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| Iraq | |
| Cabinet minister threatens to defy Blair over Iraq: Blair crisis talks over Short attack | |
| 2003-03-10 | |
| Edited for length. Tony Blair is meeting with advisers in the wake of cabinet minister Clare Short's accusation that his handling of the Iraq crisis has been " Yaay! Another good reason to get rolling. The international development secretary, who resigned as a party spokesman over Labour's stance in the last Gulf War, told BBC Radio 4's Westminster Hour she could not "stay and defend the indefensible". But her conscience told her to let the indefensible stay in Kuwait City twelve years ago... "If there is not UN authority for military action or the reconstruction of the country, I will not uphold a breach of international law or this undermining of the UN," she said. "I will resign from the government."
Jack, it's not about rationality. Claire's rules are different from the rest of us. But I hope you're not implying you're going to hold off till later to plunge the knife in yourself. Ms Short, who resigned over Labour's support for the last Gulf War, said it was time to put her "cards on the table". "I feel the need now, because it is 10 minutes to midnight, to say out loud what I think Britain should do with its influence — because our failure to use our influence properly is so dangerous for the world," Ms Short said. Can't disagree with you there. If you had your way we'd be behaving like France, and the UN and NATO would have been wrecked already. She went on: "The whole atmosphere of the current situation is deeply reckless — reckless for the world, reckless for the undermining of the UN in this disorderly world, reckless with our government, reckless with his own future, position and place in history." Course it would be safer to sit back at laugh at the crazee antics of old Uncle Saddam, as you'd have us. Safer for a year or two, maybe. Ms Short said she had raised her objections in frequent detailed talks with both Mr Blair and Foreign Secretary Jack Straw. "People like me are being told, 'Yes, all this is under consideration'," she said. "And then the spin the next day is, 'We are ready for war'." Ms Short added: "Allowing the world to be so bitterly divided - the division in Europe, the sense of anger and injustice in the Middle East - is very, very dangerous." "It is a recruiting sergeant for terrorism." Weakness and appeasement encourage terrorism too, Claire. | |
| Posted by:Bulldog |
| #3 Update: Blair's not going to sack Short. That would be reckless. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2003-03-10 05:50:54 |
| #2 Another leftist, pinko commie is leaving your government, Tony. Thank for Lord above. God and Clare are doing you a great political favor. |
| Posted by: badanov 2003-03-10 05:25:21 |
| #1 Who need minters like her.has she forgoteen the appeasement and "HITlER" Good return on bad rubish come on Blair fight the war get rid of the unwated in the world |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-03-10 04:49:40 |