One feature of the pre-Internet era that our free and fearless press must sometimes wish would return is that, unless you kept all those newspapers, the hacks and pundits could easily U-Turn from one week to the next, and most readers would be none the wiser. But now the duplicity can be picked up on, and called out, all so easily. And that is why the Murdoch goons at the Sun are in a very draughty glasshouse today.
The EU is something the inmates of the Baby Shard bunker despise, at least officially. They have their orders from Creepy Uncle Rupe. So when former PM Tony Blair spoke in favour of remaining in the European club, he had to be shouted down. But the denunciation could not mention the 2003 Iraq war: this might be why many distrust Tone today, but the Sun doesn’t want to risk reminding us that They Backed It Too.
So the Murdoch clowns have restricted themselves to abuse. “Tony Blair’s latest pro-EU outburst is a classic example of the slyness we came to expect of him as Prime Minister … Typically, Blair ignored the will of the British people to declare it 'absolutely necessary' that Brexit does not happen”. What “will of the British people” was that? The Murdoch mafiosi know full well another referendum now would result in a Remain win.
Still, do go on. “THERE’S little that cheers the souls of Brexiteers more than a pro-EU intervention by Tony Blair … In a report from his self-aggrandising Tony Blair Institute, he claims a squeeze on the economy means ‘already jobs are going’ … This blatantly ignores official figures showing more in work than ever … Blair also says the NHS is ‘yet to see’ the extra £350million a week promised by the Leave campaign, when he knows that any cash won’t come through until after we quit the EU”. As if we’ll ever see it.
But there’s more: “Most disingenuous of all, Blair claims ‘discussions’ he has had show the EU is ready for reform to stop Britain leaving … But why should we believe him or his unnamed sources? He was PM in 2005 during Britain’s EU presidency when he promised changes to the hated Common Agricultural Policy. He got nothing”.
Hang on a minute … what else was it that happened in 2005? The Sun doesn’t want to tell its readers, so I will. There was a General Election. And, aping the way in which the Vatican told the world they had selected a new Pope, the Sun showed a chimney issuing smoke. RED smoke. Because in that year, the Sun backed Labour. And Labour at that time was being led by … Tony Blair. The bloke they are now slagging off.
And they backed Blair in 2001, with a front page splash telling “IT’S IN THE BAG, TONY … You might as well call election now”. Going back further to 1997, the headline was first “THE SUN BACKS BLAIR”, and then on polling day showing Blair with a hand pointing to him (the style of the National Lottery adverts of the time) and the caption “IT MUST BE YOU”. All were signed up to this policy - even faithful Murdoch retainer Trevor Kavanagh.
So the answer to the question “why should we believe him” appears to be that the Murdoch goons did just that for more than a decade. The only reason they are so hell-bent on dissing Blair now is that, as ever, they have their instructions. And those are to take every opportunity to slag off the bloke who shagged Rupe’s missus. Allegedly.
10 comments:
I don't believe Blair because he's a mass murdering war criminal gobshite who should be arraigned in front of an international court. Plus the role he and Brown played in bringing on the Great Depression of 2008. Plus his attempted demolition of everything decent the Labour Party is supposed to stand for. That's quite apart from his self pitying whiney voice, stupid hand gestures and the way he holds his mouth.
In other words, he's every bit the same kind of far right corrupt cunt that is Murdoch, Northcliffe and the tories.
He can shove that and his laughable "institute" up his arse.
I'm looking forward to the Brexit climbdown. Love to know how they are going to deal with that one.
I think the appropriate response here is "It's the message, stupid, never mind the messenger".
If droves of us core Labour voters could hold our noses and vote Corbyn with little liklihood of him delivering anything solid, then I'm damn sure others can hold theirs and endorse what Blair and others are saying.
Brexit is quite possibly our biggest potential error for several generations. It mustn't happen. And there are far more crucial discussions we should be engaged in over our likely future.
@Anonymous - What role was that, exactly? Were Tony and Gordon running a side-business in the States selling sub-prime mortgages? Because unless they were I'm not sure how you can put the blame on them...
Alan Clifford, do you have many friends (that is, people who talk to you face to face)? Or do you just sit on the back of the number 86 into town muttering?
I shall never forget a radio interview in Australia with Rupert Murdoch in 2005 were he excitedly said the Iraq War was going "swimmingly" and the price of oil would be half the price per barrel by "next year".
Of course the oil price continued to rise and we know how "swimmingly" the war has gone for Iraqi citizens.
But what was illuminating was the Murdoch never expressed a tiny scintilla of interest in said Iraqi citizens or even US and allied military personnel as they died in the 1000s nor was he asked about them by the fawning shock jock who he had graced with his presence. The man is a complete monster whose entire life is devoted to profit and in that he has completely mis-understood and ignored the nature of the internet and social media which is why know lashes out with such venom and hate via proxy. His minions are no better.
Where Blair is concerned it is a matter of, “It’s the messenger, stupid, not the message.” It is also a case of, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”
The man’s past political actions are the clearest possible demonstration of why nobody should trust Blair the Messenger Boy an inch. The notion that his words can be separated from his actions belongs to the corrupt “public relations” world of trained liars like Alastair Campbell and Andrew Coulson. It is nothing more than a corruption of common sense and human morality. In the formal words of John Chilcot, Blair is “not straight”. Which means Blair is crooked. Which means he is a liar. Anybody who trusts him and his type is a fool.
Since, like many others, I voted Remain I do not need a notorious liar and homicidal hypocrite to acquaint me with the issues in Brexit. Nor will such a person persuade anybody with their own measure of natural common sense. Quite the opposite, if anything. That is how bad Blair is.
The question, then, is this: What’s he up to? And why did mainstream media give such a reprehensible individual so much air time? As a supplementary query, why did John Chilcot surface after all this time to re-make a rather obvious statement?
In my opinion one of the answers lies in Blair’s closing attack on Jeremy Corbyn, his real target, as “far Left”– which is utter nonsense since Corbyn is a Social Democrat of long held open, decent principles. Which means if Corbyn is “far Left,” Blair is far Right. Not that THAT will come as any surprise to alert British citizens and/or innocent victims mass murdered or made refugees in the East – even in European Yugoslavia – on Blair’s orders.
I doubt if even his “conversion” to Catholicism is genuine. More likely he seeks the absurd superstitious ritual of “confession” to justify his self-pity. After all, he has failed to apologise for or admit his wrongness in warmongering. Again quite the opposite, he actually said he was “proud” of what he did in Iraq, Aghanistan, Yugoslavia and Libya.
No, we should take no lectures from Blair or his kind. Even less from the Sun “news”paper, a far Right propaganda rag which, appropriately, Blair once coveted for its support of his evil deeds. There is a rich sense of irony now they should turn on each other in a far Right faction fight. I imagine it is not dissimilar to the dispute between Hitler and Rohm.
@Rivo 22:03.
Blair and Brown stood by and did nothing as the "sub prime" and "derivatives" scam escalated into the inevitable Depression. A blind man on a galloping horse could see it coming. There were plenty of warnings, even from "economist" spivs in the same far Right area of politics as Blair and Brown. Just months before the Depression hit Brown actually boasted, "We have abolished boom and bust".
Their role was to slavishly follow the economic hoodlums of the Chicago School. Just as Clinton did when repealing the Glass-Steagall legislation, the main root of the current Depression. All for a taste of power.
The pair of them are even more morally corrupt than Bernie Madoff, George Soros or any of the other thieves.
There is no necessity to like the messenger. Just listen.
Seeing as the bulk of the country has rolled over, seems to have settled for a Brexit inevitability, and is lying there saying "OK, screw me over", I'm glad that the likes of Blair, Campbell, etc can be getting good media coverage for the opposite point of view. (And a big up there for Daniel Barenboim at the RAH yesterday evening).
No one else commands the attention - well not until such time as our elected representatives discover some backbone and defy the party whips. Don't hold your breath though.
Barenboim I don't mind.
The rest of them aren't "straight". Ask Chilcot.
I'm not inclined to listen to somebody with a glaring record of crookedness.
Post a Comment