Here's what I don't get about the whole Blair hatred thing from the left

[Pokster]

No, but the numbers make it clear that a sizeable number of people who opposed the war must have voted for Blair after the fact. After all, even if just the two million people who marched against it didn't vote for him you'd have seen a sizeable swing away from Labour, so extrapolating that across the country, you are forced to assume that many millions of people who opposed the war and are happily mouthing off about the Chilcott Report nonetheless voted for Blair in 2005.

As for the argument that there were no alternative parties, that's simply not true as the LibDems opposed the war. It is equally the case that simply withholding one's vote altogether was an option that was available to absolutely everyone.

The fact is that many of those wringing their hands and wagging their fingers after the Chilcott Report simply didn't care as much about Blair's Iraq war as much as they like to pretend, which makes their faux outrage pretty hard to stomach.

That would be true if the war in Iraq was the only election point in 2005.. it wasn't, the economy wtc will have been up there. So it isn't a shock that Labour voters still voted Labour as the economy was still doing well then, and we hadn't had the "boom and bust" that we had through the 80's and early 90's

[Burney]

That would be true if the war in Iraq was the only election point in 2005.. it wasn't, the economy wtc will have been up there. So it isn't a shock that Labour voters still voted Labour as the economy was still doing well then, and we hadn't had the "boom and bust" that we had through the 80's and early 90's

Of course it wasn't the only issue, but the fact that people were clearly prepared to overlook the small matter of Blair having dragged the country into what they believe was an illegal and unnecessary war for which our military was clearly unprepared and which caused the deaths of thousands simply because they felt the economy was doing well rather gives the lie to their outrage and apparent hatred of him, doesn't it?

[SWv2]

Of course it wasn't the only issue, but the fact that people were clearly prepared to overlook the small matter of Blair having dragged the country into what they believe was an illegal and unnecessary war for which our military was clearly unprepared and which caused the deaths of thousands simply because they felt the economy was doing well rather gives the lie to their outrage and apparent hatred of him, doesn't it?

I would imagine a lot of people are so ingrained in a political party (or belief?) that election after election they will just tick the same box.

You can disagree with or hate Blair but still be a Labour supporter, you are after all really voting for a local MP.

[Burney]

I would imagine a lot of people are so ingrained in a political party (or belief?) that election after election they will just tick the same box.

You can disagree with or hate Blair but still be a Labour supporter, you are after all really voting for a local MP.

That's true, but it's only getting people who voted for him off on a technicality, isn't it? Everyone will have been aware that, by ticking the box next to their Labour candidate, they were in effect putting someone they considered a war criminal back into Number 10. I find that fact hard to reconcile with their apparent implacable contempt for said war criminal.

[Dr Headgear - Wannabe viking]

That's true, but it's only getting people who voted for him off on a technicality, isn't it? Everyone will have been aware that, by ticking the box next to their Labour candidate, they were in effect putting someone they considered a war criminal back into Number 10. I find that fact hard to reconcile with their apparent implacable contempt for said war criminal.

Your unique ability for utterly facile argument is well demonstrated here.

[Burney]

Your unique ability for utterly facile argument is well demonstrated here.

Merely pointing out the left's apparently limitless capacity for self-serving humbug, hypocrisy and sanctimony as ever, doc.

[Pokster]

Merely pointing out the left's apparently limitless capacity for self-serving humbug, hypocrisy and sanctimony as ever, doc.

So when May wins the Tory leadership as a Remainer that won't be hypocrisy by Tory members at all?

[Dr Headgear - Wannabe viking]

Merely pointing out the left's apparently limitless capacity for self-serving humbug, hypocrisy and sanctimony as ever, doc.

No, you're just being a cock.

[Ash]

edit: never mind

[Pokster]

I would imagine a lot of people are so ingrained in a political party (or belief?) that election after election they will just tick the same box.

You can disagree with or hate Blair but still be a Labour supporter, you are after all really voting for a local MP.

Michael Howard was the Tory leader at the time and he was ****ing useless...