Hats off to the Westminster 23!
Public protest is a vital part of any true democracy. When people are angry about something, it's right and healthy that they should take to the streets to voice their unhappiness. To the thousnads of British citizens who have protested, and who continue to protest, against their government's insane support for Bush's war in Iraq, I say "more power to you."
But protest is not enough. Another sign of a healthy democracy is the ability to address the concerns of protestors within the political system itself. As such, I was heartened this week to hear that the motion calling for the impeachment of Tony Blair for his lies in the run up to the war was tabled in the House of Commons on Wednesday.
How far this initaitive gets, nobody knows. It has already gone further than I expected it to. I hope it goes a lot further yet. My sincerest thanks to the 23 MPs who had the guts to support this motion. The other 600 odd parliamentarians know just as well that Blair lied to them. It's only a matter of how many gin and tonics they would need before they could admit it. But to the brave few who have restored a modicum of faith in the democratic process and kept this issue on the agenda, I say bravo! Take a bow:
David Amess (Cons)
Richard Bacon (Cons)
Angela Browning (Cons)
Nigel Evans (Cons)
Annabelle Ewing (SNP)
Roger Gale (Cons)
George Galloway (Respect)
Edward Garnier (Cons)
John Gummer (Cons)
Douglas Hogg (Cons)
Boris Johnson (Cons)
Elfyn Llwyd (Plaid)
Paul Marsden (Lib)
Richard Page (Cons)
Adam Price (Plaid)
Angus Robertson (SNP)
Alex Salmond (SNP)
Richard Taylor (Independent)
Simon Thomas (Plaid)
Jenny Tonge (Lib)
Mike Weir (SNP)
Hywel Williams (Plaid)
Pete Wishart (SNP)
To sign the petition supporting this move, click here Link