Posted on 03/12/2003 6:06:58 AM PST by Brian Allen
Labour plotters take first steps to oust Blair By Toby Helm and George Jones (Filed: 12/03/2003)
Labour opponents of war with Iraq took the first steps last night towards launching a leadership challenge if Tony Blair commits British troops to American-led military action without the explicit authority of the United Nations.
Under pressure: Blair Left-wing MPs will call on the party's ruling National Executive Committee to hold a "special conference" that could trigger a leadership contest if the Prime Minister defies growing pressure in the party not to ignore a UN veto on the use of force.
The anti-war sentiment in the Labour Party took a dangerous turn when MPs began talking openly of the possibility of moves to replace Mr Blair. At present they represent a small but vocal minority and there is no sign yet of widespread support for challenging the Prime Minister.
But the readiness of rebels to question his future on the eve of a possible war represented the most serious threat to his authority since he became Prime Minister six years ago.
Mr Blair, who looked washed out and exhausted at a Number 10 news conference, yesterday summoned senior ministers and officials to Downing Street to plan the next stage of the government's efforts to bolster support at home and abroad for military action.
The group, comprising Jack Straw, Foreign Secretary, Geoff Hoon, Defence Secretary, John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, Admiral Sir Michael Boyce, Chief of the Defence Staff, and Lord Goldsmith, the Attorney General, will form the core of a War Cabinet.
Lord Goldsmith's role will be crucial because he will advise on the legal status of military action if Mr Blair has to act without UN authority. Mr Blair will face the Commons at noon today for the first Question Time session since Clare Short, the International Development Secretary, issued a dramatic threat to resign from the Cabinet if he takes Britain to war without fresh UN backing.
Miss Short's intervention appeared to have encouraged Labour rebels to break cover and exposed the vulnerability of Mr Blair's position, with nearly half the party's backbenchers opposed to his stance.
Yesterday she remained in the Cabinet, despite having described the Prime Minister's actions as "reckless", because her dismissal would have provoked further Labour unrest.
Tam Dalyell, Father of the House of Commons, said if Mr Blair disregarded the UN, Labour constituency parties and trade unions would be asked to back demands for a special party conference.
Alice Mahon, the Labour MP for Halifax and a vocal opponent of war, confirmed that a letter had been prepared and would be sent to all MPs if Mr Blair pressed ahead in defiance of his party. The letter calls on MPs to lobby the National Executive to call a special conference.
Mrs Mahon said last night: "The party is in deep crisis. It is split down the middle. It is a very serious situation for the Prime Minister."
Yesterday Hilton Dawson, Labour MP for Lancaster and Wyre, became the first backbencher to call publicly on Mr Blair to consider stepping down.
He said there was "no case for war without the UN" at this stage and insisted rushing in to military action would be a "colossal mistake".
While praising Mr Blair, saying he would go down as a "great Prime Minister", he said he should "consider his position" if he insisted on pursuing a military solution.
Lord Healey, the former Labour Chancellor, said Mr Blair was in real danger: "It is quite possible to get a conference called at which he could be replaced."
John Reid, the Labour chairman, described talk of moves to replace Mr Blair as the work of a few "usual suspects". They would be heavily outnumbered on the National Executive Committee which would have to approve any special conference by a majority vote. But Mr Reid confirmed that Labour dissidents were plotting against Mr Blair.
"There are a small number of people who, given the choice between getting Saddam Hussein or Tony Blair to lose their job always seem to choose Tony Blair."
Yesterday Mr Blair also met union leaders, most of whom are strongly opposed to war without a second resolution, at Downing Street to discuss Iraq. Their members' votes will be crucial in determining whether the party holds a leadership contest, and its eventual result if one were to take place.
Of course. The only difference between then and now is that there is no DemonRAT President to save from impeachment now.
Having said, if we weigh up the consequences of Blair not going, they are much more dire than if he does go. The worst that can happen if he does join in the war, is that he will face a leadership challenge sometime later this year. A week is a long time in politics, and the war could be over in a week.
If he caves, then he will have sent a message that he dare not send to his party: i.e., that he can be bullied and blackmailed by the left wing of his party. Second, he will have handed Chirac a victory - and basically surrendered to Chirac and Schroeder. Third, he will have lost the respect of the British public - we respect strong leaders, i.e., Thatcher and Churchill. Once they are compromised and shown to be weak, like Harold Macmillian, James Callaghan, John Major - they tend to wash out of office very quickly.
Therefore, the odds are that Blair will take a gamble and go with war. If it's over quickly, the left wing of his party is going to look immensely foolish - this was very stupid of Clare Short and her friends to speak up, but I suppose their anti-Americanism is more powerful than their intellect.
Regards, Ivan
You'll get little argument from me. I will back him on this issue, but when it's time to vote again, I will vote Tory. As always.
Regards, Ivan
Considering that they're the left vanguard of Labour, that isn't saying much.
They all started as soon as Russia said they would veto the amendment.
At the end of the day, they are old communists and just cannot change.
For God's sake Tony, the Queens offical opposition party is with you on this one, don't piss your pants in the final straight.
Time for War War not Jaw Jaw, as a great man once said, and he also had the bloody French General pestering him to surrender.
People in Portland, Or and Seattle have the same pale washed out color at this time of year.
After that fiasco was over, I talked to a fellow who retired from the Navy after that. Apparently some intel officer came up with the operation name Desert Fox.
At that time the movie "Wag the Dog" was a hot movie.
Since the fox is a cousin of dogs, the Desert Fox was really a code phrase for Wag the Dog, which is what the Clintoon did to keep distract the new from himself being impeached. The Clintoons and their sucklings never caught on.
It is real interesting that it kicked off the day before the impeachment votes were scheduled, and even more interesting that it stopped the day after the House decided to impeach S(l)ick Willie anyway.
Say, have you seen PhiKapMom's theory behind Britain's wobbling toward the Azis of Weavil? Very interesting.
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