Tony Blair and tackling radical Islam (merged thread)

[carl]

Yep, I do. He is a bone fide member of the international elite. He gets covered and he can raise money for things he wants to raise money for. And he will get into places and be able to talk to people that we will never ever see or talk to. Whether you like it or not, he gets into the right parties and we don't.

So that's why his speech is important.

[slapout9]

Yep, I do. He is a bone fide member of the international elite. He gets covered and he can raise money for things he wants to raise money for. And he will get into places and be able to talk to people that we will never ever see or talk to. Whether you like it or not, he gets into the right parties and we don't.

So that's why his speech is important.

carl,
Your are right to. He is a true 1%er and he is speaking out like he should instead of cowering to Radical Islam. What we need is a Anglo-American Spring to counter the Arabic spring Go Tony!

[TheCurmudgeon]

carl,
Your are right to. He is a true 1%er and he is speaking out like he should instead of cowering to Radical Islam. What we need is a Anglo-American Spring to counter the Arabic spring Go Tony!

You missed it. It was in Washington D.C. Today.

[davidbfpo]

This thread refers to one speech by Tony Blair, it originally appeared as 'Tackling Radical Islam Needs Religious Focus: Blair' three weeks ago posted by JMA and then as 'Tony Blair Calls Politicians Cowards About Islam' three days ago when posted by slapout9.

I have merged the threads and entitled it 'Tony Blair and tackling radical Islam'.

[davidbfpo]

TheCurmudgeon asked a couple of days ago:

I would really like to know David's thoughts on this.

Please see Post 7.

I can understand why some here appreciate Tony Blair, but however well connected he can be - presumably he was well paid for his Bloomberg speech - his credibility outside a mixed audience of admirers is IMHO low. Not only in the UK, but amongst those he calls upon to "take up the good fight", partly as his stance can easily be described as the anti-zealot's zealot.

Sadly, in the UK context only, we have had politicians from both main parties, in and out of government, speak passionately on confronting first the 'violent extremist', then the 'extremists'. After the speeches very little happens, yes there are state actions and a dribble of money - a small fraction of that spent on other options.

Politicians here would be far more credible if they actually did something after the speeches. It is a reflection of our politicians and maybe a declining public part in politics that such speeches are rarely in public, let alone take questions.

[davidbfpo]

At the weekend Tony Blair released an essay on his website, which was republished widely. To say the least it has stirred up a reaction.

It is a long essay so I have only selected one paragraph:

Indeed we now have three examples of Western policy towards regime change in the region. In Iraq, we called for the regime to change, removed it and put in troops to try to rebuild the country. But intervention proved very tough and today the country is at risk again. In Libya, we called for the regime to change, we removed it by air power, but refused to put in troops and now Libya is racked by instability, violence and has exported vast amounts of trouble and weapons across North Africa and down into sub- Saharan Africa. In Syria we called for the regime to change, took no action and it is in the worst state of all.

Link:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...our-fault.html

Boris Johnson, the Conservative elected Mayor of London, has responded in his own style and one sentence from the start:

In discussing the disaster of modern Iraq he made assertions that are so jaw-droppingly and breathtakingly at variance with reality that he surely needs professional psychiatric help.

Link:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...o-deny-it.html

For many of Blair's opponents in the UK he is irrelevant today. Boris has his own agenda and is the first significant public figure to openly challenge him, who voted for the original war.

[davidbfpo]

A lengthy profile and assessment of Tony Blair in the closing 2014 issue of The Economist, which explains well why he is so reviled at home and admired by many abroad:http://www.economist.com/news/christ..._of_tony_blair