Posted on 03/26/2006 9:02:22 PM PST by Aussie Dasher
BRITISH Prime Minister Tony Blair today branded growing anti-Americanism around the world as "madness" in the face of the challenges confronting global peace in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.
In an address to a rare joint sitting of the national Parliament, Mr Blair urged the formation of a global alliance in the struggle for democracy and justice, and said this alliance "does not end with, but it does begin with, America".
"I do not always agree with the United States - sometimes they can be difficult friends to have," he said.
"But the strain of frankly anti-American feeling in parts of European and world politics is madness when set against the long-term interests of the world we believe in," he said.
Mr Blair spoke of the common values of Australia and Britain, including a belief in democracy, rule of law and fairness.
He said that despite the presence of anti-Americanism in Europe and elswhere, particularly following the US military campaign in Iraq, the United States was pivotal to ensuring a global policy of engagement rather than isolation.
"The danger with America today is not that they are too much involved, the danger is that they decide to pull up the drawbridge and disengage. We need them involved. We want them engaged," he said.
"The reality is that none of the problems that press in on us can be resolved or even contemplated without them. Our task is to ensure that with them we do not limit this agenda to security."
Mr Blair, who along with Australia has committed troops to fight alongside US forces in Iraq, said this was not the time to withdraw from the conflict, saying while "the going is tough, we tough it out".
"This is not the time to walk away," he said.
No offense Mr. PM, but that works both ways.
When faced with the choice of friendship with Uncle Sam or Uncle Mohammed, it is not such a difficult choice after all.
I think that fundamentally Tony Blair is a "good guy" who, unfortunately, has to move in a continent where good guys finish last.
I think he'll be be an excellent ex-Prime Minister (and I feel for the pommies who will have to deal with Brown...)
We are not friends, Mr. Blair, we are family.
The world is on a dark path, and we have enemies all around us. The largest family of the world (Yanks, Limeys, Aussies, Kiwis, Canooks, etc.) had better get it's house in order to face this threat. When push comes to shove family ALWAYS sticks together.
One problem with British politics is that conservatism is more a temperment than a concrete set of principles that you stand for. Conservatives have long ago ceded the position of guardian of ideas to the Left (probably since the 19th century) and their attitudes towards leftism has always been "They may be right, but let's not rush into implementing all of them. Years of traditions show there must be things we do now that are right!". Because of this sentiment, I can say that:
1) Today's Spectator reads like the Daily Telegraph of 30 years ago.
2) Today's Daily Telegraph reads like the UK Times of 10 years ago.
2) Today's UK Times reads like the Guardian of 10 years ago.
3) Today's Guardian reads like the Independent of 10 years ago.
4) Today's Independent reads like the Daily Mirror of 10 years ago.
And once you get to the fever swamp of idea-based conservatism in Britain, what you get is quite a virulent strain of anti-Americanism in the larger package of High Toryism. These anti-American right still treat the world as if it is still 1914 and they hate the US for bringing down the British Empire. (Enoch Powell is representative of this group - I think he's quite Americanphobic or Americanoscepic as they now say in Britain)
Genuine trans-Atlanticism is rare in Britain, and I think Winston Churchill is one, Harold Wilson is possibly another, Margaret Thatcher is definitely one, and Tony Blair is yes in a number of ways. Thatcher's conservatism is distinctively American classic liberal and I think a lot of big C British Conservative Party members want to have none of her political stances.
Ping!
I say we pull up the draw bridge, form an alliance with China, and smoke out Europe.
Where the bloody hell does that leave us?
(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")
without the albatross of Europe hanging like a dead weight of a suicidal pack of lemmings. This whole "America to the rescue" thing is tired and old and stupid. If Europe wants to die... let it.
Blair's speech to Congress immediately after 9/11 was extraordinary. England is lucky to have him now.
Okay - let's just tell the U.N. to leave the country. Then let's threaten to close our borders and economy to the other nations. We will see how long it takes for them to reneg on their idiotic diatribe.
But wait - am I talking about other hostile countries or the D's? I guess it is too easy to confuse the two.
(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")
I kinda like that description.
The cowards scream about how war mongering America is, they do so because they know we really are not. If we were they would be afraid to scream it.
They are afraid to complain about the very real Islamic aggression, and yet they do not want to admit this to themselves. So like an abused wife, they make excuses for Islamic aggression and look the other way. The Ismlamisists love this and encourage it.
Perhaps Blair and Bush ought to spend a weekend invading and conquering France - just to show everybody who's the boss.
Which, as you put it, is less about ideas than about attitude.
What a depressing picture you paint -- the mother country lapsing into a sour senility.
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