Guardian - A former general has called for impeachment proceedings against Tony Blair, accusing the prime minister of misleading parliament and the public over the invasion of Iraq.

General Sir Michael Rose, commander of UN forces in Bosnia in 1994, writes in today's Guardian: "The impeachment of Mr Blair is now something I believe must happen if we are to rekindle interest in the democratic process in this country once again". Britain was led into war on false pretences, he says. "It was a war that was to unleash untold suffering on the Iraqi people and cause grave damage to the west's prospects in the wider war against global terror."

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Reflecting widespread unease among serving military chiefs over Iraq, Gen Rose says most British people had consistently opposed the decision to invade. ...

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I don't believe that to be true.

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British support for Iraq war tumbles
16/03/2004 - 7:35:23 PM

British public support for the war in Iraq has dropped to 43%, from 61% last May at the end of that war, according to a poll released tonight.

The Pew Global Attitudes Project survey found, however, that a slight majority of Britons, 51%, viewed British Prime Minister Tony Blair favourably.

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Not trying to be a stickler here, but I have a real pet peeve about self-exonerating rhetoric from certain anti-war Brits. The idea that the UK was dragged into this war against its will is simply false.

http://tinyurl.com/afe48

[ 10 January 2006: Message edited by: voice of the damned ]

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Originally posted by Clog-boy:
Great, now all we need is a U.S. general to do the same and we're pretty much there...

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Faith is quite right, votd. The largest anti-war demonstration of all was in London before the invasion, and polls showed clearly that the majority of the country was against the action. Obviously that changed once the troops were committed, as it always does. People like to think that if they are positive, some good can come out of this, and nobody likes to speak out against military actions that are in operation, because they want to support the troops in danger.
It doesn't change the fact that when Tony went to war, he did so against the public will.

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Yes, but the gerneral's quote was:

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Reflecting widespread unease among serving military chiefs over Iraq, Gen Rose says most British people had consistently opposed the decision to invade. ...

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I take the word "consistently" to mean that the British never supported the decision to invade. But I guess it could be argued that "supporting the war" and "supporting the decision to invade" are two different things(if you really wanted to get technical).

Your analysis of British public opinion is plausible, but perhaps somewhat charitable as well. It could also be the case that the British public began to support the war when it looked like the war would be a cakewalk, and turned against it when it looked like it would be less so.

And plus, where was all this anti-war sentiment in the last general election? 70% of the vote went to pro-war parties. Okay, so there were no credible anti-war parties to speak of, but why was that, if the British electorate was so hungry for an anti-war option?

My own take on it is that British anti-war sentiment is a mile wide and an inch deep.

EDIT: I should retract my speecific statement about Britian not being forced to go to war against its will, assuming that the pre-war poll numbers you cite are valid.

[ 11 January 2006: Message edited by: voice of the damned ]

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Originally posted by Clog-boy:
Great, now all we need is a U.S. general to do the same and we're pretty much there...

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It happened yesterday in the USA.

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PRESS ADVISORY; URGENT January 9, 2006

From: International Commission of Inquiry on Crimes Against Humanity Committed by the Bush Administration

TRIBUNAL INDICTS BUSH ADMINISTRATION FOR WAR CRIMES
AND CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY

INDICTMENTS TO BE DELIVERED TO THE WHITE HOUSE ON TUESDAY JAN. 10th

When: 1:30 p.m. January 10, 2006 Where: The White House, Walk-in Gate, across from Lafayette Park
www.bushcommission.org
Contact: Connie Julian 917-449-9064, or Janet Yip 212-941-8086, or e-mail: [email protected]

An unprecedented series of indictments alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity, in five separate areas, on moral, political, and legal grounds, will be delivered by a citizens’ tribunal to President Bush at the front gate of the White House this Tuesday, January 10th.

Named in the indictments are:
President of the United States George W. Bush, Vice President Richard Cheney, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, U.S. Army Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, U.S. Army Major General Geoffrey Miller, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, et al.

The indictments will be delivered to the White House by:
Retired CIA analyst Ray McGovern, authors William Blum and Larry Everest, Code Pink, Mike Hersh (Progressive Democrats of America/After Downing Street), Kevin Zeese (Director, Democracy Rising; candidate for U.S. Senate in Maryland), Travis Morales (World Can’t Wait--Drive Out the Bush Regime) and others TBA.

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