HOT: Parliament moves to impeach Tony Blair!

[Guest guest]

" Zepp " <zepp

Sat, 12 Nov 2005 22:26:18 -0800

[Zepps_News] HOT: Parliament moves to impeach Tony Blair!

 

 

 

 

http://www.sundayherald.com/print52851

 

Blair faces new inquiry into Iraq war

Impeachment campaigners claim former ministers will join 200 supporters

to force Commons probe

By James Cusick, Westminster Editor

 

MPs organising the campaign to impeach Tony Blair believe they have

enough support to force a highly damaging Commons investigation into

the

Prime Minister's pre-war conduct.

 

A renewed attempt to impeach Blair over claims he misled parlia ment in

making his case for war against Iraq, will be made in the Commons

within

the next two weeks.

 

The impeachment process effectively stalled last year when just 23 MPs

signed a Commons motion. But the scale of the government's defeat on

its

anti-terror legislation last week – where 49 Labour MPs rebelled – has

galvanised the momentum for proceedings to be invoked.

 

Organisers say they are expecting 200 cross-party signatures, including

those of former government ministers, to force the Commons to set up a

Privy Council investigation that would examine in detail the case for

impeachment against Blair.

 

The size of the Labour revolt, allied to unified opposition benches, is

said to have changed the climate inside the Commons.

 

SNP leader, Alex Salmond, one of the key figures in the impeachment

campaign, said he now believed that the cross-party attempt to bring

the

government to account over the Iraq war " would become more urgent than

predicted problems associated with social legislation in England and

Wales " .

 

Following the Commons defeat, it was predicted that future flashpoints

for Blair would include a new education reform bill, likely to be

presented next spring and new legislation to broaden reform inside the

NHS with greater competition from the private sector.

 

Potential backbench revolts are also predicted if Blair makes any move

to update the Trident nuclear programme or tries to introduce a new era

of nuclear-generated energy.

 

Next month, a Green Paper on welfare reform, expected to include moves

to cut incapacity benefit, was expected to be the first attack point

for

Labour dissidents.

 

However, any parliamentary success on the matter of impeachment is

likely to over-shadow other issues.

 

If the promised signatures materialise, and a vote on the impeachment

process is taken, the opportunity to deliver a substantial knock-down

blow to Blair is not likely to be passed up by Labour rebels and

opposition alike.

 

One MP last night: " This would be a golden opportunity. It would be

pay-back time for Blair over the way he manipulated parliament before

the Iraq war in 2003.

 

" Last week's defeat changed the atmosphere in the Commons. The hunt is

on, as they say. "

 

Although the Chancellor, Gordon Brown, has remained publicly loyal to

Blair since the defeat, last night, one of Brown's closest

parliamentary

allies disobeyed his call to back the Prime Minister unquestioningly.

 

The former Treasury minister, Geoffrey Robinson, insisted the Prime

Minister had to allow his successor sufficient time to win a fourth

term. The comment effectively challenges Blair's claim that he will

serve out a " full third term " .

 

Blair has acknowledged how difficult the task ahead of him now is. He

said in a newspaper interview this weekend that he now faced " a rough

ride " to push through his reform agenda. But he insisted there would be

no spectacular U-turn, saying he was still determined to " continue

doing

what was right, not what is easy " .

 

An organiser of the impeachment campaign told the Sunday Herald : " We

have been promised 200 signatures and are now hopeful this process will

go ahead as it should have last year. There will be a vote and an

investigation will be set up. Does this have the potential to finish

Tony Blair? Yes it does. "

 

 

--

[Guest guest]

Bush and Blair endless love video....This is so cute!

 

http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/multimedia/bushblair_endlesslove.mov

 

Donna