Reply #16: Blair is delusional [View All]

[fedsron2us]

but he shares this trait with quite a few UK politicians. They wander around in buildings built during the apogee of the British Empire and imagine that they are far more important and influential than is truly the case. In reality their country has not been a significant world power since it bankrupted itself fighting the Nazis in the Second World War. Unfortunately, the establishment can not bear the thought that they are insignificant. As a consequence they are often tempted to take their modest pile of chips into the high stakes poker game of international politics. Blair's gamble of sending British troops to Iraq is typical of this malaise. The actual significance of the UK military contingent is tiny compared to the USA. Yet even this modest commitment is way beyond what Britain can really afford. The claim that such adventure give us 'influence' or 'allow Britain to punch above its weight' do not stand up to any close analysis. The sad fact is that, since Suez, the UK's foreign policy has essentially been made in Washington not London. The puppet masters job is made all the easier because the preening vanity of the British political class makes them so easy to manipulate. The real tragedy of this situation is that the UK has many serious domestic problems that require urgent attention of Parliament and government. These are ignored or sidelined while people like Blair fritter away the money and the lives of their citizens in a desperate attempt to secure their personal page in history.