usenetposts
04.03.06, 11:44
This article made Tony Blair's ratings go up a few steps in my view:
tinyurl.com/qt8po
Blair: God will judge me on Iraq
By George Jones, Political Editor
(Filed: 04/03/2006)
Tony Blair believes he will be judged by God and history on whether he did
the "right thing" in taking Britain to war against Iraq three years ago.
Interviewed by Michael Parkinson, Mr Blair said he "struggled" with his
conscience over the decision to join the US-led invasion.
Tony Blair: The decision to invade Iraq 'had to be lived with'
More than 100 British servicemen, as well as thousands of Iraqis have died in
the continuing insurgency.
It was the frankest admission Mr Blair has yet made about how his religious
beliefs influence his actions as Prime Minister, particularly the life and
death decisions involved in military action.
Mr Blair said he made policy decisions according to his conscience, which is
guided by his Christian faith. But he did not go as far as President George W
Bush who reportedly claimed that his decision to invade Iraq was "a mission
from God".
Although Mr Blair is a regular churchgoer, he has been reluctant to talk
about religion and politics because of his fear of being portrayed as the
same sort of evangelical Christian as President Bush.
Mr Blair's former spin doctor, Alastair Campbell, was once reported to have
said: "We don't do God."
In the interview to be broadcast on ITV1 tonight, Mr Blair said decisions on
military conflict were the toughest he had faced since he came to power in
1997.
He refused to be drawn on whether he prayed before deciding on military
action. Three years ago, he was involved in an angry exchange with the
Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman, who asked him if he and President Bush
prayed together.
However, David Aikman, a former senior writer on Time magazine, claimed in a
book about President Bush 18 months ago that Mr Blair and Mr Bush prayed
together in the lead up to the Iraq war and shared a "spiritual affinity".
Mr Blair denied that despite "some really difficult moments" he had ever
wished he had not become Prime Minister. He still regarded the job as a
privilege. Asked about the Iraq war, Mr Blair said the decision had to
be "lived with".
"In the end there is a judgment that … well, I think if you have faith about
these things then you realise that judgment is made by other people," Mr
Blair said.
Asked what he meant by that, Mr Blair added: "By other people, by, if you
believe in God, it's made by God as well. The only way you can take a
decision like that is to try to do the right thing, according to your
conscience and for the rest of it you leave it to the judgment that history
will make."
Mr Blair said religion had been a way into politics. But asked by Parkinson
if he regarded himself as a Christian Socialist, he said: "It's a long time
since anyone used the word socialist about me."
Having just reprieved Tessa Jowell, the Culture Secretary, in the controversy
over her husband's business interests, he admitted that it was tough sacking
friends.
"You feel for them very much in that situation."
Mr Blair again refused to be drawn on when he would stand down as Prime
Minister, and insisted that he remained friends with Gordon Brown despite the
Chancellor's growing impatience at being denied the top job.
He admitted there were "difficulties" in their relationship. But they had
known each other for 20 years. "I am proud to call him a friend and I always
will be."
Mr Blair disclosed that the first time he had a "proper chat" with his father-
in-law, the actor Tony Booth, after he married Cherie, they sat down and Mr
Booth said: "Do you mind if I light a joint? - So I said no, incidentally."
Mr Blair said his health was fine after surgery in September, 2004, to
correct a heart flutter. He recently received a letter from a woman whose
daughter was "terrified" at the prospect of having the same operation. "So I
gave her a call. It's not so bad, the operation is very simple and once it's
done you're cured."