Blunkett out, terror laws in tatters, Blair mad

Well what a day for Tony Blair, Blunkett gone for the second time. "Glorification of terror" with a majority of one, 90 day internment axed at the last minute.

"Mr Blair had repeatedly staked his personal authority on giving the police a three month window to question suspects, despite misgivings from the his own backbenchers, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and even - it was rumoured - his own home secretary, Charles Clarke.

Earlier, at prime ministers' questions, the outgoing Conservative leader, Michael Howard, accused the prime minister of "haemorrhaging" authority in the wake of Mr Blunkett's resignation, and last week's leaks from the cabinet on rows over education and smoking policies." ^Guardian

What no one seemed to mention, which I can't find an image of but saw a clip of on TV was when Blair took off his glasses when doing his prime minister's questions. The guy looked ill. His eyes looked strange and mad and deranged. Blair's disposition was of confusion, and defeat. And Howard is right, Blair is a lame duck. He was voted in a lame duck, the London bombings gave him a little life and now he is pretty much a dead duck. Blair's mind isn't on the job anymore, he is probably thinking more about the Carlyle Group, as it must be a lot more appetising than confronting the terrible mess he finds himself in.

Now whether or not we are just watching a stage-managed tease, or slow-demise of Blair to make way for buddy Brown who says he will carry on where Blair left off, and who he famously (allegedly?) cut a deal with many years ago I don't know.

Certainly we shouldn't take our eye off the ball of other things happening today:

"A report criticising the way police handle calls from the public had been scheduled for publication on Thursday. But it was released by the Home Office a few hours after the work and pensions secretary stepped down on Wednesday" ^BBC

Ian Blair once again (getting pretty old now don't you think?) along with Murdoch comes to New Labour's aid just before the terror bill with "The sky is dark. Intelligence exists to suggest that other groups will attempt to attack Britain in the coming months," he said in an article in The Sun." Meanwhile, an identical strategy happens in Australia. (Ian Blair should now take a hint from Blunkett)

Or Frank Gardner telling the foreign affairs committee what the world knows, in that the Iraq war was only destined to dramatically increase terror and, "US President George W Bush was wrong to say al-Qeada was against the Western way of life. Al-Qaeda could not give a stuff about what Americans do in America. What they object to is Western military adventures in their heartland, whether it be Afghanistan, Iraq, wherever." ^BBC

And along with another horrendous attack in Iraq it's not hard to see that the goal of the war on terror was always just to create more. Something which will be further relished by Blair, who can finally be free of the veneer of 'elected government', and Blunketts and such when he takes up his lucrative position within the Carlyle group.

Tony Blair Blunkett terror laws New Labour