Via The Telegraph: Tony Blair sidelined the Cabinet over the decision to invade Iraq because he feared ministers would leak sensitive material to the press, the head of the civil service has said. For the moment, this speaks for itself and to the nature of the Blair government, but I’m looking […]
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War planes mark 70th anniversary of Winston Churchill’s Battle of Britain speech – Telegraph
Ex-fighter pilots and relatives of war heroes joined commemorations as Sir Winston Churchill’s stirring ‘so much owed by so many to so few’ speech was read out, prompting tears in the crowd. The actor Robert Hardy began reading out the speech at 3.52pm, exactly 70 years after the wartime prime […]
Read MoreOmnipotent Government – The Rise of the Total State and Total War (1944)
I find most accounts of the Second World War unsatisfying. They usually focus on the events of the war and the actions and speeches of individuals. Rarely does an account consider the ideas which prompted particular courses of action. In a previous post, I excerpted sections of Omnipotent Government: The […]
Read MoreOn the anniversary of Imjin River
Today is the anniversary of one of the most extraordinary battles fought during the Cold War. The battle by the (Glorious) Gloucester Regiment against an entire Chinese army at the Imjin River was one of the most exceptional moments of the war against totalitarian socialism. So, please, if you are […]
Read MoreSir Ken Macdonald on Tony Blair
Via The Scotsman, we learn of Sir Ken Macdonald’s view of Tony Blair in respect of the war in Iraq: TONY Blair deployed “alarming subterfuge” to mislead the British people over the war in Iraq, one of his top law officers has said. Sir Ken Macdonald, who was director of […]
Read MoreBlair commits a revolt against reason
So here I am, back online in our new High Wycombe home, just in time for this revolt against reason: Following the ‘climategate scandal’, Mr Blair said the science may not be “as certain as its proponents allege”. But he said the world should act as a precaution against floods, […]
Read MoreIraq: The war was illegal – The Independent
The Independent reports: Tony Blair will be quizzed over a devastating official memo warning him that war on Iraq would be illegal eight months before he sent troops into Baghdad, it was claimed last night. The Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war will consider a letter from Lord Goldsmith, then Mr […]
Read MoreFour British soldiers die for sake of 150 votes – Times Online
Just 150 Afghan voters dared to go to the ballot box in the area of Helmand province where British soldiers sacrificed their lives to secure a safe election day, it was revealed yesterday. The figures were released as the British Ambassador to Kabul admitted that troops could be engaged in […]
Read MoreD-day Commemoration
On a grey and showery day, skydivers at Weston on the Green commemorated D-day, not by skydiving, but by jumping static line at what for us is a low level: 3500ft. It makes you think. D-day Commemoration – Dornier G92, originally uploaded by stevenjbaker. Sport parachuting is relatively low risk, […]
Read MoreCasualty evacuation: Beth in Iraq
Beth leading the evacuation of a casualty of the Iraq war (we obtained a number of these press photos just today): Click the photo for a larger image.
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