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Blair wades into Muslim veil row By George Jones, Political Editor  (Filed: 17/10/2006) Tony Blair intervened today in the growing controversy over Muslim women wearing veils in public, saying it was a “mark of separation” that made other people feel uncomfortable.   Blair addresses members of the press At his monthly press conference in No 10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister backed a local education authority which suspended a Muslim teaching assistant for refusing to remove her veil during lessons.Mr Blair said he could “see the reason” why Kirklees Council had suspended Aishah Azmi and said there was now...

Make Britain great ... and you'll get in Destination UK ... potential asylum seekers at Calais     By DAVID WOODING Whitehall Editor RATTLED Tony Blair finally acted to end the immigration crisis yesterday by barring unskilled foreigners from entry.After eight years of failing to confront a mounting mess, he said only key professionals in short supply will be allowed to settle here.Even they will have to prove they can speak English — and pass a “Britishness” test on our laws and customs.Mr Blair revealed curbs on non-EU workers as he unveiled Labour’s five-year plan to control rising immigration.It includes...

His advisers have been telling Mr Blair he will be best served by regime change in Washington. The Prime Minister isn't convinced When George W Bush's poll ratings recently dipped, every Labour MP cheered. Correction: every Labour MP except one. The Prime Minister fretted to one close friend: 'Whenever Bush weakens in the polls, they start mucking about.' Who are these 'they' whose 'mucking about' makes Tony Blair so anxious? They are Iran with its sponsorship of terrorism and its ambitions to go nuclear. They are Syria. They are the psychotic regime in North Korea along with the rest of...

British Prime Minister Tony Blair has dismissed speculation that he intends to convert to Roman Catholicism. Blair is an Anglican but has accompanied his wife Cherie, a Catholic, and their children to Mass regularly, triggering several reports in recent years that he might switch faiths. Several British newspapers on Friday quoted a Catholic priest, who regularly presides over services at Blair's country estate Chequers, as saying he thought Blair might convert. "If you ask me do you think he wants to become a Catholic, I would say yes," Father Timothy Russ, was quoted as saying. The Guardian newspaper quoted Russ...

The President continued his visit in Ireland on Saturday with an EU summit. Saturday night, the First Couple flew to Ankara, Turkey, where they were received by the heads of state and Church. Sunday, June 27th, the President reviewed the Turkey troops, laid a wreath at the mausoleum of Turkey's founder Kemal Ataturk in Ankara. He attended a formal photo shoot of the NATO Summit attendees, and then a welcoming dinner at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul, Turkey. The NATO meetings will be held on Monday and Tuesday. In a surprise sequence of events, L. Paul Bremer signed over full...

COUNTDOWN (473 DAYS) TO VICTORY '04 -- Pres Bush and PM Blair Press Conference and PM Blair Speech to Congress Countdown to Victory '04 is Free Republic's daily action center for the grassroots campaign to re-elect Bush-Cheney in 2004 -- the place to visit to find out the latest from the campaign and how you can help right now! Today's Countdown Thread is going to be a little different because of the historial significant of today. The only things posted are going to be Prime Minister Tony Blair's speech to the Joint Meeting of the House and Senate and...