A View From Rural Wales

A Time to Stand

Its not just that I disagreed. I was utterly nauseated. The standing ovation given to Tony Blair on his last appearance in the House of Commons was an affront to the dignity of the Houses of Parliament. That was my opinion at the time. I read in today's Wales on Sunday that David Davies, MP for Monmouth remained sitting in his seat when all around him stood up to heap applause on a most undeserving recipient. I quite often disagree with my good friend, David - but this time he was spot on. I wonder if I would have had the courage to stand out and not stand up as he did, if I'd been an MP.

No-one has done more to debase parliamentary democracy during my lifetime than Tony Blair. His politicisation of the Civil Service, his contempt for the House of Commons, the sheer dishonesty of the 'spin' which he surrounded himself with, inflicted great damage on our politics. If it hadn't been for the good work he did in Northern Ireland, when the ambiguity of his language actually worked beneficially, I really do believe that Tony Blair would have been the worst Prime Minister that Britain had in the 20th century.

The reason I feel such disillusionment with Tony Blair, is the same reason that David Davies didn't stand up in the House of Commons. Its that he so comprehensively deceived us over the reasons for the Iraq invasion. At the time, I accepted my Prime Minister's solemn assurance that Britain was under threat. Nothing else would justify the inevitable loss of life that would follow. It was not possible that our Prime Minister would mislead us over the intelligence. But deceive us he did. And thousands of lives have been lost - and thousands more will be lost. no way did this man deserve a standing ovation. More a collective 'good riddance' as he left the crucible of British democracy for the last time. Tony Blair will not be missed. Well done David Davies.