National News 2022 New Year Honours

Northstandboy

Northstandboy

Owner
Staff member
Joined
5 Dec 2017
Messages
8,571
SIR Chris Whitty
SIR Jonathan Van Tam
Dame Jenny Harries
SIR Tony Blair...... REALLY?!
 
eaststandboy said:
SIR Chris Whitty
SIR Jonathan Van Tam
Dame Jenny Harries
SIR Tony Blair...... REALLY?!
Click to expand...
I always thought all Prime Ministers were honoured? Obviously not correct on that.
TBF, like or dislike his politics, winning 3 elections is no mean feet. He’s certainly made a lasting impact on British politics which has been mostly followed by successive Governments. But will always be remembered for the Iraq invasion, and poor decision making thereafter.
 
The best award went to the two little boys of 11 and 12 who made great efforts to raise money, one of whom had cerebral palsy. The 85 year old hospital porter was honoured deservedly for great efforts.
As for Blair, I don’t understand why he got anything in recognition. Many people died needlessly and the search for WMD proved fruitless.
I suppose in time Cameron and May will get honours, one an Etonian toff and the other a useless failure
 
Oslernorth said:
I always thought all Prime Ministers were honoured? Obviously not correct on that.
TBF, like or dislike his politics, winning 3 elections is no mean feet. He’s certainly made a lasting impact on British politics which has been mostly followed by successive Governments. But will always be remembered for the Iraq invasion, and poor decision making thereafter.
Click to expand...

Just had a look out of curiosity, and as far as I can tell, the last PM to not receive a knighthood or a peerage was Neville Chamberlain?

I guess there would have been some nice symmetry in not giving Blair anything either.....after all, no PM between the two of them has been as bad in terms of foreign policy.....
 
Cameron hasn’t received one.
There is a school of thought that Chamberlain held back over going to war with Germany, and that is why he didn’t get a knighthood. By holding off from war it may well have earned more time to rearm.
I think Blair shouldn’t have been knighted. Just because he won three elections is not enough to warrant one. He was responsible for needlessly sending many to war. No WMD. Ever since the U.K. has had the fallout from Afghanistan and Iraq with refugees seeking asylum here.
We are too inclined to jump when US says can we help. Haven’t the US been involved in more wars than any other nation?
 
Peterdev said:
Cameron hasn’t received one.
There is a school of thought that Chamberlain held back over going to war with Germany, and that is why he didn’t get a knighthood. By holding off from war it may well have earned more time to rearm.
I think Blair shouldn’t have been knighted. Just because he won three elections is not enough to warrant one. He was responsible for needlessly sending many to war. No WMD. Ever since the U.K. has had the fallout from Afghanistan and Iraq with refugees seeking asylum here.
We are too inclined to jump when US says can we help. Haven’t the US been involved in more wars than any other nation?
Click to expand...

Neither has Gordon Brown - but every PM before Blair has (or has had a peerage) going back to Chamberlain.

I'm 100% certain that appeasement is the reason that Chamberlain never got a gong; and I think most people would argue that it's generous to suggest the policy was a strategic masterstroke to allow Britain to rearm. Most historians seem to think he was either gun-shy or just got played......
 
  • React
Reactions: m
There is a school of thought that if Blair hadn't been knighted then the "custom" of knighting ex-prime ministers would have been broken and the following premiers would have not been deemed to have qualified. Whether there is any truth in that remains to be seen but, watch out for what comes next!
 
tonyw said:
Just had a look out of curiosity, and as far as I can tell, the last PM to not receive a knighthood or a peerage was Neville Chamberlain?

I guess there would have been some nice symmetry in not giving Blair anything either.....after all, no PM between the two of them has been as bad in terms of foreign policy.....
Click to expand...
TBF, he got it right with his intervention in Kosovo and Sierra Leone. I think this may have lead to a touch of arrogance exposed as ignorance when it came to Iraq.

​

 
Oslernorth said:
TBF, he got it right with his intervention in Kosovo and Sierra Leone. I think this may have lead to a touch of arrogance exposed as ignorance when it came to Iraq.

​

Click to expand...
Regarding Iraq that was because he was George Bush’s puppet same with going into Afghanistan. But regarding the former Yugoslavia it was an international peace keeping force.
 
bazzer9461 said:
Regarding Iraq that was because he was George Bush’s puppet same with going into Afghanistan. But regarding the former Yugoslavia it was an international peace keeping force.
Click to expand...
Do you think a Tory PM would've acted differently at the time?

Of course they wouldn't (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Parliamentary_approval_for_the_invasion_of_Iraq)...and then we would be talking about Ian Duncan Smith (or some other failed leader) as the war criminal.

Only 2 Tory MPs voted against action at the time.

Heres' the Hansard transcript of the debate: https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2003-03-18.760.0

Blair was not alone by any means alone in his thinking - he had consensus across parliament and indeed the EU and UN.

So , much of the Western world should stand trail on the same charges if Blair is guilty as you charge.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Essexyellows
International News Happy Commonwealth Day 2022
Replies
10
Views
886
tonyw
T
Northstandboy
  • Poll
Sport The Ashes - 4th Test- 4/1/2022 - Sydney
3 4 5
Replies
85
Views
7K
IsleofWightYellow
IsleofWightYellow
Northstandboy
Local News Zero Emissions Zone - starting 2022
Replies
6
Views
1K
Sarge
Sarge
Back
Top Bottom