2003 invasion of Iraq « Dr Alf's Blog

This is a recommended op-ed, written by Madeleine Albright, published in the NYT. She was Secretary of State under Bill Clinton from 1997 to 2001. She takes a hard look at the growing popularity of Fascism and for her Trump is part of the problem rather than the solution. Sadly, she’s light on suggestions. Part of the challenge is the increasing polarization of power, with the alternative to the Far Right being the Far Left – for example, consider Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the Labour Party in the UK. Political leaders representing the polarities turn to populism knowing that they can subordinate evidence and for them the end justifies the means. With Trump increasingly acting like a dictator, surely it will take a major crisis to effectively curtail Trump’s power? Thoughts?

Will We Stop Trump Before It’s Too Late? https://t.co/03SVOY3JRr

— Alf Oldman (@DrAlfOldman) April 9, 2018



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Here’s an insightful read from the Independent. Citing Tony Blair, it suggests that Brexit can still be stopped if Britain’s leaders realise EU officials are prepared to “meet us halfway” on restricting the free movement of people. While the former Labour Prime Minister admitted there is “no groundswell” for a second referendum on membership of the EU, Mr Blair said it is possible that the will of the British people could change as the public becomes more aware of the potential economic damage of hard Brexit.

Source: Tony Blair says Brexit can be stopped if UK leaders realise the EU will ‘meet us halfway’ | The Independent

Although he’s a bit out of favour because of the Iraqi war, I still rate Blair as head and shoulders over the current team leading the Labour Party. Blair was an inspirational leader and was very much the man for his time. Of course, he had a huge political mandate, which he squandered but we know that politics has a corrupting influence. In the early days, he closely relied on focus groups, then he lived in rarefied air, removed from the people – the rest is history.

But Blair in his day was a top-class statesman and he’s right about Brexit. The thing is, Corbyn is more concerned with installing a Far Left Labour government, possibly as early as the Autumn 2017, rather than helping the UK make a better strategic case on Brexit. Meanwhile, the Conservatives are in ‘demob’ summer holiday mood, and they don’t seem to care that they don’t have an effective leader.

Thoughts?