Letters (May 2009)
Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor,
In the interview with Tony Blair in the April issue of Link, Bishop Paul Richardson states that “when issues like the Iraq war are no longer controversial, and people look at what his Foundation is doing, they will probably conclude that he does have important things to say about the role of faith in the modern world”. The Bishop adds: “Many may find his ethical views confused...(sic) or superficial.”
I do not think this interview should pass unchallenged. I write as an ordinary member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and as one who campaigned for Tony Blair in the 1997 and 2001 General Elections. I believed then that the New Labour Party – more or less – was the upholder of socialist/spiritual/humanitarian principles against the threats of materialism and violence. When in 2003 Tony Blair, though claiming to act on ‘Christian/civilised’ principles, instead followed the commandments of George W Bush in the illegal and horrific attack on Iraq, I was among the very many who left the party.
I am pleased to see that there is now a Blair War Crimes Foundation which is constructing a case for the prosecution of Tony Blair for violation of the Nuremburg Principles and the Geneva Convention. This move is gaining widespread support, including that of the Spanish judge who indicted President Pinochet and the leaders of the Argentinian military junta. The judge refers to the invasion of Iraq as ‘one of the most sordid and unjustifiable episodes in recent human history – a devastating attack on the rule of law’ that has left the United Nations ‘in tatters’. A former judge of the New Zealand Supreme Court has stated that ‘Mr. Blair deliberately and repeatedly misled Cabinet, the British Labour Party, and the people. His deception was deliberate. ‘
You will be aware of the consequences of the invasion and war in Iraq. I am very sorry that the interview with Mr. Blair seems to gloss over this awful event. The Iraq war, which was started on a false premise, will remain for ever a stain on Mr. Blair, his party and his country. It is a tragedy that he did not stand up for truth, legality and justice when he had the chance in 2003. None of the millions of people who suffered and are still suffering because of Blair’s actions, would accept the casual inference that the Iraq war might no longer be so controversial.
Ken Veitch,
Greenhead,
Brampton.