The Global Sociology Blog

Everybody should read Tony Karon’s blog, Rootless Cosmopolitan , as a general rule. But I want to point out one item :

"Converted to Catholicism, ‘e did. And now he’s out to save the world . The problem with the idea of a global conversation between Muslims and Christians refereed by Tony Blair? Two words: Tony Blair.

The very idea that the co-author of the Iraq war; the man currently tasked with implementing a U.S. Middle East policy premised aimed at building up the regime of Mahmoud Abbas against Hamas — through such signal achievements as getting the Israelis to remove four (yes, four!) West Bank checkpoints — a man who suggests that there’s no basis whatsoever in reality to the grievances against the West imagined by most Muslims — the idea that this fellow is going to morph into the great conciliator between Muslims and the West, shows the utter dearth of feedback in the Bush-Bono bubble wrapped world in which he moves."

I wish I could write snark like that. And the rest is of the same caliber. Bottom line, Tony Blair was George Bush’s (willing or not willing, who cares) lapdog. But what is worse is that for all the claims to religious values (another pile of BS if we ever heard one), Tony Blair is a big phony, as illustrated by this item from Le Nouvel Observateur :

"The former British Prime Minister decided to make public his wife’s miscarriage to avoid the spread of rumors of Iraq invasion."

That’s right, Mr "We need the moral strength of religions" used his wife’s miscarriage as a propaganda tool to avoid dealing with the problem of England’s complicity on the then upcoming Iraq war. And who is the source for this: his wife, in her book. As she tells it: here she is, bleeding, while Tony and Alastair Campbell are discussing how to manage the press (if the Blair family cancelled its vacation without an explanation, the press might think that the invasion was imminent, better use the miscarriage).

Oh, and as for religion, Tony Blair’s position are of the usual condenscending and loathsome patronizing, for instance :

"Blair and those working with him think religion is key to the global agenda. "You can’t hope to understand what’s happening in the world if you don’t know that religion is a very important force in people’s lives," says Ruth Turner, 37, formerly a top aide to Blair in 10 Downing Street, who will head the foundation. "You can’t make the world work properly unless you understand that."

Tony Blair, please go away, on a pilgrimage or something, but leave the world alone, you’ve created enough mess as it is. But actually, such ideas might find a sympathetic ear someplace else (another thing that makes me want to throw up).