Left-wingers rally behind Prescott to demand Blair quits over Iraq

[muriel_volestrangler]

Demands for Tony Blair to quit over his support for US President George W Bush in the Middle East are to be taken to Labour's annual conference next month in a direct challenge to his leadership by left-wing Labour campaigners.

An emergency resolution will be sent to all constituency Labour parties calling for Mr Blair to quit because of his "disgraceful" policy in Iraq, and for a leadership election within two months of the conference.

Mr Blair will seek to shrug off the challenge, but it has been tabled by leaders of the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy, who successfully backed four candidates elected to the National Executive of the party, including the veteran anti-war campaigner Walter Wolfgang.

The calls for Mr Blair to go will be boosted by the burst of support for John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, since the The Independent disclosed that he said President Bush's performance on the Middle East road map was "crap".

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article1220294.ece

The opposition to Blair is getting more and more overt.

[IndianaGreen]

1. Gordon Brown has been a disappointment

He has been so keen to become Blair's heir that he chose to remain silent on countless occasions when his voice needed to be heard. Blair's complicity in Israel's attack on Lebanon is just the last example of Brown's cowardice.

At the very least, John Prescott had the presence of mind to refer to Bush's Middle East policy as "crap."

[VegasWolf]

2. If only the US had an opposition party. Oh Lieberman, that's it. nt

[Peace Patriot]

3. I hope they elect Prescott! That would be inspiring!

There are so many good things happening elsewhere in the world--but we should look there for hope and for examples of democracy at work. It's harder for us--we are at the vortex of power of the Dark Lords. Our task is more difficult than anyone's--throwing off this junta and fascist corporate rule. Be encouraged! There are good people everywhere, and there are good people here, very much in the majority. We just have to see our way out of this delusion of our powerlessness that the war profiteering corporate news monopolies try to convince us of. It is very heavy. But the key to breaking the spell is transparent elections. That is the Ring!

[Heidi]

4. Kick.

:kick:

[intaglio]

5. Blair asked to resign by own party

Left-wingers rally behind Prescott to demand Blair quits over Iraq

From "The Independent" (UK newspaper)

Selected Quotes
An emergency resolution will be sent to all constituency Labour parties calling for Mr Blair to quit because of his "disgraceful" policy in Iraq, and for a leadership election within two months of the conference.

Mr Blair will have served as leader for ten years next May,

End Quotes

Please may this be true, in many ways Tony B. Liar has become an embarrassment to the UK.

[Richard Steele]

6. About time. Now, if only the USA had some similar way to fire the help...

[aquart]

7. Lovely.

Simply lovely. Tell me again why we don't have a parliamentary system?

[michael_1166]

10. Because countries

infested by the virus of considering themselves "great" are led by presidents and dictators.

[mmonk]

8. I hope they are successful

in their attempts into forcing a resignation. Without the cover of Labour and Blair, people in the U.S. that support the Iraq war or bush may begin to wake up. If Blair resigns, is this the end of the Third Way in Britian and Europe?

[Hissyspit]

9. Welcome to DU!

:patriot:

:toast:

[Jensen]

11. Welcome to DU!!!

I hope that Bush Poodle gets send to the pound! To think he had my respect before his love affair with *!
:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

[neoblues]

12. Ah yes, "Leadership unbecoming to a leader..."

too bad calling for Bush to resign wouldn't convince him (given his stubborn streak and considering his general disdain for the vast majority of Americans (puny citizens), nothing short of impeachment at a time when Democrats hold power both houses of Congress would get his attention).

Poor Mr. Blair, all he did was what pretty much all British leaders have done for decades--and that's providing almost unquestioning supporting the U.S. in whatever she does (sane or not)--his misfortune was merely having been Prime Minister of Britain at the same time the U.S. was suffering the excesses resulting from having elected a weak, insensate, ignorant, emotionally unstable and easily manipulated man as it's President (the tip of the iceberg that was the Republican overthrow of the American Democracy (this overthrow itself being co-opted by the Cheney and the Neocons), which had been decades in the planning). Alas, politics makes for strange, and sometimes unpleasant and counter-productive, bedfellows; and Blair's culpability for getting in that bed, in any case, is his to suffer.

[Greeby]

16. Not always

Whatever their statements about it, both Wilson and Heath kept us out of Vietnam. Heath also revealed when he retired in 2001 (in a meetup with Tony Benn, covered by the Guardian) that he told Kissinger to sod off when Henry wanted British troops involved in the India-Pakistan war.

[neoblues]

23. Good Deal...

No, literally... the more you tell us to sod off when we're being led by the spawn of chaos, the better (at least you won't be unnecessarily dragged into the fubar entanglement with us). Who knows, if we really were alone in the world more often--nah, our current leadership couldn't give a shite what anybody thinks and would happily go it utterly alone (and think they were "showing the world just how tough they are").

There are almost always exceptions to any pattern involving people and politics. The pattern here was merely that Britain has long been a staunch ally (which actually is appreciated) and that this has probably brought Britain along on some pretty screwed up exploits (especially over the last 6 years). Obviously, Blair let himself be pulled somewhat along with Dumbya's plot, giving it additional standing and now he's paying for it--had the defective Bush & those who pull his strings been in power, no problem... Alas, they were, he went along and here we are.

Then again, it may be that while invading the middle east was exceptionally uninsired and foolhardy, it may be that the kind of problems the West is facing with respect to both Arabs and Muslims would have been inevitable--that infamous clash of civilization. It may indeed be that as that segment of the world's population grows in size and economic (and technological) power it would inevitably come down to "this here planet ain't big enough for the two of us" kind of thing anyway. At least this way, we're engaged with them and learning about them.

Besides, in every situation, there is always something good or useful that comes out of it. It, whatever it is, may not even begin to start thinking about the possibility of maybe, just maybe being comparable or relatively worth the cost... but there's always something, and in a situation this large and complex, there's probably alot of useful things, small though they may be. It may not be until years after the fact that these items are understood or recognized. Personally, I'm not holding my breath. Still, we have to make the best of a bad situation.

[magellan]

13. Welcome, intaglio!

Would this lead to a no confidence vote, or how's it work? (My husband's British, but he's busy at the mo.)

I'm glad at least one of our governments has the guts to hold its embarrassments accountable. Whatever you Brits are feeding Labour, please send sackfuls to our Republican and Democratic parties.

[intaglio]

18. Right ...

The Prime Minister is technically an appointee of the Crown. The monarch calls a member of Parliament to be "Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury" - technically this does not have to be a member of the majority party but that person has to have "the confidence of the House" hence if they cannot survive a vote of "No Confidence" they are not asked. They can refuse to serve and they can also resign. In practice the leading member of the majority party is always asked.

The significance of the Labour Party naming someone other than TB as it's leader is that TB is no longer the leader of the largest party BUT it does not stop him being Prime Minister. In theory he could soldier on by pulling together a coalition of people personally loyal to him. In reality TB is so cordially hated by the other parties and by a large proportion of his own that he would lose a vote of "No Confidence". The monarch would expect him to resign after such a vote and if he didn't would merely appoint a new PM; I think this is what happened with Chamberlain in 1939 - 40.

There is an alternative scenario that no person would be willing to be PM with the House in such a state or when no-one can "win the confidence of the house" in which case a temporary appointee would ask the Speaker of the House to dissolve Parliament and call a General Election.

If all this seems a bit ad hoc then you are right, the UK actually does not have a written constitution only a huge body of constitutional theory and legal precedent.

[Jazzgirl]

19. Welcome intaglio and thanks much!

Great explanation. I hadn't ever paid a lot of attention to how government works in the UK until recently. Excellent and concise explanation.

:hi:

[magellan]

21. What jazzgirl said

Thanks for taking the time to explain it. I'm tempted to say I wish we had such a procedure here, but of course it wouldn't fit. What I really wish is that our government would return to the rule of law, period!

[Demeter]

14. It's A Start!

The second domino (Lieberman is the first). I don't count all the indicted and convicted GOP, because they are so easily replaceable. The champagne is cooling for a return to sanity and ethics and good behavior.

[Greeby]

15. Sound like too good to be true

These berks have put with him for nine years and five military interventions, I don't see why they should grow a pair now

[Tellurian]

17. Welcome, Intaglio- Thanks for posting an article of HOPE!

quote:

"We want the Blairites totally destroyed, utterly obliterated," he added."
This should be the War cry of Democrats a month before the midterm elections. They need to drive the point home to the citizenry, who have been patiently waiting for the Democratic leadership's taking the reins of power away from the misbegotten Republicans. This has to be done with the fire and gusto of a leadership committed to action, to reverse the damage done to every man woman and child living in this country. Let it be known, the corruption of Republicans is rampant in all three branches of government, and before we let another day go by, these usurpers of the Constitution, these blood thirsty greed mongers, will be thrown out of office on their global, corporate, asses to fend for themselves; come what may!

[Eurobabe]

20. Se ya poodle, now if we could only IMPEACH Bu$h

eom

[CJCRANE]

22. Blair is Crap