Tony Blair in Ireland

[thischarmingman]

Eggs and shoes thrown at Blair (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jh21PnBgILU), at his first book-signing event (in Dublin).

Highlights of his interview on Tubridy last night are here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJAFPmwa0bc).

LQAHip1merI

[Lim till i die]

Woman trying to make a citizens arrest for war crimes :bulgy:

[The Fly]

Eggs and shoes thrown at Blair (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jh21PnBgILU), at his first book-signing event (in Dublin).


Protesters flying Eirigi flags at a Tony Blair book signing...................:excruciating:

Tw*ts!

[ArdeeBhoy]

Dunno,about that. Blair's a scumbag for his pandering to the war machine of Bush & his paymasters.
Even a majority in the US, for a good while now, thought intervention there was pointless.

It was all about oil, nothing to do with WMD. The fact Saddam was a scumbag also was a mere coincidence, or they'd have intervened in around 50 other countries. After putting their own house, 'in order'. Not.

[The Fly]

Dunno,about that. Blair's a scumbag for his pandering to the war machine of Bush & his paymasters.
Even a majority in the US, for a good while now, thought intervention there was pointless.

It was all about oil, nothing to do with WMD. The fact Saddam was a scumbag also was a mere coincidence, or they'd have intervened in around 50 other countries. After putting their own house, 'in order'. Not.

What you have stated has great merit, but.......why fly Eirigi flags at a Tony Blair booksigning event?

In my view, they debased themselves, and their protest, by flying the flag of a loopy socialist republican fringe group.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Except given the vacuum of intellectual political alternatives in Ireland, of which there are few, people are going to look at the various alternatives.
Find myself agreeing with one or two stances taken by Eirigi, but whether this makes anyone who supports their activities a 'loopy socialist republican' is questionable? Given the mainstream which has let down parts of Irish society for decades.

In the context of ACB, maybe we should ask Iraqis what they think? My guess is many would not be as benign as Eirigi....

[Spudulika]

Has anybody seen the exposee (it's 2-3 years old I think) by Dispatches on the Iraqi Health Service. I know a nurse (she was working in Saudi when I was there) who spent from 1988-90) in Iraq and told me the system there was as good or better than Ireland before the 1st Gulf war, and even when there were sanctions on (she was again there in 1999-2000) there was a strong operation. However since the "liberation" it has completely fallen apart and since watching the Dispatches programme last week on the missing billions in Iraw, I went on a bit of a news bender and read reports on the Iraqi health system now. What Bush, Blair and co did was despicable, and the big companies benefitted and it was only about oil - and making sure the Saudi's toed the line (they've no other choice). Blair was treated far too nicely by Ireland, he's a war criminal and if he were a Serbian despot or Rwandan troublemaker, he'd be sitting in a cell somewhere. I only hope that karma catches up, though it might take too long.

[bennocelt]

What you have stated has great merit, but.......why fly Eirigi flags at a Tony Blair booksigning event?

In my view, they debased themselves, and their protest, by flying the flag of a loopy socialist republican fringe group.

Tony Blair ex labour PM. Yeah Right, more like Thatchers child. What kind of reaction would Tony get if he tried a book signing here in in London I wonder!!!!!

[The Fly]

Except given the vacuum of intellectual political alternatives in Ireland, of which there are few, people are going to look at the various alternatives.
Find myself agreeing with one or two stances taken by Eirigi, but whether this makes anyone who supports their activities a 'loopy socialist republican' is questionable? Given the mainstream which has let down parts of Irish society for decades.


Eirigi is against the Good Friday Agreement. That's loopy!

[ArdeeBhoy]

Except being against the GFA in the general scheme of things, is say incomparable to hundreds of thousands if not millions, dying in US (& Tony Blair)-sponsored excursions into Iraq and Afghanistan.
Military intervention which was largely unjustifiable. Not to mention unwinnable.

It's a question of degrees.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Tony Blair ex labour PM. Yeah Right, more like Thatchers child. What kind of reaction would Tony get if he tried a book signing here in in London I wonder!!!!!

To be fair, he's incomparable with that creature. And he's doing a book signing within the week in London. Doubtless OTT security will overwhelm any 'democratic' protests against this.

More pertinent would be if he were to try such a charade in Baghdad or Kabul? Somehow don't think this would be too popular.

[bennocelt]

To be fair, he's incomparable with that creature. And he's doing a book signing within the week in London. Doubtless OTT security will overwhelm any 'democratic' protests against this.

More pertinent would be if he were to try such a charade in Baghdad or Kabul? Somehow don't think this would be too popular.

Ok, just I read recently that he was bypassing Britain for the USA where the book is obviously marketed towards - re the love odes to Bush and Clinton

Also previous poster calling Eirigi loopy is funny. So I guess FF, FG, labour and the Greens are the respectable face of Irish politics!!!!

[The Fly]

Except being against the GFA in the general scheme of things, is say incomparable to hundreds of thousands if not millions, dying in US (& Tony Blair)-sponsored excursions into Iraq and Afghanistan.
Military intervention which was largely unjustifiable. Not to mention unwinnable.

It's a question of degrees.

I have no problem with people protesting against the Iraq war, as I was against it myself.

However, in my view, the flying of Eirigi flags at a protest against the Iraq war, degrades the protest. Simply fly anti-war flags and banners, not the flag of an organisation whose main thrust is ".....to see an end to the British occupation of the Six Counties and the dismantling of the unjust socio-economic system that currently exists in both the Six and Twenty-Six Counties."

[The Fly]

Also previous poster calling Eirigi loopy is funny. So I guess FF, FG, labour and the Greens are the respectable face of Irish politics!!!!


Yeah.....it's hilarious alright. :rolleyes:

As I stated earlier, Eirigi is against the Good Friday Agreement, and it's prime objective is to effect a British withdrawal from the 'occupied six counties.' That's pretty loopy in my view, and not to mention being completely at odds with the democratic will of the people of this island.

I'm curious as to how they are going to effect a British withdrawal from NI. Perhaps someone could help me out with that?

[ArdeeBhoy]

Why not?
On the strength of it, even Eirigi have greater moral compass than AC Blair....

[bennocelt]

Yeah.....it's hilarious alright. :rolleyes:

As I stated earlier, Eirigi is against the Good Friday Agreement, and it's prime objective is to effect a British withdrawal from the 'occupied six counties.' That's pretty loopy in my view, and not to mention being completely at odds with the democratic will of the people of this island.

I'm curious as to how they are going to effect a British withdrawal from NI. Perhaps someone could help me out with that?

My god what the hell is wrong with that.:rolleyes:
The will of the people gave us FF 3 times!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dont forget that

[The Fly]

My god what the hell is wrong with that.:rolleyes:


Taking away the sarcasm, how are they going to do it?

Bear in mind that the British presence in Northern Ireland is the unionist population, not the army, civil service etc...



The will of the people gave us FF 3 times!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dont forget that


Err..........I haven't, thanks for reminding me. :confused:

[Spudulika]

Just heard on RTE news that Blair's booksigning in London was cancelled, right enough. Watched the interview with that goon who has a primetime job thanks to family and lack of talent, unbelieveable how Blair make sh!te of him, I'd have loved to have seen someone with a brain and guts do the interview, like Miriam or even Dunphy (though I feel one or both would have lapsed into sycophancy).

[tetsujin1979]

When they interviewed some of the protesters on O'Connell Street complaining about all the public money being spent on protecting a war criminal, I couldn't help thinking, "but if you weren't here to cause trouble, then the money wouldn't be spent at all".

[Macy]

When they interviewed some of the protesters on O'Connell Street complaining about all the public money being spent on protecting a war criminal, I couldn't help thinking, "but if you weren't here to cause trouble, then the money wouldn't be spent at all".
A visiting former British Prime Minister would have zero security normally?

btw interesting how Blair can spin - it's about people wanting the book signed and to meet him, nothing to do with him actually promoting his book. Hopefully, the launch gets called off too due to protests.

[tetsujin1979]

A visiting former British Prime Minister would have zero security normally?ok, not zero security, but not on the same level that had to be used last week after protest groups said they were going to enact a citizen's arrest

[dahamsta]

His line in response to the London cancellation was classic Blair: I'm cancelling because the protests would be an inconvenience to the public. It's like Alistair is still there on his shoulder, prompting him.

I was actually looking at his car on Sky News last night, definitely one of the bulletproof BMW 7s, in fact given the thickness of the doors I'd guess it was a custom job. I'd be very surprised if ex-PMs weren't given an equivalent of ex-US President security these days. Maybe not as loony as the yanks, but definitely special branch cover for a good few years afterward.

[Spudulika]

I think he's been given the full ex-Pres protection, they pre-check everything, do advance searches etc.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Ex Brit PM's, especially Blair, get a very high level of protection once they leave office.

Though the likes of say, Major and Brown, will probably prove less divisive over the passage of time compared to ACB. So don't know if their security is less or just more low-key.