From: bill@wkidston.freeserve.co.uk
Date: Sun Sep 15 2002 - 13:35:22 MDT
> In a message dated Sun Sep 15, 2002 03:44 am
> Hubert Mania wrote
> Last week Tony Blair seemed to be ready, willing and able to let the
> British "pay our death toll"
> I just couldn`t believe my ears - Bill, or any UK extropian: correct
> me if I'm wrong with my quotation - though more than 70 % of the
> English vote against an Iraq invasion.
> I know it must sound naive, but it`s so disgusting to hear a respected
> man say these words knowing that he himself will not loose a single
> drop of blood, leaving this to the young boys.
>
In my opinion what you quote is rather more than what was said.
What Tony Blair actually said was 'Yes'.
He didn't use the words you quoted. It wasn't a written speech or
statement of policy. I think it was on Thursday 6th Sept, in the middle
of a discussion / interview for a BBC TV programme.
See: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2239887.stm
* * * * * *
Presenter Michael Cockerell asked Mr Blair whether one of the elements
of the UK-US special relationship was whether "Britain is prepared to
send troops to commit themselves, to pay the blood price".
Mr Blair replied: "Yes. What is important though is that at moments of
crisis they (the USA) don't need to know simply that you are giving
general expressions of support and sympathy.
"That is easy, frankly. They need to know, `Are you prepared to commit,
are you prepared to be there when the shooting starts?'"
* * * * * *
All politicians know that if you go into a war then people will die. But
I do not believe Tony Blair was relishing the prospect.
At present the opinion polls in UK are very undecided. Results vary
widely depending on how the poll is done and exactly the way the
question is phrased.
Certainly the UK public is more cautious than USA and
would prefer to go in under UN authority. Tony Blair is still working on
getting more UK support for a war against Saddam and he seems to be
succeeding at present. He has said that he is going to publish a dossier
on Iraq very soon which he claims will provide evidence that Saddam must
be stopped as soon as possible.
BillK
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