Guardian Utd (Friday): Blair's dark day: Goldsmith legal advice published

[Jack Rabbit]

From the Guardian Unlimited (UK)
Dated Friday April 29

Blair's dark day as Iraq row erupts
Goldsmith legal advice published
By Michael White, Patrick Wintour and Richard Norton-Taylor

Labour yesterday suffered its worst day in the 2005 election campaign after Tony Blair finally succumbed to pressure to publish crucial legal advice on the Iraq war, but failed to stem the Conservative-led assault on his battered integrity.
Privately anxious cabinet ministers admitted that the renewed eruption of the Iraq issue - in the shape of the six-paragraph summary revealed on the Guardian Unlimited website on Wednesday night - may prove "a gift to the Tories" a week from polling day, not the "damp squib" of Mr Blair's prediction.

Ministers concede that the latest furore will probably push some demoralised Labour voters towards abstention.

Labour confirmed that Mr Blair and his advisers had decided yesterday to rush out a full version of the attorney general's interim legal advice, given 12 days before the war began, in the hope of proving it was consistent with his final advice that the war was legal.

Read more.

[struggle4progress]

1. Political anger over Iraq advice

<snip> Scottish Tory leader David McLetchie said Tony Blair should be punished for lying to the British public.

SNP leader Alex Salmond said people's trust in the prime minister was "in tatters". <snip>

In advice given on 7 March, 2003, the Attorney General Lord Goldsmith raised possible legal arguments which could be made against the Iraq war. <snip>

But in a written answer to Westminster on 17 March, 2003, there were no doubts raised when it stated "authority to use force against Iraq exists" from previous UN resolutions. <snip>

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/vote_2005/scotland/4494115.stm

[autorank]

2. It's Official!!! The Entire Labour Leadership are Idiots!!!

This Guardian article is well worth reading. It's historic. It marks the final evidence proving the total moral and strategic bankruptcy of the Labour Party.

Blair released the legal opinion he received prior to the Iraq war...the entire legal opinion pointing out that the war was probably illegal. This is, of course, enough to condemn Blair and his allies eternally. There are just a few weeks to go before the election and now Gordon Brown, #2 in Labour, rushes to Blair's defense on withholding the opinion. Brown went on to say the report justified the war, a total lie.

So here you have it. They are immoral, going to war when that war was illegal. They are stupid. Instead of defending Blair with the only alternative to him they have, Labour should have had a little meeting, tossed Blair and replaced him with Brown as the putative Prime Minister should Labour retain it's majority.

They are so awful, I prefer to see Labour go down to defeat...no matter who wins. The best outcome would be a hung Parliament with the Liberal Democrats in a position to dictate who actually wins. Blair would certainly go under those conditions.

[BillZBubb]

3. Sadly, Blair will win

In a just world, he would be sitting in a court room in the Hague. But no! Enough of the British people, like the American people and the Israeli people, will put a war criminal back on top.

Blair specifically lied about a follow on UN resolution before the start of a war. He said Britain would not proceed until a vote was taken on that authorization resolution. When the Chimperor told him there would be no second resolution, Blair (prize poodle that he is) totally reversed himself. They got the Attorney General to play ball too.

Who would have thought that Labour would become so disgusting.

[sundancekid]

4. and the tracker already shows prior tightening - stay tuned ... link below

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/vote2005/polltracker/html/default.stm

[LynnTheDem]

5. bLiar admits, in his own words, he broke international law & is a

war criminal:

"I had to decide whether we back away, leave Saddam immeasurably stronger, or remove him. I took the decision to remove him."

Shoulda listened to the advice of your own Goldsmith there, bLiar; REGIME CHANGE IS ILLEGAL AND A WAR CRIME.

[Spazito]

7. Exactly!

The section of the report where the AG wasn't at all vague was with regard to regime change being the objective:

"But regime change CANNOT be the objective of military action."

(capitalization was my addition)

I hope the British media really jump on that! I watched some of his answers to the questions from the audience and he repeatedly said getting rid of Saddam was the right choice.

[Jack Rabbit]

6. Morning kick

!!

[Jack Rabbit]

8. BBC Poll Tracking for Friday, April 29

Please click here.

It looks like the beneficiaries of the disclosure are the Liberal Democrats and "other". Surprise, surprise.

Labour: 36%
Tory: 32%
LibDem: 24%
Other: 8%

Labour and the Tories have both last support in recent days.