‏@blairsupporter Video of prize wally, Briton Tom Grundy’s #failed attempt at Citizens Arrest On Tony Blair In Hong Kong. http://huff.to/LFq79k @HuffPostUK

Just watched this video once: http://huff.to/LFq79k Check & see if you think Tony Blair “threatened” the Numpty in Hong Kong. Applause for TB

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I would not have tweeted this if it was not clear that Tony Blair did NOT say it. So I tweeted twice again to Guido, though he has blocked me on twitter for some inexplicable reason. (He’ll still read them, believe me)

I don’t think it was Tony Blair who said “don’t come any further” to that numpty in Hong Kong. Guido? @guidofawkes So no threat, eh?

. @Firebird734 @guidofawkes said TB threatened the guy. He didn’t. It was another voice saying “don’t come any further” Apologies Guido?

___

Now the Huff has got the huff and is showing the shortened ITN News version- 1:28 long. In this we do not hear those words uttered by anyone, nor much applause at the end. The Huff has also added to the text input of the protester, to include his denial over “harassment” something I, co-incidentally of course, mentioned at twitter. Twice.

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@MarkKersten “Armed with the law”? That’s why they keep failing, & always will. GUILTY of harassment Arrest the “arrest Tony Blair” idiots

and

Arrest this numpty for harassment. GUILTY! In Hong Kong reading out his charges to Tony Blair. @Daylife – http://www.daylife.com/photo/0crs6xHcMZ4j5?__site=daylife&q=Tony+Blair&__site=daylife&__site=daylife

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Why did the Huff change their video? Imho, two reasons: 1) sustained applause for Mr Blair at the end of the original clip, and 2) it was clearly NOT Mr Blair who spoke those dreadfully menacing words.

BROADCASTERS’ BIAS

3. The BBC/ITN

Both ITN and the Johnny-come-lately of broadcasting the BBC – in their talked-over video clips – edited out that remark. The BBC website even has this, a blatant LIE –

“As the heckler neared the podium, he was threatened with police action and left the auditorium peacefully.”

Really? Where was this “threat”?

As I tweeted earlier –

@Axelfinance Another video this time from ‘honest’ #BBC which edits out fact that Blair did not threaten. BBC in cahoots w Guido Fawkes ;0)

and

. @MailRightMinds Love how the editors at ITN edited out the part that show Tony Blair did NOT threaten the Grundy Numpty. OK, @guidofawkes

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The ever-trustworthy and truth-seeking Daily Mail used the ITN version. Again WHY? Simply because Tony Blair did not say it. Any of it. And showing the full video as above would have shown this. The chairman of the Faith & Globalisation meeting said it AND it was in no way threatening.

TBFF upcoming transcript Editing out the peripheral and unnecessary, hopefully.

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ADDENDUM Just spotted the longer version also here at Sky Watch it in full screen. You will then see clearly that it was the man standing immediately in front of Tony Blair who said “don’t come any further”. NOTHING at all, by anyone, about a threat to arrest the protester.

ADDENDUM 2: The Telegraph disappoints me by spreading the lie/world/truth/boots on in its online article by saying, weakly, ‘Mr Blair reportedly told the protester: “I wouldn’t come any further … you can go.” ‘

For the umpteenth umpteenth – the man in front said that, NOT TONY BLAIR.

_____

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Tony Blair to Germany: Stand by euro. To Cameron: Get in there

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Blair Supporter

Blair calls on Germany to stand by euro

Comment at end

14th June 2012

The FT’s Lionel Barber has this very interesting article from The Man, in Jerusalem –

Tony Blair has delivered a stark warning of a popular backlash against austerity policies in the euro-zone ahead of this Sunday’s re-run election in Greece.

“You look at what the Greeks are being asked to accept: it’s beyond tough,” Mr Blair said in an interview with the Financial Times in Jerusalem.

The former long-standing UK prime minister, a self-professed pro-European, said the risk of unrest applied to Europe as a whole. “In the end, what people will ask is: ‘Is the single currency worth it if that’s what we’re being asked to accept’.”

Mr Blair’s said the remedy should be a “grand bargain” between Germany and the rest of Europe to rescue the single currency. This would involve a pooling of European debt and a new push for growth, matched by deficit reduction through pension and welfare reforms.

[…]

He added that the euro would survive in some form even if the present 17-member set-up collapsed. The euro was central to Europe’s ambitions to be a power on the world stage: “I have no doubt that the single currency makes sense.”

Mr Blair steered clear of directly endorsing a European-wide banking union, as proposed by José Manuel Barroso, European commission president. But he made clear that Britain had to play an active role in negotiations on the next phase of European integration, even though he refuse to say whether this would involve a referendum.

“I am not going to criticise the prime minister…But If Britain were absent, we would be opting out of an incredibly important decision. The important thing is this: Britain has got to put itself in a position where it can play a part in what will be a reconstruction of Europe.”

Mr Blair’s proposals will cause unease in the UK coalition government where Conservatives are loath to sign up to an economic union. The government says it is opposed to making British taxpayers liable for recapitalising eurozone banks or putting major British banks under the watch of an EU authority.

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When the Queen met President Bashar al-Assad

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Blair Supporter

Comment at end

13th June 2012

It’s been a big week or several for Her Majesty the Queen. Ditto Bashar Assad, so-called leader of the Syrian people. But have they ever met? Well, yes, as it happens.

Excerpt from “President Assad meets Queen”

‘Syrian president Bashar Assad was meeting the Queen today, after publicly rebuffing a call from Tony Blair to shut down Palestinian terror organisations operating in his country.’

No date is given but clearly it is in regard to the December 2002 visit of the Assads to Britain.

In December 2002, President Assad & his wife Asma met the Queen in London

This topical Assad/Queen reference is here for the same reason that other things are; to balance the record.

Right from the start of Assad Junior’s rule Tony Blair was down on him with demands, expectations, hopes (all of which were to be denied) that we now had a Middle East ally who KNEW how terror-led were many of the regimes in that region. He had already been rebuffed by Assad and to the joy of our press (even though we were pre-Iraq war) humiliated publicly, as recorded here by Alastair Campbell)

Tony Blair with President Assad, & their wives in London, 2002

But don’t ever be led to believe that Tony Blair did not feel concerned that Assad was just as likely to turn out a bad un as had his father. And whatever you do, don’t expect the Daily Mail to remind you. They are scouring the internet right now to try to find the two locked in a Gaddafi-type embrace to prove whatever….

_____

As at Daily Mail

President Assad meets Queen

Syrian president Bashar Assad was meeting the Queen today, after publicly rebuffing a call from Tony Blair to shut down Palestinian terror organisations operating in his country.

Following an audience with the Queen, on day three of his visit to Britain, Mr Assad was meeting the Prince of Wales as well as opposition leaders Iain Duncan Smith and Charles Kennedy.

After talks with the Prime Minister in Downing Street yesterday, Mr Assad insisted that there were no Palestinian terrorists in Syria – simply “press officers”.

“Of course we don’t have in Syria what are called organisations supporting terrorism. We have press officers,” he told a joint news conference.

“These press officers represent Palestinians who live in Syria and Palestinians who live in Palestine.

“These officers express the opinions of Palestinians inside Palestine and outside Palestine. Palestinians have a right to have someone to express their opinion.

“In our country they are called press officers. They are not called terrorist organisations.”

Earlier Foreign Office Minister Mike O’Brien had expressed the Government’s concern at continuing the presence in Syria of offices of “rejectionist” groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

But despite the disagreement on the issue of the Palestinian groups, the talks appeared to have gone more smoothly than Mr Blair’s visit to Damascus last year when he was harangued by Mr Assad over the Middle East peace process.

Mr Assad, on his first official visit to Britain, said that they had agreed on most “basic issues” and spoke of his “warm personal relations” with Mr Blair.

The Prime Minister acknowledged there had been “obvious and clear” differences between them, but said that the “process of engagement” with Syria was “the right way forward”.

On Iraq, Mr Assad, who opposes military intervention, said that so far there appeared to have been “good co-operation” from the Iraqis with the United Nations weapons inspectors.

He said he was “optimistic” that conflict could be averted.

“We hope this co-operation will continue until this crisis is resolved peacefully,” he said.

Mr Blair said British officials were still studying Iraq’s declaration of its remaining weapons of mass destruction programmes which was submitted to the UN on December 7 and awaiting the report of the chief weapons inspector Hans Blix.

“The inspectors should be allowed to carry out their work. We have made it clear that if there is a breach (of the UN resolution), then action should follow,” he said.

In the Commons later Mr Blair announced that he had invited leading Palestinians to London next month to discuss reform of the Palestinian Authority.

The aim is to ensure that if American-brokered peace talks do achieve a breakthrough, the Palestinian Authority will be sufficiently strengthened to take on its allotted role.

“It is in the interests of both the Palestinians and Israelis that these reform efforts succeed, so that we can make a reality of President Bush’s vision of two states – Israel and Palestine -living side by side in peace and security,” he said.

Representatives of the US, the UN, the European Union and Russia will also attend the talks along with officials from Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

The exact date and venue for the meeting – which will be chaired by Foreign Secretary Jack Straw – have yet to be decided.

Mr Straw said the meeting with leading Palestinians in London next month would be “medium level” but “a step in the right direction”.

He told Channel 4 News: “There are some obvious practical difficulties, to put it mildly, about all the leadership of the Palestinians coming to London.

“But we nonetheless think that this is a useful contribution to a process of reform of the Palestinian Authority, of Palestinian institutions, which is essential, first of all to improve the conditions of the Palestinians at present.

“When there is a ceasefire and a better future for the Palestinians as there will have to be, then improvements in their institutions will be of paramount importance to delivering to the Palestinian people the new expectations for their future which will have been generated.”

Mr Straw said there was no pretence that Britain saw eye to eye with Syria on everything, but added: “As a result of the kind of active diplomacy … in which we have been engaged with Syria, we are much closer together and there’s a much better common understanding.”

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So there we have it. We can but try with such as Assad, as we did with Gaddafi. Once they start killing their own people they must know they’re on their own.

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‘Tony Blair was right’ – Parts 2 & 3

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Blair Supporter

Tony Blair Faith Foundation

Comment at end

13th June 2012

A superfluity of “rightness”

First I noticed this from my friend John Rentoul on twitter: Hugo Rifkind – “Gordon Brown’s brazen mangling of opinion and fact” or, to get to my point “Things Tony Blair Was Right About”

I used it here yesterday – quote: “the ones he was right about … academies, civil partnerships, the NHS. I shan’t go on because it upsets me, but on Monday it happened again. Because Blair was also right, I now realise, about the failings of the British press. And Brown isn’t.’

But these right things just keep pouring in.

There was this on 7th June Tony Blair was right (Btw, he certainly “meant to”!)

‘Speaking at the Leveson Inquiry, Tony Blair said something quite prescient, though he might not have meant to. “You can’t disagree with anyone in politics now… and the environment in which media and politicians now work is more raw, brutal and crude in terms of interaction.” His sentiments were perfectly emphasised by someone who, of all things, would like least to support an argument made by Blair – David Lawley-Wakelin, the anti-war protestor who breached security at the court and accused the former Prime Minister of war crimes.

Lawley-Wakelin’s tirade epitomises exactly what Blair was talking about – that we can’t simply disagree with the decisions our representatives make, now we have to demonise them. Blair was focusing on what Lord Leveson called the “fusion of news and comment” in the media, but the increasingly polarised nature of British politics has been spilling over into the public arena of protest for some time now.’

And on 10th June there was this referring to Jeremy Vine’s encounter with Tony Blair in 1997, here

Vine was replying to this question:

You worked as a Westminster correspondent for a long time. And you were on the Blair battle-bus in 1997, weren’t you?

‘I interviewed Tony Blair five or six times, but it’s off-air conversations that matter. Once, on the bus, he said: “I like tea” and I said: “I like tea, too” and then he said something like: “I hear you’re a Christian, Jeremy” and I said: “I’m just struggling, you know” and he said: “It’s the most important thing in my life.” And then I said: “Don’t you feel that actually the big stuff like what you’re going to do when you get into power is much less important than the small stuff, which is how you treat your next-door neighbour?” I realised that was a bad analogy because his neighbour was Gordon Brown. But he said: “I completely agree.”‘

Tony Blair, therefore, was also right about another thing: his deeply held religious belief. It didn’t just manifest itself as a convenient ‘purge to his conscience‘ after Iraq.

Right?

Right.

Any more for any more?

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Related

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