Blair, Brown and the Labour Party

[Anarcho-Socialist]

Poll question: Blair, Brown and the Labour Party

Are you someone who would refuse to vote Labour because Blair is in charge? If Brown was in charge, would that change your mind? Tell me what you think

[mr blur]

1. Blair is a disgrace to the Labour Party

Good article in the Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1412158,00.html

"For those who don't know the figures, by the way, more than 700 hours of parliamentary time were devoted to the hunting ban, as against seven hours spent on the decision to invade Iraq, a comparison that sums up the way we are governed."

"..So there you have it. This was a crust thrown to Labour MPs to thank them for supporting an unnecessary, illegal and immoral war, which Blair took this country into simply to demonstrate his uncritical loyalty to the most reactionary American president in living memory, and which has killed at least 20,000 and possibly 100,000 innocent people."

I was a member of the Labour Party when Blair was voted in as leader. I didn't vote for him - word was going round even then that he was a sleazeball.

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. Tricky. Assuming I were in a constituency where Labour stood a chance

(they got less than 10% last time here), I would seriously consider voting Labour if Robin Cook were in charge. Brown? Preferable to Blair, that's for sure, but he still acquiesced to the Iraq invasion. I'm also worried by his apparent enthusiasm for PPP and PFI, although I'm not happy about any of the big 3 parties' stance on that (and Cook hasn't been against it, as far as I know).

[Mr Creosote]

3. A little mystery

that hilarious "I'm backing Blair" website that was touted on DU last week disappeared earlier on today. Anyone any idea why?

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. FromTim Ireland's blog:

Backing Blair - first DoS attack?

The Backing Blair site has been down for the last 30 minutes following a complaint to our providers. We're just now trying to find out more about the nature of the complaint, but it's unlikely to be legitimate.

Here's a legal titbit for you while you wait (from this PDF): 4.18 It is important to make clear the distinction between cyber-squatting and spoof websites in the political context. Cyber-squatting might be defined as the malicious registration of internet domain names for financial or, in some cases, political gain. Spoof websites, on the other hand, generally make no pretence to deceive electors and typically include humorous or more general critical analysis and comment. Given the importance of freedom of speech within a fair campaign environment, we do not consider that spoof websites, where clearly identified as such, are intrinsically damaging to the campaign environment.

UPDATE - This is a genuine stroke of genius and this kind of noise from Milburn does not surprise me one jot.

http://www.bloggerheads.com/

[Mr Creosote]

5. Thanks Muriel

we've been spreading the word & were disconcerted when it disappeared. The fuckers really are running scared!

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. Update from Tim:

UPDATE - The complaint was made with regards to the London Underground song and refers to "excessive use of possibly copyrighted material." Excessive use? It's either in violation of copyright or it's not, surely? Backing Blair should be back with you shortly. We will try to identify where the complaint originated.

Incidentally, before this (ahem) landmark moment, the Flash video for the London Underground song reached over a quarter of a million individual web users. In two weeks.

[D-Notice]

9. Anyone seen this site?

Might be quite useful from a protest vote point of view...

http://www.sonowwhodowevotefor.net

[non sociopath skin]

7. If I vote for one of the other two conservative parties on offer ...

... then I stand to lose the social reform stuff (like Surestart and staffing improvements in the NHS) that "New Labour" has successfully introduced without any hope of a change of policy for the better in the many areas where I am discontented with the Bliarites.

Sorry, but I'm going - with the heaviest of hearts - with the lesser evil.

The Skin

[Zuni]

8. Not British, but I would vote Labour even with Blair

the alternative (Tory rule) would be far worse.
Blair has a lot to be left desired, but I wouldn't want to risk a Tory Government.

[fedsron2us]

10. I will never vote for the Labour Party while Blair is in charge.

My decision would not be changed even if he were to undergo a last minute conversion to socialism and to ditch the crypto Thatcherite domestic agenda that he has followed for the last eight years. Blair has led his country into an illegal war in Iraq and has the blood of many innocent Iraqi civilians on his hands. The fact that many Labour Party MPs and constituency members still do not recognise the iniquity of this act just fills me with despair. Presumably, they will just as cravenly support any future attack on Iran. I can not stomach the hypocrisy of politicians who claim to represent the interests of 'hard working families' in this country whilst at that same time plotting to blow up similar groups of men, women and children in another part of the world. They should all be forced to learn by heart the following statement made by the reporter Ed Murrow after the Nuremberg war trials.

"It is now established that planning, preparing, and initiating aggressive war constitutes an international crime. And it is also established that atrocities -- crimes against humanity -- are not merely the responsibility of those who commit them, but also the responsibility of the highest government officials."

The only way I can see myself voting for the Labour party again is after Blair has been ousted, British troops have been withdrawn from Iraq and some calling to account has taken place of those ministers who supported the war. Sadly, this process is unlikely to take place whilst Labour is in government.