The news is this morning that Blair is flying to Washington on Wednesday to have a meeting with Bush.
I wonder why? Why just now when everything is going so well? (So Blair said in the House of Commons yesterday.) I cannot think that they need a meeting at this stage of the war. It's only getting into its stride. And Baghdad is ready to fall. Isn't it? But let me make a guess. Despite Blair avuncular announcements, I think Blair is worried. Even now. Already. He's wetting his trousers. Let me collect a few opinions: The penultimate ex-head of the Foreign Office has said on TV that he thinks this war is wrong. The ex-UK Ambassador to the UN thinks so, too. The ex-UK Ambassador to the US thinks so, too. The penultimate ex-Chief of Defence Staff thinks so, too. The last ex-Deputy Chief of Defence Staff thinks so, too. The ex-Prime Minister, John Major, thinks so, too (and gave up his directorship of the Carlyle Group to say so). The most respected member of the Tory Party (Ken Clarke), thinks so, too. The vast majority of the AB socio-economic group in England (almost whatever their political persuasion) think so, too. The media think so, too (if you listen to their 'objective' words very carefully) Luckily, ever since Field Marshall Lord Alanbrooke (of WWII fame), the most senior members of the armed forces in England have been highly intelligent individuals, somehow selected from the broad mass of army and navy officers. The present head of the General Defence Staff has expressed himself very carefully in the few times he has spoken recently and I have listened very carefully. I would lay a pound to a penny that he is telling Blair privately that England's part in this war should be called off. The strongest supporters of the war comprise mainly the CD socio-economic group in England, a wedge of about 80-90 Government Ministers and Junior Ministers who are desperate to show a united front in order to try and hold a deeply fractured Labour Party together, the right-wing of the Tory Party, and one broadsheet newspaper, Daily Telegraph. In my opinion, Blair is deeply worried (as Bush, Cheney, Wolfovitz, Rumsfield and Perle are not, seemingly, so far) that there will be a massive wave of revulsion if the American bombers pulverise Baghdad for much longer or try to invade the streets in the only way possible -- with tanks and artillery, razing buildings to the ground in order to advance. I think Blair has had to plead to Bush for a meeting to give himself some sort of excuse to make to the National Executive Committee of the Party which is meeting today and will speak to Blair in a way that he has never been spoken to before. In short, I think they will rough him up as a leader of the Labour Party has never been roughed up before. When Blair meets Bush I think he will have to tell him that American war strategy will have to change or else Blair cannot pledge this country's support much longer. Keith Hudson ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------ Keith Hudson, General Editor, Handlo Music, http://www.handlo.com 6 Upper Camden Place, Bath BA1 5HX, England Tel: +44 1225 312622; Fax: +44 1225 447727; mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
