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Britain
Clare Short: It’s time for Tony Blair to go
2003-05-13
Clare Short today escalates her dispute with Tony Blair's style of leadership far beyond the Iraq war controversy when she urges the prime minister to start preparing "an elegant succession" for Gordon Brown — or risk spoiling his own historic achievements.
So Clare wants Gordo in? Is the quid pro quo for her to be Foreign Minister?
In an interview with the Guardian which was even more explicit than her savage Commons resignation statement, the former international development secretary warned that "maybe I can help more on the backbenches" in creating opportunities for humour saving the Labour government from errors, caused by the unelected Blair coterie's "control freak style" and their policy "diktats in favour of increasingly bad policy initiatives" that "come down from on high".
She sounds positively, um, um, Marxist when she talks like that.
I thought Bush was the one who was "unelected"? I just can't keep these leftist talking points straight...
She went on: "We need to keep this Labour government, it has a good chance of another term. But we must keep it well led and true to its values — and it's making mistakes at the moment. The job is, without falling out into horrendous splits, to try and ensure we keep up the quality of the government and, indeed, organise an elegant succession."
"And it needs me, me, Me, ME-E-E-E-E-E!!!"
She spoke two hours after telling Mr Blair, in a "perfectly cordial" five-minute phone call just after 10am, that she was leaving over the US-UK mishandling of postwar Iraq. Mr Blair has broken his promises to her, she claims.
Not bloody likely.
Noting that many constitutions wisely limit leaders to two terms - eight years in America - Ms Short told the Guardian: "I think Tony Blair has enormous achievements under his belt and it would be very sad if he hung on and spoiled his reputation." In an aside which will anger No 10 but strike a chord with many MPs, including admirers of Lady Thatcher, Ms Short added: "There used to be a saying of the Tory whips when they were in power — this is the Tory whips, not me — 'No one ever comes out of No 10 completely sane'."
She really is odious, isn't she.
During her interview with the Guardian and the Financial Times Ms Short did not mention by name her spank monkey ally, the chancellor, Gordon Brown, in urging a change of leader within two years. Mr Brown has been generous in supporting her fight against global poverty. But her complaints about foundation hospitals and top-up education fees, both of which he has opposed, was a clear indication of her preference, as was her endorsement of the chancellor's "five tests" stance on the euro. As he had in March, Ms Short told BBC Newsnight, Mr Brown tried again, this time unsuccessfully, to talk her out of quitting. Commons gossip last night reinforced the suspicion that she wants to "take Blair with her over the cliff".

The trigger which prompted Ms Short to quit two months after she wobbled back into office after attacking Mr Blair's "reckless" conduct was the draft resolution which Britain and the US are now promoting at the UN. Negotiated in secrecy, it does not give the UN the "vital role" that London and Washington promised. Mr Blair had failed to stand up to President Bush — and was not so much a poodle ("poodles get off their lead and jump about") as a figleaf. "Fig leaves just stay where they are," she told the Guardian.
Gordo is going to get her as his fig leaf, and he's not going to like it someday.
It also left the occupation of Iraq as illegal, she said. "In particular the UN mandate [is] necessary to bring into being a legitimate Iraqi government and to hell with whatever the Iraqi people want. This, I believe, is essential damaging to Iraq's prospects, will continue to undermine the authority of the UN and directly affects my sanity work and responsibilities," she said in her Commons statement.
Which you now don't have since you're out of the government. Guess those responsibilities weren't that important, eh?
MPs on both sides were deeply divided by her statement. For some Labour leftwingers Ms Short has been damaged goods since she failed to join Robin Cook in resigning from the cabinet. Yesterday some forgave her, though she was not applauded as Mr Cook was. Loyalists, including her old friend, George Foulkes, accused her of overstating her case and deplored the personal nature of her attack on Mr Blair, who had tolerated her idiosyncratic attacks since 1997. One cabinet leftwinger called her attack on Mr Blair "appalling".

In her Commons statement, 57-year-old Ms Short, who will stay on as MP for her beloved Birmingham Ladywood - she was born there - warned the wider Labour movement that "we are entering rockier times and we must work together to prevent our government departing from the best values of the party". She was blunt to the point of brutality with Mr Blair. "To the prime minister, I would say that he has achieved great things since 1997 but, paradoxically, he is in danger of destroying his legacy as he becomes increasingly obsessed by ensuring Britain's survival his place in history." As Labour MPs listened in silence, the Tories jeered her taunt that their Commons votes helped make war inevitable after the UN route collapsed. But they gasped and even rolled their eyes whistled at her critique of the Blair leadership style. "Devastating," cried one.

With Labour MPs rebelling over Iraq, the NHS and the firefighters dispute, the Tories think they are finally beginning to see the end of Labour's hegemony over British politics. By the time Ms Short made her 11-minute statement at 3.30pm the Downing Street machine had praised her achievements as a minister and promoted Lady Amos from the Foreign Office to become the first black woman cabinet minister. That move — so fast as to suggest it was already planned — was widely applauded by peers, MPs and aid agencies, most of whom admired the ex-minister, even if they did not always love her. Ms Short herself said she doubted Lady Amos would become a "stooge" as the Foreign Office tries to recapture her budget.

Jack Straw, the foreign secretary, took pre-emptive action against Ms Short's accusations, claiming that the UN draft was indeed discussed in cabinet last Thursday, the day Ms Short stayed away, raising expectations that she would soon leave the government. Yesterday she beat Mr Blair to the draw. "I am sad and sorry that it has ended like this," her resignation letter concluded. In his reply Mr Blair protested that the UN draft was still being negotiated and was scarcely a secret. "I am afraid I do not understand your point about the UN," he said.
"And I am afraid I don't understand anything else you said. Could you please humour me and repeat it, this time in English?"
Posted by:Steve White

#8  It makes them feel like worthless, yammering, Communist Manifesto thumping idiots.

Hmmmmmm..... I doubt they care one way or another about THAT, since they've ALWAYS been worthless, yammering, Communist Manifesto-thumping idiots. The big problem is, there's a politician saying what he's going to do, and then following through. Blair is beginning to see how well that sits with the American people, and believes the British will feel the same way. With TWO such politicians in the world, the UN is doomed, and Clare knows it! Thanks, Tony! Have a brew on me!
Posted by: Old Patriot   2003-05-13 15:33:05  

#7  Claire would have a helluva time rubbing elbows with the San Francisco brie and wine crowd. She's probably a patron saint for those who follow Pelosi and company.
Posted by: ColoradoConservative   2003-05-13 12:01:36  

#6  Badanov, that rant rates a 9.5! *thumbs up*
Posted by: Ptah   2003-05-13 09:34:28  

#5  Here is what Claire and the rest of her pinko friends are so pissed about: We (the coalition) are between 2,000 and 24,000,000 dead Iraqi civilians short. The US has angered the lefists by not killing enough Iraqi citizens so they can have something to bitch about. It makes them feel like their enemies are doing the right thing despite every repeated charge they constantly make to the contrary.

Now, dares the United States and its allies to actually allow Iraqis the freedom and respnsibility to run their own country and not let the UN screw it up with their Marxian methods; The Coalition is not killing enough Iraqi children to justify their moral outrage, and this is making them look like preening, self-righteous, morally vacuous morons. If this continues, Iraq will no longer have any use for the UN and its communist believers, and may become an independant nation.

Additionally, the coalition has unfairly allowed Iraqis the right to detemine what happens to their oil wealth and to determine their own fate outside the smothering, communist excesses of the United Nations.

It makes them feel like worthless, yammering, Communist Manifesto thumping idiots. Frankly, if I shot my mouth off for the last six months over this war, and basically everything I said, or complained about made me look like an idiot, I would be pissed too.
Posted by: badanov   2003-05-13 07:33:52  

#4  Make her special liaison to France.
Posted by: mhw   2003-05-13 06:58:56  

#3  This is the sequel to yesterday's story: "Tony Blair: It's Time for Claire Short to Go."
Posted by: Mike   2003-05-13 05:26:07  

#2  I wonder why Blair put up with this cow as long as he did. Surely he KNEW she was a multi-marxist long ago.
Posted by: PD   2003-05-13 05:24:16  

#1  Hell hath no fury like a female labourite sacked. It was leave or be fired, I'm sure. She just couldn't keep her big trap shut during the war, I thought Tony would can her marxist ass then.

Probably should have done.
Posted by: mojo   2003-05-13 02:25:20  

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