US Election 2008

Obama wins historic US election

Democratic Senator Barack Obama has been elected the first black president of the United States, prompting celebrations across the country.

"It's been a long time coming, but tonight... change has come to America," the president-elect told a jubilant crowd at a victory rally in Chicago.

His rival John McCain accepted defeat, and called on his supporters to lend the next president their goodwill.

This reminds me of the Tony Blair moment in 1997

Maybe Obama turns out differently, maybe he won't, we shall just have to wait and see.

I mean when Blair got into power the UK was tired of 18 yrs of Tory rule, Blair looked fresh and new and made vague promises and did lots of smiling and look how he and Labour turned out - illegal invasions, excessive micromanaging, authortarian legislation, PFI, scrapping the 10p tax, letting the uber rich get away with everything, the list is quite long

So I am happy that Obama was elected but also cautious.

The End Is Finally Here!

Blair to stand down on June 27

· PM: I did what I thought was right
· 'May have been wrong' on Iraq
· Says UK is 'greatest country on earth'

Tony Blair today announced he was stepping down after 10 years as prime minister and 13 as Labour leader.

The prime minister told a crowd of supporters at Trimdon Labour club he would stand down as PM on June 27. He will tender his resignation to the Queen on that day.

In an emotional 17-minute speech, he said the judgment on his 10-year administration was "for you, the people, to make". Mr Blair paid special tribute to his wife and children "who never let me forget my failings".

He's finally going, hooray!

Blair has left an Iraq drenched in blood, a NHS in crisis, prisons full to bursting, created more laws criminalizing British life, an increased in inequality, cash for honors, PFI, the list is quite long, probably the only positive thing was N Ireland, but that was started by John Major and devolution, originally John Smith's idea.

When Blair first came into power, I had just started comprehensive school, now he is going, I am just about to finish university, what will the next 10 years be like?

His smarmy lack of substance CoE Vicar personality will no longer grace our screens, he'll end up with some cushy speaking circuit, probably in America.

Not that things will get any better under Brown, he is just as much an architect of NuLab as Blair and will further entrench its policies.

Around the blogosphere on Blair stepping down

Blair Out.

Sic Transit Gloria Mundi

Blair: victim of the myth of leadership

The Long Goodbye

Those Blair achievements in full

B-Day

A Date For Your Diary: June 27

An appropriate tune, and one of my favorites

The Doors - The End

Happy May Day!


Palestinian protesters scuffle with Israeli border police during a demonstration marking May Day at the Qalandiya checkpoint near the West Bank city of Ramallah, May 1, 2007.
REUTERS/Oleg Popov

Blair's bloody legacy: Iraq

On the 10th anniversary of Tony Blair's election as Prime Minister, an exclusive poll reveals 69 per cent of Britons believe that, when he leaves office, his enduring legacy will be the bloody conflict in Iraq

Seven out of 10 people believe that Iraq will prove to be Tony Blair's most enduring legacy, according to an opinion poll for The Independent to mark the 10th anniversary today of the election victory that brought him to power.

As the Prime Minister prepares to announce his resignation next week, the survey by CommunicateResearch reveals that 69 per cent of the British public believe he will be remembered most for the Iraq war. Remarkably, his next highest "legacy rating" - just 9 per cent - is for his relationship with the American President, George Bush.

Four years after the US-led invasion, Iraq still dwarfs all other issues. Only 6 per cent of voters believe Mr Blair will be remembered most for the Northern Ireland peace process, which he will hail as an important part of his legacy when self-government is restored in the province a week today.

Has it really been 10 years of Labour in power? How time passes so quickly.

1997 I had just started Secondary School, and I was not that interested in politics, so Labour being swept into power didn't register much.

Later on when I took AS/A Level Government and Politics I started to be interested in current affairs and started reading blogs before finally setting up my own. Around the same time the UK, USA and their Coalition of the 'Willing' decided to make the fatal error of invading Iraq, which saw hundreds of thousand protest against it and critics of the war attacked disgracefully, that if you didn't support this war it made you a 'traitor' and 'Islamofascist' and it is with a heavy heart that much of their criticism were spot on 4 years later.

Blair and NuLab have let Britain down, with their PFI scams, the Iraq invasion, curbing civil liberties and so on.

Ken MacLeod's latest novel "The Execution Channel" brilliantly deals with these issues, crafting a sublime blogothriller which has depth, well worth taking time out to read.

May Day Related Posts

Mayday: north and south.

Sell in May?: not today

The Ethics of Labor Struggle: A Free Market Perspective

Blair clapped out as he says: 'I'm quitting next week"

Celebrating 10 years of the Downing Street Echo

Shamelessly nicked Trot joke for May Day

*Have not been blogging much as have been working furiously on my dissertation, which is now complete*

Iraq War

British solders ride on a vehicle during a joint patrol with Iraqi soldiers in a village in Basra, Iraq, February 17, 2007. REUTERS/Wisam Ahmed

Blair to pull out troops.

Brit Troops To Trickle Out Of Iraq - Blair Statement Set For Tomorrow ...

Blair 'to confirm Iraq timetable'

Prime Minister Tony Blair is expected to announce a timetable for the withdrawal of UK troops from Iraq.

Mr Blair is due to make a statement about the 7,000 British troops serving in Iraq at the Commons on Wednesday.

The BBC's James Landale said 1,500 troops were expected to return home in months, rising to 3,000 by Christmas.

Downing Street has not confirmed the reports but Whitehall sources have told the BBC the process could be slowed down if the situation in Iraq worsens.

A Downing Street spokesman said: "It is right that the prime minister should update Parliament first."

Wonder what made Blair to decided to start withdrawing troops?

Its certainly a positive development. Iraq is a hopeless situation, and its a bloody mess, withdrawing now is not going to make the situation worse, it is already long past that stage.

Perhaps to still keep up the delusion he can act independently of Bush? or so Iraq won't be an albatross hanging around Brown's neck. Maybe he was worried about Prince Harry going to Iraq? heh I mean he is not going to be popular around Buckingham Palace by telling Brenda her son is dead.

Blair is also going to step down this year as PM, and this might be all about his obsession over his legacy and his desperate need to salvage it.

Then again this could be a precursor to the Bush Junta's plan to bomb Iran but then I am just putting on my tinfoil hat.

I can't wait to see how the war supporters spin this!!!!!