Independent: Blair getting hit hard by Abu Ghraib blowblack

[BurtWorm]

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=524309

Leaked memo warns of 'heavy-handed' US
By Ben Russell and Colin Brown

24 May 2004

British officials warned of "heavy-handed" American tactics in Iraq and cautioned that revelations about the abuse of prisoners had "sapped the moral authority" of the US-led coalition, according to a leaked report published yesterday.

Details of the internal Foreign Office memo emerged as Labour leaders were warned by campaign teams across the country that middle-class members in marginal seats were deserting the party in droves over the occupation of Iraq.

The memorandum, said to have been written last week and leaked to The Sunday Times , warned that "heavy-handed US military tactics in Fallujah and Najaf some weeks ago have fuelled both Sunni and opposition to the coalition and lost us much public support outside Iraq."

It added: "The scandal of the treatment of detainees at Abu Ghraib has sapped the moral authority of the coalition inside Iraq and internationally."

...

"They <Labour leadership> cannot get members out on the knocker for the elections," said a former cabinet minister. "They have had reports back from across the country, and they are dire."

...

[AP]

1. What do they think Blair should have done?

And what's the argument for Blair being responsible for the US using the Battle of Algiers as their model for action in Iraq. Given what's happeing in Basra, it looks like the UK was showing different movies at the MoD (if they were showing movies at all).

[Nicholas_J]

2. I heard on the BBC last night.

That there were rumors that Gordon Brown, the Labor Finance minister, and other key members of the Labor party, recently met to discuss unseating Blair as the hear lf the Labor Party, and replacing him with Brown (Who has been a personal friend of Kerrys for ten years)

[AP]

4. The Loch Fyne Oyster Bar meeting?

You be the judge of its significance:

http://www.loch-fyne.com/pages/content.asp?PageID=630

[BurtWorm]

5. Veddy interrestink!

What an indelicate situation for Labour to find itself in. The Brown solution seems elegant, if they can pull it off.

[AP]

3. Two interesting bits of info from this article:

(1)"The party's core voters and members in working-class areas are still supporting the Government, because of the high numbers in work, and improvements in public services. However, there are fears that they will not turn out to vote."

This is the paradox for liberals that Clinton used to talk about. When Democrats do their job -- give economic security to the middle and working class -- they end up creating complacency. Republican terrorize their core voters into voting, so they don't have the same problem. This article says that Labors core support likes Blair because he's doing his job. Unfortunately, they might turn out to be complacent. Hopefully, articles like this one will convince them they can't stay home.


(2)"The Parliamentary Campaign Team - appointed by Mr Blair to improve campaigning by Labour MPs in Labour's target seats - has urged MPs to turn out to support the London campaign for Ken Livingstone to win re-election as the Labour Mayor of London."

Blair is supporting Red Ken.