Tom Hark Preston Park
Will Post For Cash
- Jul 6, 2003
- 71,897
Tonight, I’m proud to say I shook the hand that gave the finger to Tony Blair over Iraq.
In the Women’s Guildy setting of the Old Market in Upper Market Street, Hove – five pounds admission including free glass of wine - you wanted Robin Cook to field questions all night. The man is witty, hyper-intelligent, gentle, morally straight as a rod and had the 200 or so of us present feeling privileged to hear first hand of the former Foreign Secretary’s dealings with world-class monsters such as Slobodan Milosevic and Dick Cheney, and his crucial views on ‘Tony’ (‘He didn’t flat out lie, but he was certainly less than candid’. That’ll be lying then…
Robin Cook bemoans the alienation of the electorate and the loss of trust in politicians arising from the Iraq ‘episode’. In the same way that those of us in the anti-war camp can fully appreciate the humanity in Colonel Tim Collins speech to his men on the eve of the Iraq war, I would defy anybody in the pro-war camp not to do a serious double-take on their views after an evening with the only member of the cabinet with the balls, insight and honesty to resign over a Bush administration-led adventure which has at a stroke managed to wipe out the post-11/9 feeling of nations of the world that ‘We Are All Americans Now’ and ultimately made the world an infinitely more dangerous place than it was before. Robin Cook's resignation speech from the government earnt an unheard-of round of applause which up til then was frankly just not done old bean. To read that speech is to understand the core of the war.
Robin Cook's Resignation Speech In Full
I heartily recommend the book. Not that I’ve had a chance to read it yet. Will stay up all night tonight and do just that. But I just know from listening to the guy talk for a couple of hours that it is a must-read for anybody with a take on the war. Which is most people with an IQ higher than their shoe size, I’d guess. Like Will Hutton of The Observer says: this is ‘The political book of the year; a lucid and compelling insider’s account of the two years that define the Blair Prime Ministership’. £7.99 paperback – check www.simonsays.co.uk to order, or get along to City Books at 23 Western Road, Hove (01273 725306) for a signed copy. Be rude not to, aye?
Back in the bar I showed Robin Cook a copy of the Falmer March flyer and explained that Albion Fans would be taking part in a peaceful march on the Monday of Conference and explained that our immediate future lay in the hands of his colleague, one Mr. J.Prescott Esq. He was only to happy to add a message of support to my nicked poster.
What a top bloke is all I can say.
(photos to follow in a couple of mins when I get 'em hosted)
In the Women’s Guildy setting of the Old Market in Upper Market Street, Hove – five pounds admission including free glass of wine - you wanted Robin Cook to field questions all night. The man is witty, hyper-intelligent, gentle, morally straight as a rod and had the 200 or so of us present feeling privileged to hear first hand of the former Foreign Secretary’s dealings with world-class monsters such as Slobodan Milosevic and Dick Cheney, and his crucial views on ‘Tony’ (‘He didn’t flat out lie, but he was certainly less than candid’. That’ll be lying then…
Robin Cook bemoans the alienation of the electorate and the loss of trust in politicians arising from the Iraq ‘episode’. In the same way that those of us in the anti-war camp can fully appreciate the humanity in Colonel Tim Collins speech to his men on the eve of the Iraq war, I would defy anybody in the pro-war camp not to do a serious double-take on their views after an evening with the only member of the cabinet with the balls, insight and honesty to resign over a Bush administration-led adventure which has at a stroke managed to wipe out the post-11/9 feeling of nations of the world that ‘We Are All Americans Now’ and ultimately made the world an infinitely more dangerous place than it was before. Robin Cook's resignation speech from the government earnt an unheard-of round of applause which up til then was frankly just not done old bean. To read that speech is to understand the core of the war.
Robin Cook's Resignation Speech In Full
I heartily recommend the book. Not that I’ve had a chance to read it yet. Will stay up all night tonight and do just that. But I just know from listening to the guy talk for a couple of hours that it is a must-read for anybody with a take on the war. Which is most people with an IQ higher than their shoe size, I’d guess. Like Will Hutton of The Observer says: this is ‘The political book of the year; a lucid and compelling insider’s account of the two years that define the Blair Prime Ministership’. £7.99 paperback – check www.simonsays.co.uk to order, or get along to City Books at 23 Western Road, Hove (01273 725306) for a signed copy. Be rude not to, aye?
Back in the bar I showed Robin Cook a copy of the Falmer March flyer and explained that Albion Fans would be taking part in a peaceful march on the Monday of Conference and explained that our immediate future lay in the hands of his colleague, one Mr. J.Prescott Esq. He was only to happy to add a message of support to my nicked poster.
What a top bloke is all I can say.
(photos to follow in a couple of mins when I get 'em hosted)
