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Seshmeister
05-10-2007, 09:41 AM
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6639945.stm


Blair will stand down on 27 June

Tony Blair has announced he will stand down as prime minister on 27 June.

He made the announcement in a speech to party activists in his Sedgefield constituency, after earlier briefing the Cabinet on his plans.

He acknowledged his government had not always lived up to high expectations but said he had been very lucky to lead "the greatest nation on earth".

He will stay on in Downing Street until the Labour Party elects a new leader - widely expected to be Gordon Brown.

In an emotional speech, Mr Blair said he had been prime minister for 10 years which was "long enough" for the country and himself.

He thanked the British people for their support and apologised for when "I have fallen short".

He said expectations had probably been "too high" in 1997, but he insisted living standards had improved under Labour.

"There is only one government since 1945 that can say all of the following: more jobs, fewer unemployed, better health and education results, lower crime and economic growth in every quarter. Only one government, this one."

I came into office with high hopes for Britain's future, and, you know, I leave it with even higher hopes for Britain's future

On foreign policy, Mr Blair acknowledged the terrorist "blow back" from the "bitterly controversial" invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan and he urged Britain to stay the course in the fight against terror.

"I decided we should stand shoulder to shoulder with our oldest ally, and I did so out of belief," he said of his decision to support America's invasion of Iraq.

It was for others to judge whether he had made mistakes, he added, but said he had always done what he thought was "right".

'Blessed'

"I may have been wrong. That's your call.

"But believe one thing if nothing else, I did what I thought was right for our country. And I came into office with high hopes for Britain's future, and, you know, I leave it with even higher hopes for Britain's future."

In conclusion, he said: "Actually I've been lucky and very blessed. And this country is a blessed nation.

"The British are special - the world knows it, in our innermost thoughts we know it. This is the greatest nation on earth."

Mr Blair was given a standing ovation by around 250 Labour activists and members who had crammed into the tiny bar of Trimdon Labour Club to see him off.


Earlier, Gordon Brown paid tribute to Mr Blair's leadership, praising "his unique achievement over 10 years and the unique leadership he has given to the party, Britain and the world".


Alastair Campbell, Mr Blair's former communications chief, said Mr Blair had been an "exceptional leader" who deserved credit for addressing some of the issues that had "divided" the country in his resignation speech.


Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague, for the Conservatives, said Mr Blair had been a "disappointment" whose obsession with "spin" had damaged politics.

Tony Blair would have been remembered as the first British prime minister not to back America if he had not gone to Iraq

But he added: "He was really the most dangerous opponent the Conservative Party has ever had partly because of his ability to persuade people that he is really, secretly a Conservative even though he is leader of the Labour Party."

Giving his reaction to Mr Blair's speech, Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell said: "I thought he was in part defensive, defiant, and even chauvinist at the end talking about Great Britain as being the best country in the world.

"I thought it was a rather odd note to strike. I mean I think one has to be careful about chauvinism in this context. Particularly in the light of some of his foreign policy decisions."

Mr Blair's official spokesman insists he will remain "focused" on being prime minister until Labour has chosen his successor - a process expected to last seven weeks.

But with a new prime minister expected to be in place by the beginning of July, attention at Westminster has already shifted to his succession.

Mr Brown is unlikely to face a Cabinet-level challenge for the leadership as all of the likely contenders have ruled themselves out.

'Paralysis'

But he could still face a challenge from one of two left wing backbenchers - John McDonnell and Michael Meacher. The pair are meeting later to see if one of them can muster enough support to get on to the ballot paper.

Candidates need the signatures of 45 Labour MPs to enter a contest.

Shortly after Mr Blair's announcement, the deputy prime minister and deputy Labour leader John Prescott also announced his intention to stand down.

Conservative leader David Cameron has said the country faces seven weeks of "paralysis" until Labour chooses a new leader, accusing Mr Blair of running a government of the "living dead".

The Liberal Democrats have, meanwhile, tabled a Parliamentary motion urging the Queen to dissolve parliament and call a general election.







Oof I was right again...:)

http://www.rotharmy.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=1085081&highlight=blair#post1085081

binnie
05-10-2007, 09:53 AM
It's Over!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Wahooo!!!!!!!!!!


Oh, I suppose we'll get Mr Charisma as leader now then......


Just wish there was an alternative....

FORD
05-10-2007, 03:30 PM
Just don't let a neocon in there.......

thome
05-10-2007, 04:06 PM
BUSH, PM IN 08!

EAT MY ASSHOLE
05-10-2007, 04:35 PM
Originally posted by FORD
Just don't let a neocon in there.......

Wolfowitz might be available come June 28th, you know...

Eddie's Booze
05-10-2007, 04:44 PM
Originally posted by FORD
Just don't let a neocon in there.......

A Rockerfeller???

:D

Nickdfresh
05-10-2007, 05:05 PM
In the end, I think it was Demon Cunt's avatar that broke him...

FORD
05-10-2007, 06:48 PM
Originally posted by Eddie's Booze
A Rockerfeller???

:D

You have those bastards in England too?

FORD
05-10-2007, 06:50 PM
Originally posted by thome
BUSH, PM IN 08!

Wow, what a coincidence that this retard resurfaces the exact same week that KatyKunt comes back :rolleyes:

Baby's On Fire
05-10-2007, 06:51 PM
So even the Brits have realized BUSH and CHENEY & Co. are lying pieces of shit that never should have been trusted. Seems to me Blair is basically acknowledging he fell for their bullshit.

thome
05-10-2007, 07:19 PM
Originally posted by FORD
Wow, what a coincidence that this retard resurfaces the exact same week that KatyKunt comes back :rolleyes:


I am an alias of the Kunt!

Busted !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I thought -Bush in 08 -was funny but i should have remembered

what does a Kunt, no,......... from funny .



Every year whoever runs i simply want the bumper sticker
"Vote Moose & Squirrel."

...and to be quite honest .., if appointed, the Prime Minister of England for life or do they vote every so often. Isn't resigning the only way a PM change can occure in England?

WTF

Seshmeister
05-11-2007, 01:01 AM
Originally posted by Baby's On Fire
So even the Brits have realized BUSH and CHENEY & Co. are lying pieces of shit that never should have been trusted. Seems to me Blair is basically acknowledging he fell for their bullshit.

The 'even' thing is wrong here.

There were over a million protestors on the streets before the war even started here.

binnie
05-11-2007, 03:17 AM
Yup, protest after protest and they still didn't listen...

Seshmeister
05-11-2007, 11:11 AM
Brown to end Blair's terror strategy
By Toby Helm, Chief Political Correspondent

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/08/nbrown08.xml

Gordon Brown vowed yesterday to take on President George W Bush and the Americans over foreign policy as he spelt out plans to break from Tony Blair's approach to the "war on terror".

The Chancellor, who is on course to succeed Mr Blair as Prime Minister this summer, made clear he wanted to place Britain's national interest above the special relationship with Washington.

Mr Brown also forced Mr Blair, his long-term rival, to authorise No 10 to issue its first statement denouncing the bungled execution of Saddam Hussein.

Mr Blair had declined to make any public comment after video footage emerged of the former Iraqi dictator being harangued by Shia guards as he waited on the scaffold.

But after Mr Brown told BBC1's Sunday AM that No 10 was obliged to issue a statement, Mr Blair rapidly let it be known that he thought the handling of the execution was "unacceptable".

As Mr Brown prepares to take over from Mr Blair, he is determined to signal a dramatic shift in the way No 10 handles its relations with the Bush White House.

Laying out his plans for a more distinctly British premiership than Mr Blair's, Mr Brown said he looked forward to working with Mr Bush and recognised the need for close links with the Americans.

But, when asked if he would stick as closely to the president as Mr Blair had, he replied: "Obviously people who know me know that I will speak my mind. I'll be very frank.

"The British national interest is what I and my colleagues are about."

Mr Brown, who backed the 2003 Iraq invasion, said he had since learned that only so much could be achieved against terrorists and religious fanatics by brute military force, intelligence, security work and policing. In terms that will appeal to many Labour supporters but anger Mr Blair — and some in Washington — he said the fight to stop "extremist terrorist activities" would only be won after world leaders triumphed in a peaceful battle for "hearts and minds".

Suggesting that he would not follow Washington into any future military action against rogue nations such as Iran, Mr Brown said the kind of "cultural war" fought by the West against Communism in the 1940s and 1950s could be a "model" for the next chapter of the war on terror.

While he accepted his share of responsibility for Iraq — and was at pains to describe Mr Blair as a "brilliant Prime Minister" — his comments were part of a clear attempt to break with the Prime Minister's Iraq policies and conduct of policy with the US.

In recent weeks, the extent to which Mr Blair and his ministers were overruled by Washington on post-war strategy for Iraq has become clear.

Geoff Hoon, the defence secretary at the time of the war, has said he and Mr Blair "lost the argument" to the US over crucial issues, including the break up of the Iraqi army, which they blame for much of the chaos in the country.

binnie
05-11-2007, 11:49 AM
Sounds like rhetoric from Brown to me, trying to get the public on side...

sadaist
05-11-2007, 12:07 PM
I'm surprised this isn't getting more media attention. Maybe because I'm in Southern CA, but all we've had for days is fire news. Catalina Island was burning last night.

binnie
05-11-2007, 12:09 PM
Well, it's getting nothing but media attention here (surprisingly), and it's getting old already...

ace diamond
05-11-2007, 12:10 PM
Originally posted by Baby's On Fire
So even the Brits have realized BUSH and CHENEY & Co. are lying pieces of shit that never should have been trusted. Seems to me Blair is basically acknowledging he fell for their bullshit.

my rib hurt from laughing so hard........oh boy i needed that!

vindication at last!!!

vh rides again
05-12-2007, 11:04 AM
Originally posted by sadaist
I'm surprised this isn't getting more media attention. Maybe because I'm in Southern CA, but all we've had for days is fire news. Catalina Island was burning last night.

i used to live on catalina island, when i was a youngin, i had a couple seals that lived at the house. i hope the whole place doesnt burn down.

Shaun Ponsonby
05-17-2007, 01:55 PM
Originally posted by binnie
Well, it's getting nothing but media attention here (surprisingly), and it's getting old already...

Especially from Ian Hislop. My God, he brought it up on HIGNFY every 5 minutes before he even made the announcement. It got boring and the show suffered because of it.

Shaun Ponsonby
05-17-2007, 02:14 PM
Originally posted by binnie
Sounds like rhetoric from Brown to me, trying to get the public on side...

Yup. Theres something about him that IO just don't like.

I have actually never had anything major against Blair. My dad goes on like he's perfect. He's not. Far from it. But when I brought that up he said "Thats cos you didn't live under Thatcher". Make of that what you will.

I feel sorry for him in a way.

Lqskdiver
05-17-2007, 03:58 PM
Originally posted by Seshmeister
The 'even' thing is wrong here.

There were over a million protestors on the streets before the war even started here.

Brits...al they know how to do is protest. And batter fish to death.

;)

FORD
05-17-2007, 10:45 PM
Malloy's playing clips of the Chimp/Poodle press conference today.

Monkeyboy said that Blair has been leading the British people "since 1797" :D

What is Chimpy's problem with being stuck in the 18th century anyway? :D

Seshmeister
05-17-2007, 10:50 PM
Originally posted by Lqskdiver
Brits...al they know how to do is protest. And batter fish to death.

;)

This from a country that eat with their hands and overwhemingly believe in imaginary gods.:)

Shaun Ponsonby
05-18-2007, 05:37 AM
Originally posted by Lqskdiver
Brits...al they know how to do is protest. And batter fish to death.

;)

Americans...all they know is bad grammar.

;)

BigBadBrian
05-18-2007, 05:33 PM
Originally posted by Seshmeister
This from a country that eat with their hands and overwhemingly believe in imaginary gods.:)

Jealous, huh Sesh?

;)

Lqskdiver
05-18-2007, 05:46 PM
Originally posted by FORD
Malloy's playing clips of the Chimp/Poodle press conference today.

Monkeyboy said that Blair has been leading the British people "since 1797" :D

What is Chimpy's problem with being stuck in the 18th century anyway? :D

It's all those fucking "King George" references!

:D

Golden AWe
06-27-2007, 05:33 PM
talk about lookalikes

terry jones

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42428000/jpg/_42428736_ybrown2_406.jpg

gordon brown

http://static.flickr.com/51/277656488_a64bbe600d_o.jpghttp://www.cojeco.cz/Attach/image/max/c1/cc9c/c1cc9c87a3463326531ed561e0d1c509.jpg

Baby's On Fire
06-27-2007, 07:49 PM
Originally posted by Seshmeister
The 'even' thing is wrong here.

There were over a million protestors on the streets before the war even started here.

What I meant was that Blair used the United States participation in the war against Hitler as an excuse to justify standing "shoulder-to-shoulder" with the United States, no matter what.

And now realizes, what a fucking mistake.

Nickdfresh
06-27-2007, 09:13 PM
Originally posted by Baby's On Fire
What I meant was that Blair used the United States participation in the war against Hitler as an excuse to justify standing "shoulder-to-shoulder" with the United States, no matter what.

And now realizes, what a fucking mistake.

I think in this case, it was more like standing hips to buttocks...