1 min read
I haven't blogged about the reaction to Tony Blair's donation of his book profits to the British Legion because, to be frank, it disgusts me. Much of the reaction seems to be unhinged.
The facts are simple. Mr Blair has, for no other discernible reason than altruism, decided to hand over millions of pounds which would rightfully be his, to a very worthwhile charity. The only appropriate reaction is praise. And yet his decision has been treated as - perversely, and without even the least piece of evidence - an admission of 'guilt' over Iraq, and has prompted obloquy.
Guilt? For liberating Iraq from Saddam? For acting in full accord with his conscience? For acting with the majority support in the Commons?
I wonder what the public think. I find it hard to believe that most people will have the same warped reaction as so many in the media. As John Rentoul puts it:
The BBC set the tone, and the newspapers followed, by quoting the
Stop the War Coalition and interviewing its spokespeople as if it were
representative of the range of respectable opinion in this country,
which, wrongly in my view, regards the Iraq invasion as a mistake.The coalition is a front for the Socialist Workers Party, in
alliance with some Iraqis who are sorry to see the end of Saddam
Hussein’s government. Neither part of the coalition believes in
democracy; and neither part of it is “anti-war” in the sense that
normal people understand the term. They just wanted Saddam to win it.