rescind tony knighthood gets thousands signatures

#Rescind tony knighthood gets thousands signatures how to#

It certainly cannot be equated to King George V’s decision to make Lord Lonsdale a Knight of the Garter in 1928 in what was described at the time by a courtier as “sheer tomfoolery”. Kessler’s parlour room logic presumes that a person party to what was described by the victors of the Second World War as a crime against peace can somehow be equated to rewarding banksters for financial misconduct or wealthy donors. “From major donors to political parties to chief executives of soon-to-be insolvent banks, even a cursory glance at the history of our honours system would suggest this is somewhat of a reach.” Kessler’s point is sensible enough: The entire honours system is slimed and soiled, so much so that getting upset about Blair as the “least deserving” of recipients is an act of meaningless stroppiness.Ĭonsider the entire awards system to begin with. “Blair Derangement Syndrome is a curious malady,” charges a smug Jack Kessler of The Evening Standard. Others preferred to see Blair’s critics as incurably diseased. Sir Keir Starmer, his crown as Labour leader looking increasingly unsettled, defended the knighthood as rightfully earned, Blair having “made Britain a better country”. The Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey insisted that calls to rescind the knighthood showed disrespect for the Queen. The latter’s sparring with the poorly briefed US Supreme Court justice turned prosecutor Robert Jackson was eminently superior, but the recently ennobled one could play the trained politician wary of being implicated in past misdeeds.ĭefenders of Sir Tony can be found in the ranks, all of whom essentially follow institutional logic. Sir Tony’s performance before the Chilcot inquiry should be, for students of legal history, placed alongside that of Hermann Göring at the International Military Tribunal proceedings at Nuremberg in 1946. “The report should lay to rest allegations of bad faith, lies or deceit.” The slippery Blair preferred another reading. It was also clear that peaceful options had not been exhausted. The Chilcot inquiry into the origins of the Iraq War did not openly challenge the legality of the Iraq invasion in 2003 by Coalition forces but noted that Saddam Hussein posed no immediate threat to Western states.

#Rescind tony knighthood gets thousands signatures how to#

(Never one to be too firmly attached to his ideals, Blair is currently advising the government of President Aleksandar Vučić who, as information minister of the Milošević regime, knew a thing or two in how to demonise Muslim Kosovars.) The evangelical Blair of war adventurism will be forever associated with Iraq’s invasion in 2003, though most current commentary avoids his role in promoting humanitarian imperialism in NATO’s bombing of Serbia in 1999. For this alone he should be held accountable for war crimes.” He was personally responsible for causing the death of countless innocent, civilian lives and servicemen in various conflicts. (To date, the number is 755,879.) The award, says the petition, is “the oldest and most senior British Order of Chivalry.” It asserts that Blair “caused irreparable damage to both the constitution of the United Kingdom and to the very fabric of the nation’s society. Within hours, a petition launched by Angus Scott calling for the rescission of the award garnered thousands of signatures. “It is an immense honour,” came the statement from the foundation that bears his name, “to be appointed Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, and I am deeply grateful to Her Majesty the Queen.”

His name appeared in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list, having been made a Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. The recently knighted Tony Blair is certainly not one to bother. Flip many a peace prize over and you are bound to find the smouldering remains of a war criminal’s legacy. You are bestowed such things as a reminder of your worth to the establishment rather than your unique contribution to the good quotient of humanity.

From the Nobel Peace Prize to the range of eccentric and esoteric orders bestowed each year in Britain by Her Majesty, diddling and manipulating is never far behind.

Awards and honours bestowed by States or private committees, republican or monarchical, are bound to be corrupted by considerations of hypocrisy, racketeering and general, chummy disposition.