Take the opportunity to have your cpu upgraded to an 8bit unit during your downtime.

Always enjoyable to see Tony Blair being praised for standing up to Islamism, and to wonder how Verity will respond. (S)he’s an inveterate War on Terrormonger who also believes the Blairs are Satan’s spawn.

“Does not compute… does not compute… Aaaaagh!!!” (Blows circuits, temporary downtime pending repair)

Unless Tone’s been promised a post PM job in the White House when he’s eventually booed off the British stage in his final British incarnation: pantomime villain. I have never read a satisfactory explanation of what motivated Blair to do the right thing in Iraq. It is a total mystery.

I imagine George Bush has Tony Blairs testicles firmly in his grasp, any time Tony looks like he is wavering off message, George just gives a little squeeze.

That would account for the passonate rhetoric.

Metaphorically speaking of course.

Blair’s powerful rhetoric? He sounds like a drag queen on a bad wig day. Any more hissing and the snake wranglers would be out.

Blair first wanted to be an actor and got roles in school plays. (I believe he played Ariel. Or maybe it was Puck. Anyway, something fey.) Then he was going to be a rock star and started a group called Ugly Rumours. If you saw a photo of him in his Mick Jagger costume and pose, you would get a chill of embarrassment or, like me, have a hearty laugh .

Well, Mick had nothing to worry about and Tony decided on another attention-seeking career in which he could dress up: barrister. (In Britain, they wear wigs and gowns.) Centre of attention. Meeeeeeeeee!

His legal career seems to have been financed by the taxpayer, via Legal Aid. Next career in which he could be the centre of attention – politician! (As a side issue, he and Cherie were enthusiastic members of the CND. Yes. Peaceniks.)

What motivated Blair to join the US in Iraq may remain a mystery forever. But certainly it had nothing to do with principle. But he likes drama and grand gestures and he craves to be a war leader, like Thatcher. Thatcher, a genuine war leader because she was defending British territory, posed in the turret of a tank in the Falklands. Blair, with the Man Tan slathered on and a whiter than white shirt open at the neck (the closest he dared to get to Lawrence of Arabia) posed with a tank in Iraq.

He still adores swishing about in costumes. When he was going to Moscow to see Putin, he had a floor length Astrakhan coat packed for posing in. Alastair Campbell vetoed it, although I wish he hadn’t. James Thurber was prescient when he invented Walter Mitty.

Jacob, you don’t know the half of Blair.

It’s not mere deception. He did send British troops to fight along the Americans in Iraq, didn’t he ?

Rhetoric is an important ingredigent of policy, an important factor. The great Reagan was about 90% rhetoric.

I’d rather have Blair’s powerful rhetoric on “our” side than on the Galloway-Moore side !

A guy can be right on some issues and wrong on others. No need to demonize him more than is due.

Determines which medicines and treatments should be made available on the NHS. The spin is that it determines which treatments are best for us whilst the reality is that it is a method of rationing healthcare.