Tony Blair decided to block de Menezes investigators
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
De Menezes inquest: Tony Blair backed decision to block investigators - Telegraph.
Since when is the criminal justice system under the personal direction of the Prime Minister? It was wrong for Blair the Plod to ask the question. It was wrong for Blair the Ego to answer it. Guthrum suggests that the PM should be charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. I think - having given the illegal Kratos orders - he should be charged with murder. As both the police and Crown Prosecution Service now seem to be under direct political control, that hardly seems likely.
Whoever made the first comment -- you are a cock.
Just because the Russians behave badly does not mean we should.
Any true Englishman with an ounce of honour and patriotism in his soul would know this.
Posted by: tbrrob | Friday, November 07, 2008 at 07:40 PM
Rather interestingly, it has now come out that Sir Iain Blair asked Tony Blair, during the discussions about Kratos, for the law to be changed to give his officers a defence. This is being attacked as if he had asked for an 007 licence to kill, but at least it shows he KNEW that what I have written above is true. As he accepted his orders anyway, that does not make him less culpable than I thought, but it makes him less stupid. And it makes the former Prime Minister either more stupid, more arrogant or more evil (you choose, Blairsupporter).
Posted by: Tom Paine | Friday, November 07, 2008 at 05:28 AM
The Trolls are certainly out in force these days, blind acceptance of any atrocity and the the total disregard of the Law being their trademark.
Ceacescu would have been so proud.
Posted by: Guthrum | Thursday, November 06, 2008 at 07:08 PM
BlairSupporter, the English Law sets out certain defences to a charge of murder. "We thought he might be a suicide bomber" is not one of them. Parliament could add that as a defence, because Parliament makes the laws, but it has not been asked to do so. The Prime Minister does not make laws. When he and his Home Secretary gave the Kratos order, they were therefore ordering murdersto be committed. Blair's intentions may have been good but such intentions are no more a defence in law to the Prime Minister than to any other citizen. The fact remains he issued a general order to kill in circumstances where (as no legal defence would be available) the killing would be a murder. The police chiefs who accepted that illegal order were wrong too. "I was only following orders" is no defence. It is no defence to the front line officers who pulled their triggers either (though they may well have other defences, based on how they were misinformed). Like Kinderling, I have more sympathy for them - acting in the heat of the moment - than for those who coldly gave them their orders.
This story is not about blunders and miscommunication. It was inevitable the moment Blair decided to get all macho on the nation's ass. He forgot his role in the constitution and behaved as if he was the law. Maybe he has a defence. I do not say he is guilty. I just say he should face trial - and that if the Crown Prosecution Service was doing its job, rather than accepting political direction, just as Sir Ian Blair did in relation to Kratos, he WOULD face trial.
If you had read more than this post, you would know that as a guest in Russia I do not comment on its politics. Your feeble attempt to distract from Blair's conduct by reference to irrelevances is pretty typical of New Labour though and I am sure other readers noted that.
Posted by: Tom Paine | Thursday, November 06, 2008 at 05:00 AM
The murder of an innocent life was by those in command. They should have prevented Mr De Menzes from entering the tube station. Period. The police we learned lied when they said they clearly issued a warning - but what sane person would issue a warning to a bomber with one click of button to blow them to Allah's Porn Shop? There was no warning and the brave police officers should not be condemned for it. They are forced to lie by a populated government that corrupts and make the letter of the law superior to the spirit.
Posted by: Kinderling | Thursday, November 06, 2008 at 01:18 AM
What rubbish!
This Kratos order was used once and once only, and resulted in a sad error.
Writing as you seem to be from Russia, do you REALLY think the British government's (then and temporary) approach to 'taking people out' compares in any way to that of the Russian government?
To such as Putin and other former spies who refused to extradite a suspect for the evil and cruel Litvinenko murder?
Please desist from calling our former great prime minister a murderer when your present land of choice is run by such. Purportedly.
Posted by: BlairSupporter | Wednesday, November 05, 2008 at 11:05 PM