Mistakes in Iraq

Mistakes! Mistakes! Tony Blair and George Bush have at least admitted to mistakes over the war and occupation of Iraq, what a joke. Maybe Blair would do better by actually being at the airbases when the remains of our dead military personnel are returned to this country then he would see the cost of his 'mistakes'. Mind you he does seem to try to bring order to Parliament by starting all his question times reporting on some death or other and who possibly could disrupt that. He is a fraud and a fake, the peoples Princess indeed!!His partner Cherie Booth Blair doesn't have the guts to admit to her mistake over signing a copy of the Hutton into the suicide of David Kelly so when will she admit to any 'mistakes' or errors of judgement.I wrote in January 2003 that I thought that the war would start on the 20th February, I admit to being wrong. It took place almost one month later to the day. Why? because that was when the conditions were right for battle, the moon in particular.The troops were in place, the ships and planes were ready for action. Does anybody actually think that they went into position on the 19th March, no they were there and there could be no more delay. Of course the war was illegal. Blair promised Bush that he could get a second UN resolution and he failed so the legal advice had to be changed so that our troops could not be accused at a later date of murder. Blair is a war criminal and must be impeached by parliament for his lies.Mind you my lone little voice will not get through to the powers that be which is why, whilst Blair is on holiday, this country is being run by his deputy, John Prescott, who continues to live in Dorneywood a property paid for by the National Trust, that is a charity.It has been said byothers that electoral conditions were similar to a banana republic!!! That is an insult to banana republics the world over. We are so much worse than that.

Get out of Iraq

I did not always agree with the late councillor Browning of exeter City council but would like to draw readers attention to the Motion under standing order no. 6 which he drafted for the Exeter City Council meeting on 25th February 2003. Exeter City Council considers that a pre-emptive attack on Iraq is neither necessary nor justified and that it would produce incalculable risks to international peace and stability.Now it goes on a bit but readers can look up the motion in full on the ECC web site.Now his motion was roundly defeated by a coalition of labour and conservative councillors and my point is when is a councillor going to have the guts to draft a motion demanding withdrawal of troops from Iraq.Can anybody, the Prime Minister himself if he dares, give any good reason why British troops are still out there.I will not accept that we must finish the job, whatever that may mean, nor that we must stay there so that those who have died have not died in vain, because in reality they have. If we are not careful then it will be a repeat of the great war where by the end of it nobody fully understood what they were actually fighting for.I was proud of my son when he joined up and served in the parachute regiment, where he passed as the best turned out in his platoon as well as receiving a prize for being the absolute best in his group and even prouder when he was accepted into the SAS but this ill conceived war in Iraq was not why he joined up and I am even now more proud than ever that he has taken the very brave decision to allow himself to be released from the army. The mass media have forgotten about Kendall-Smith but others haven't.In the great war there was a little ditty sung by the troops which goes "we're here because we're here because we're here because we're here" and I am sure that if somebody brought out a record today along those lines the troops would send it straight to number one. Get out now Blair, even if you have to fake some illness or other.

Devon County Counil

so the Executive of Devon County Council have adopted the devon County waste Local Plan, today 2nd May 2006.There is a European Directive 2001/42/EC which comes into effect on the 21st July 2006 and this directive requires that any plans that are completed after 21st July 2006 should undergo environmental assessment. Although the Waste Local Plan has undergoner sustainability appraisal, this process does not meet the requirements of the SEA directive, and it would not be feasible to undertake such an environmental assessment at this advanced stage of the Plan's preparation.Now, dear readers I think that Devon County Council are not at all happy with me saying that they have rushed through the adoption of the local plan so as not to have to complete an environmental assessment of their plan. Where am I so wrong. The European directive was issued in 2001, five years ago. It passed into UK law in 2003, three years ago, and yet the wonderful people over in County hall have ploughed on choosing to ignore the directive. They now say they would have to rip the plan up if they don't adopt it. Why have they left it all so late.Devon county Council is run bythe liberal democrats, who are meant to believe in Green issues yet they adopt a plan which specifically excludes an environmental assessment.These people have lost touch with reality and all we can hope is that the Inspectors Report on the Waste Local Plan tells the County and its officers that it must meet with the European Directive 2001/42/EC.On Thursday spoil your ballot paper and let these people know what you think.