Must read press release from UK on DSM. They are pounding on Blair.

[blm]

http://www.downingstreetmemo.com


SAN STEFFAN / WESTMINSTER
DATGANIAD I'R WASG PLAID CYMRU THE PARTY OF WALES PRESS RELEASE
Wednesday 29 June 2005 - for immediate release



The Prime Minister has confirmed the authenticity of a Downing Street memo in which Sir Richard Dearlove, the former head of MI6, tells Mr Blair that the Bush administration was "fixing" the intelligence and facts about Saddam Hussein's regime to back up a decision that had been taken to invade Iraq as early as July 2002.



The Downing Street memo which was leaked to the Sunday Times newspaper in May 2005 has become a critical issue in the US. Senators Kennedy and Kerry have joined the escalating debate by writing to the President asking whether or not the memo was authentic and accurate. Downing Street has previously refused to comment on the memo's authenticity, but challenged for the first time on the floor of the House of Commons the Prime Minister has finally confirmed its authenticity.



Speaking after Prime Minister's Questions, Adam Price MP said:



"The confirmation that the memo is authentic will cause ripples throughout the United States where 122 Members of the US Congress have written to the President asking if Sir Richard Dearlove's statement in the memo, that 'the intelligence and the facts are being fixed around the policy' is correct.



"I challenged the Prime Minister on whether Sir Richard Dearlove was a reliable intelligence source, and if so, could he confirm whether his statement was an accurate assessment of the Bush administration's intentions and actions. In his answer, the Prime Minister refuses to distance himself from the assessment made by the former head of MI6 and simply goes on to say resolution 1441 changed the position. I fail to see how this is relevant to my question.



"Today is a significant step forward in establishing the truth about the US and UK's policy to invade Iraq. However difficult it proves to extract information about the war from the government, the Prime Minister must be held to account by Parliament, and the President must be held to account by Congress."


The site also has transcripts from Parliament.

http://www.downingstreetmemo.com

[babsbunny]

1. AMEN!!!

[blm]

9. I know how you feel. This is very exciting.

The world wants Bush out of office and I think they will help us.

[oasis]

2. They're using strong language. They can back it up by keeping Blair's

feet to the fire.

[blm]

7. I think Blair KNOWS he's going down.

I just wonder if he'll be shaking hands with Bush when he falls.

[Cha]

24. Or grabbing him by

the coattail.

[blm]

40. *snort*

heheh....

[Stand and Fight]

3. I've a feeling there could be two geese being cooked...

It seems that roasted goose is on the menu on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. (Edit for grammar.) :bounce:

[blm]

4. I think Conyers and Kerry are working with their counterparts overseas.

I really sense that fromm the way the story is building. They have truly set up a solid foundation first, and both are working their sides of the capitol.

I think we have to send this release along to get MORE senators to sign on to Kerry's letter.

[Stand and Fight]

5. I've got an interesting bit of information for you, blm.

I live in one of the most conservative parts of Oklahoma. Recently a poll was conducted by the local right-wing news station... The question was, "Do you believe that President Bush mislead the nation on the war in Iraq?" The response -- and I remind you that I am in the buckle of the Bible-Bushbot-Belt -- was 62% in the affirmative. He's in trouble daddy-o, don't you know?

[blm]

6. Music to my ears. I don't think Bush is so secure in NC, either.

.

[Stand and Fight]

8. Thank God. n/t

[helderheid]

10. I couldn't find this press release on that site

Could you provide a link? I am sending this out to my state list

[blm]

12. SO SORRY...it's afterdowningstreet....I keep mixing the two cuz they work

together.

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/590

[helderheid]

14. THANK YOU!!

We're doing a July 23rd event! :)

[helderheid]

11. kick so I can get an answer :)

[converted_democrat]

13. This is great !!!!!!

I'm so pleased with our U.K. friends, I think they hate * as much as we do! I'm so happy they aren't backing down!!! Hell, I'm glad we're not backing down either!!!! This has made made my day!!

[blm]

20. The Brit politicos also point to Kerry and Kennedy's efforts that US media

ignores for the most part. In fact, US media barely even reacted when Conyers had his hearings.

[LightningFlash]

15. You're finished Blair!!!!!

Blair the liar!!!!! You're going down! :mad: :mad:

And you Karl Rove....WE'RE COMING, AND WE'RE GOING TO ARREST YOUR ASS AND THROW DOWN THE CORRUPT FBI OFFICERS WITH OUR OWN HANDS!!!!!!!


:banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :mad:

[converted_democrat]

16. Has anyone seen this video of Blair getting grilled???

American media take note!!!! They flat out call him a liar, and they acuse Blair of jumping into war, just because his "best mate" George W. asked him to. I wish to God we had media like this.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=1898492&mesg_id=1898492

[blm]

17. It's their parliamentary system. They're allowed to talk like that.

The media here would dump on any Democrat who talked like that and label them a traitor and demand their resignation 24/7.

[tsuki]

41. Their media recognizes the two party system. Republicans can

talk like that; Democrats cannot.

[blm]

43. And THAT is the root of Dems problems. All the talk about moving to the

center is horseshit, imo.

The Dem party and platform didn't move away from average Americans, but, the media TELLS the public that as if it's a well-known fact. They lie for their corporate masters and their fascist agenda.

[Cha]

25. tony's LYING! I couldn't wait until

the end..I got so sick of him sitting there lying his ass off.

That interviewer was grreat..we need one of him for bush.

The interviewer(sorry don't know his name) said something about wiping the smirk off of tony's face. blair wouldn't apologize for bombing Iraq, either.

[deacon]

18. Ant whisper of this on MSM? of course not-- though it's a HUGE story n/t

[blm]

19. It is huge and that's why the corporate media is staying low-keyed about

it. They have to dampen it as much as possible before it blows up on poor protected Bush.

[bleever]

21. I love Wales. Cymru forever!

There are places where the truth is still spoken.


:thumbsup:

[katinmn]

22. Have you seen the video of Blair getting grilled? It even made me squirm.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=1898492&mesg_id=1898492

[Cha]

23. If Only!

"Today is a significant step forward in establishing the truth about the US and UK's policy to invade Iraq. However difficult it proves to extract information about the war from the government, the Prime Minister must be held to account by Parliament, and the President must be held to account by Congress."

[LightningFlash]

26. Taa daa the emporer has no clothes....

[Lone_Wolf]

27. If Blair goes down * could very well go down as well...

Blair is the weakest link... Maybe we Americans can help the Brits go after Blair? Blair falling would certainly increase the public scrutiny on *.

[LightningFlash]

31. He'd sing like a canary that just got off.....

......To be drinking his liquor in dixie!!!! :mad: :mad: :mad:

And once all of *s crimes were on the table, it'd be time for the ICC.

[Barad Simith]

33. I think it's already over for Blair

He's now in a position where he has no choice other than to make a better case for the invasion than the one that didn't work. Not gonna do it.

[blm]

39. That's what I'm hoping. I never bought that Blair and Bush became close.

I believe that Bush forced Blair into compliance as Palast reported a few years back. I believe he was threatened with economic ruin for England if he challenged Bush's leadership.

[nadinbrzezinski]

28. I once agin turn you all to

Article two, Section Four of the US Constitution

The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

29. Another nail in the impeachment coffin.

[ms liberty]

30. Recommended...excellent news again!

My goodness there's lots of good news at DU tonight isn't there?

[oasis]

32. Kick

[blm]

45. Yep, as long as we can keep it alive.

They still need our help and efforts.

[tenshi816]

34. Adam Price is the member of Parliament

who has been leading the movement to impeach Tony Blair. Unfortunately, the impeachment movement has had little publicity and the average Briton knows nothing about it.

Likewise the DSM. It's just not being covered in depth in the UK, not even by the Times, which broke the story. You'd think they'd continue to follow it, but no, apparently they've lost interest. Again, the average Briton - "the man on the Clapham omnibus" - doesn't seem to care too much.

It's all very frustrating. The only people interested in the DSM are political junkies. Everybody else just sees it as an American problem that doesn't really have anything to do with Britain. I strongly disagree, but that's just the way it is over here. There is no outrage on this side of the pond.

Even the war isn't mentioned much anymore. It's like there's a sense that something's going on, but it doesn't affect people on a day-to-day basis so no one talks about it. British casualties have been far fewer than American ones (89 deaths to date) and it appears that as long as the numbers are small, no one is bothered. Even my brother-in-law, a career soldier until he retired in 2001, has a ho-hum attitude about the war - he just doesn't think about it.

I truly loathe Tony Blair. I always have, even before I had something I could put my finger on as to why I hated him. When I first became aware of who Blair was years ago, I had the same strong negative visceral reaction to him that I subsequently did when I first saw George W. Bush. I had the sense of this is not a good man, that everything he did and does is for his own aggrandizement and not because he's concerned about the well-being of his country.

Tony Blair being grilled is just politics as usual in the UK. It happens to him all the time. He has withstood many calls to step down as prime minister over the years and I don't believe this latest will make any difference at all to him. I fervently hope I'm wrong, but I'm honestly not optimistic. Blair's a tenacious bastard as well as ruthlessly ambitious and he will not go without a fight. It's just a gut feeling I have. I'll be happy to admit I'm wrong though. I don't care what specifically causes him to go, I just want the smarmy, lying little fuck to disappear.

[LightningFlash]

35. Only YOU Can make it spread through the UK media....

Remember that, YOU have the power to put down forest fires!!!!

http://www.rumormillnews.com/MEDIA_EMAIL_ADDRESSES.htm

BBC talks about it 24/7.......Blast it into every area!

[tenshi816]

36. I'm already driving people crazy!

I live in a small town and I'm constantly bombarding people with information to the point that I'm perceived as obsessive. This is why I get so depressed - there's just so damned much apathy around ( I get responses like "Downing Street memo, what's that? - oh yeah, that thing, I think I heard something about it, what's the big deal?", that kind of thing). I find that if people aren't affected personally, they just don't want to know.

This is why I have the feeling that if Tony Blair were to suddenly resign, it would be over a domestic issue like underfunding the NHS or something similar, something that people relate to here at home, rather than over the issue of the war.

Like I said in my previous post, so frustrating.

[Swamp Rat]

37. Thank you for being so "obsessive!"

:D You seem pretty normal to me. :D

[blm]

44. That's because obsessive is normal to us.

We have to be obsessive about our issues or the media would walk all over us even more than they do now.

[tenshi816]

38. Forgot to thank you for the link

Time for me to get cracking on some e-mails now!

[DistressedAmerican]

42. Swing Wrecking Ball Swing!

[McCamy Taylor]

46. When Blair goes, the numbers for Bush Impeachment will rise.

And 2006 is just around the corner.

[dogday]

47. Blair is cracking, I posted an article that

said he was drinking alot....

[blm]

48. Was that article for REAL? I thought it was parody.

.

[dogday]

49. It looked real to me

Some lady used to know Blair said he was out of shape and was drinking more than he used to...

[muriel_volestrangler]

50. Consensus opinion in the UK forum was that it gets him sympathy

since we're all out of shape, and like a drink too!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=191x5552

[blm]

51. Do they think Blair will survive this?

I heard a few days after the Labour's win that alot of Brit pundits think it's just a matter of time before he resigns.

[muriel_volestrangler]

52. He's already said he won't stand at the next election

so that puts a limit of 4 more years. He also said he'd serve 'a full term' (although no-one believes this means he'll resign the day before the election), which you'd normally take to mean at least another 3 years. In the election, things looked a little rocky for him, until Brown, the universally expected successor as Labour leader, gave him strong support (including about going to war in Iraq, about which Brown had kept fairly quiet on the whole). The last 2 weeks of the election was all about whether he was trustworthy, thanks to the DSM and also the publication of the Attorney General's advice on Iraq (which looked very much like he'd been bullied into declaring the war legal by the Americans - a week earlier he'd still had doubts). But since Blair got back in, the feeling seems to be that not enough people distrusted him to be able to kick him out (it would be up to Labour MPs). So the DSM is not a major news story in Britain.

On other fronts, he looks fairly secure. He just survived a vote to introduce ID cards and a central government database of our lives, in the House of Commons (a few Labour MPs rebelled, and everyone else opposed it, but he still won), and it's quite likely the House of Lords will oppose that. But he's unlikely to be brought down by that. The big things in the news at the moment are the G8 conference, with debt/aid/trade, and global warming, the subjects. His apparent stance on those is popular, so he's safe there. The other subject is Europe. Again, things are turnign out well for him there - now he doesn't have to worry about getting a referendum on the EU constitution passed, he has taken a popular line (in Britain) on funding - ie no increase in British contributions without reform of the Common Agricultural Policy. It's Britain's turn as EU President for the rest of this year, and everyone expects him to see that through to the end, at least.

After that, he might resign at any time, I think. If things are going well, and he thinks he can see something to give him a better name, he might try to stay on a year or two. I think it really has got through to him that most people think he was wrong on Iraq, and he will always get hassle for it; so unless he has a specific goal still going then, that would make him seem popular, I think he'll pack it in some time next year.