3/27/2023 0 Comments Uk knighthood![]() The leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey denounced those supporting the petition for "disrespecting the Queen." In fact, many prominent figures have already started to come to his defence.Ĭurrent Labour leader Keir Starmer said that the "very strong views on the Iraq War", "does not detract from the fact that Tony Blair was a very successful prime minister of this country and made a huge difference to the lives of millions of people in this country." Pity Starmer does not seem to care about the nature of said difference, to people in this country or for the million people killed in Iraq.Įven Tory Cabinet minister Michael Gove supported his knighthood and stated that Blair was "an outstanding statesman". It is, after all, a traditional gift given to former PMs by the Queen. Worse than this, it is likely that Blair will be actively supported in the honour he has received. On the other hand, as Tony Blair taught us when he ignored the 1 million people who marched against Britain's involvement in the Iraq war, the political establishment has an impressive ability to avoid popular will and is unlikely to intervene – let alone to get the knighthood revoked. The levels of anger that this subject has stirred up amongst so many makes it difficult for politicians to avoid responding to the popular discontent, especially given that this has gone well beyond the number of signatures needed for petitions to be debated in Parliament. In just over a week of its publication, more than 1 million signatures have already been collected. For this alone he should be held accountable for war crimes," explained Angus Scott, the instigator of the petition. "He was personally responsible for causing the death of countless innocent, civilian lives and servicemen in various conflicts. ![]() "The record of Blair's time as prime minister is paved with so much destruction and injustice that it is difficult to know where to begin listing the reasons why the decision to award him such an honour is such a slap in the face"Ī petition was set up in the wake of the highest honour being bestowed upon Blair, calling on the decision to be rescinded. Blair actively lied – over and over again, to get Britain into the war on the false pretence that there was a direct connection between 9/11 and the Taliban regime, as well as the fabricated claims that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. Most famously, his role in signing the country up to the US-led Afghanistan and Iraq wars remains an international disgrace. The record of Blair's time as prime minister is paved with so much destruction and injustice that it is difficult to know where to begin listing the reasons why the decision to award him such an honour is such a slap in the face – and not just to people in the UK, but all around the world. ![]() Especially given that just months prior, we marked the 20th anniversary of one of the bloody military invasions that the British state was complicit in, under Blair's leadership: Afghanistan. To hear that the greatest order of chivalry in the country, becoming a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, was bestowed upon Blair, of all people, was too much to bear for many. The news that Tony Blair was awarded a knighthood by the Queen was not the best start to the New Year. ![]()
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