The great illusionist Tony Blair

[T_i_B]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1058196,00.html

He's still there, then, the weary illusionist - hanging above the abusive masses by a thread, deprived of sustenance, hemmed in and exposed to the vulgar gaze with supportive exploitation courtesy of Rupert Murdoch. Who would have thought that our prime minister would come to this.

It's probably cruel to mock a man who's visibly digesting his own substance in a kind of parliamentary Atkins diet; then again, that whole Jesus Christ-plus-10% act is enough to put an agnostic's back up. I mean, it's enough to make David Blaine look like a self-effacing folk hero.

Still, the Brits are amateurs when it comes to prestidigitation - for the finest work, you need the Pentagon and its military order. They excel at the kind of manipulation that means you'll never find the lady - or any other relative who's been classified as a threat. Are they in Kandahar, Bagram, Guantanamo Bay? Have they been transferred to an ally nation with, um, specialist interrogation skills? Into the legal black hole, unless you know the magic words: "I am a Caucasian US citizen and admit my guilt."

Then there are the thrilling transformations: for example, reducing UN resolution A/RES/57/219 and security council resolution S/RES/1456 into waste paper or an origami giraffe, or one of those lovely swans you get beside your place setting -anything, so long as it does not prevent a government from torturing people and avoiding international law. Or you can transform US citizens with funny names into incommunicado detainees without right of appeal simply by saying "enemy combatant". There are tricks for the kiddies too, of course. At least one lucky nipper among the youngsters detained in Guantanamo Bay may get the chance to do the ultimate disappearing act with the help of George the Magnificent. George can make international bans on executing under-18s evaporate.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

1. I Support Blair!!!!!

After what happened in California, I'll settle for a Tony Blair then to have just say an Ian Duncan Smith Jackal in power!!!!

[T_i_B]

3. Nope

The tories are unelectable and Blair has stolen most of their policies anyway. Both parties offer gradual privatization of UK public services, welfare cuts, demonization of immigrants and both parties are really quite fond of lying us into an unjust war. We would bet better off with the Liberal Democrats, who are actually in a position to kill off the tories for good.

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=450402

Iain Duncan Smith's leadership of the Conservatives was facing a crisis last night after a series of poor opinion poll ratings, claims of a BBC plot against him and fresh unrest among MPs and party activists.

As Mr Duncan Smith arrived at the party conference in Blackpool, an Independent/ NOP poll found that more voters view the Liberal Democrats as the real opposition to the Government than the Tories.

The poll also found that nearly half of voters have no idea who the leader of the Conservatives is, and even 28 per cent of Tory supporters are not aware that Mr Duncan Smith leads their party, two years after he was elected.

The NOP poll for The Independent shows that 41 per cent of voters now think that the Liberal Democrats are the real opposition to Labour, compared with 39 per cent for the Tories. Twelve per cent felt that neither offered real opposition, and 8 per cent didn't know.

http://www.libdems.org.uk/

[PROGRESSIVE1]

2. I Support Blair!!!!!

After what happened in California, I'll settle for a Tony Blair then to have just say an Ian Duncan Smith Jackal in power!!!!

Though my first choice would be the Liberal Democrats!!!