1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:04,759 to add to the heated political Fallout 2 00:00:02,159 --> 00:00:07,240 of the Iraq crisis tonight three former 3 00:00:04,759 --> 00:00:08,920 UK ambassadors and major public figures 4 00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:11,000 have called for Tony Blair's removal as 5 00:00:08,920 --> 00:00:12,719 Middle East Envoy that campaign is 6 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:15,440 supported by MPS from different parties 7 00:00:12,719 --> 00:00:17,279 including respect MP George Galloway who 8 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:19,240 joins us now from catbridge in Scotland 9 00:00:17,279 --> 00:00:21,880 and with be here Tony Blair's former 10 00:00:19,240 --> 00:00:24,279 special adviser John murnan and I 11 00:00:21,880 --> 00:00:26,480 suppose inevitably given tonight 12 00:00:24,279 --> 00:00:28,560 extraordinary developments across Iraq 13 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:30,800 and across the Middle East generally uh 14 00:00:28,560 --> 00:00:33,280 George Galloway won is to question 15 00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:36,600 whether uh your preference for the 16 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:39,680 unelected dictators in Assad and Saddam 17 00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:43,280 Hussein perhaps beats Tony Blair's 18 00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:43,280 interest in um invading 19 00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:47,920 Iraq well that's an entirely false 20 00:00:45,760 --> 00:00:50,480 dichotomy and a diversion from what 21 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:53,760 we're here to talk about which is the 22 00:00:50,480 --> 00:00:56,680 seven years that Tony Blair has spent as 23 00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:59,199 the quartet's envoy they've been seven 24 00:00:56,680 --> 00:01:01,760 fat years for him but they've been seven 25 00:00:59,199 --> 00:01:04,439 lean years for the people of the Arab 26 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:07,280 Middle East the Palestinians are under 27 00:01:04,439 --> 00:01:11,040 lockdown being shot down being arrested 28 00:01:07,280 --> 00:01:13,320 on a mass basis every day uh Egypt is 29 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:17,000 falling to pieces as you've just been 30 00:01:13,320 --> 00:01:20,799 discussing and do I need to mention Iraq 31 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:24,600 which is now almost not a functioning 32 00:01:20,799 --> 00:01:27,840 State at all so it's enough enough is 33 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:30,119 enough it's time to sack blair. org 34 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:32,159 thousands of people are signing up 35 00:01:30,119 --> 00:01:35,040 including British ambassadors that we 36 00:01:32,159 --> 00:01:36,880 pay for their expertise in the Middle 37 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:38,960 East that that that's enough of the 38 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:41,640 promotion for your um campaign but let 39 00:01:38,960 --> 00:01:43,159 me talk to you John MC murnan it must be 40 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:44,560 very hard not to look at the Middle East 41 00:01:43,159 --> 00:01:47,079 and say hang on a minute if we could 42 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:49,200 wind the clock back this was a grave 43 00:01:47,079 --> 00:01:51,759 mistake and it was a mistake in which Mr 44 00:01:49,200 --> 00:01:54,000 Blair was very very heavily involved the 45 00:01:51,759 --> 00:01:56,479 original Invasion no it wasn't a mistake 46 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:58,280 to uh go into Iraq it's not a mistake 47 00:01:56,479 --> 00:02:01,079 now to try to defend Kurdish democracy 48 00:01:58,280 --> 00:02:04,119 and Iraqi democracy but is a mistake is 49 00:02:01,079 --> 00:02:06,119 to in some way decide that hang on Iraqi 50 00:02:04,119 --> 00:02:07,399 democracy that has excluded the sunnis I 51 00:02:06,119 --> 00:02:09,720 mean in the sense that they have no role 52 00:02:07,399 --> 00:02:12,040 in government in Iraqi democracy which 53 00:02:09,720 --> 00:02:14,040 is yet as Lindsay said on your report to 54 00:02:12,040 --> 00:02:16,200 form a new government the voters 55 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:17,360 punished al- Malaki uh now the 56 00:02:16,200 --> 00:02:19,040 government has to be formed there but 57 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:21,599 there is democracy there five elections 58 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:23,519 since 2003 but the point here is it's 59 00:02:21,599 --> 00:02:25,640 not right to blame Tony Blair for the 60 00:02:23,519 --> 00:02:28,080 failure of the government of Israel to 61 00:02:25,640 --> 00:02:30,879 come to a peace deal with uh the 62 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:32,560 Palestinian people that is a failure in 63 00:02:30,879 --> 00:02:35,120 Israel Tony Blair's visited the Middle 64 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:36,480 East 117 times he's working hard with 65 00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:38,440 all the principles he's working hard on 66 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:39,800 economic development he's doing the job 67 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:42,239 the quarter asked him to do well let's 68 00:02:39,800 --> 00:02:44,640 put that specific point um not fair to 69 00:02:42,239 --> 00:02:46,400 blame Tony Blair for for Israel do you 70 00:02:44,640 --> 00:02:49,120 want us to stick to Iraq or we got to 71 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:51,879 talk about Israel as 72 00:02:49,120 --> 00:02:53,599 well well everyone is blaming him 73 00:02:51,879 --> 00:02:55,640 everyone except the one man you managed 74 00:02:53,599 --> 00:02:57,760 to find in London who's counting the 75 00:02:55,640 --> 00:03:00,959 number of times he's visited the Middle 76 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:04,879 East a fat lot of good all those 117 77 00:03:00,959 --> 00:03:07,840 visits have done the uh Gaza Strip is 78 00:03:04,879 --> 00:03:10,799 living on the edge of starvation the 79 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:14,120 West Bank is on lockdown there have been 80 00:03:10,799 --> 00:03:18,280 four children killed in the last 10 days 81 00:03:14,120 --> 00:03:20,799 by Israel the Egyptian regime is locking 82 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:23,799 up Al jazer journalists and sentencing 83 00:03:20,799 --> 00:03:28,000 your own former colleague to 10 years in 84 00:03:23,799 --> 00:03:30,280 jail Iraq is half controlled by Al-Qaeda 85 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:33,239 and the other half appears to be in the 86 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:36,519 hands of Shiite militia it is an 87 00:03:33,239 --> 00:03:39,200 absolute unalloyed catastrophe and if 88 00:03:36,519 --> 00:03:43,239 John murnan was being honest he'd have 89 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:45,360 to agree that Mr Blair for all his 117 90 00:03:43,239 --> 00:03:47,519 visits is not achieving anything well 91 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:49,720 let me take time for him go let let me 92 00:03:47,519 --> 00:03:51,360 take John mcturner back to Israel where 93 00:03:49,720 --> 00:03:55,519 was Tony Blair when the Israelis were 94 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:57,040 flattening Gaza the the point about t 95 00:03:55,519 --> 00:03:59,879 that's a big question where was he how 96 00:03:57,040 --> 00:04:02,360 often has he been to Gaza he's been 17 97 00:03:59,879 --> 00:04:04,040 times the has he been to Gaza I don't 98 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:06,480 know how many times I can tell you once 99 00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:08,920 okay I mean that isn't good enough is it 100 00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:10,480 that place is absolutely strangled 101 00:04:08,920 --> 00:04:11,840 completely strangled the Egyptians have 102 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:15,280 cut them off the Israelis have cut them 103 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:16,799 off GA Gaza has been given to back to 104 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:18,519 the Palestinian people the settlers the 105 00:04:16,799 --> 00:04:22,079 Israeli settlers there were moved out by 106 00:04:18,519 --> 00:04:24,639 the Israeli Army the Israelis are able 107 00:04:22,079 --> 00:04:27,040 when they decide to move out of an area 108 00:04:24,639 --> 00:04:28,880 to evacuate an area the issue theang no 109 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:31,520 the issue about the issue about the 110 00:04:28,880 --> 00:04:34,840 issue is to stop the terrorist firing 111 00:04:31,520 --> 00:04:37,320 the issue is Sur to bring you talk about 112 00:04:34,840 --> 00:04:39,280 democracy what about the people of Gaza 113 00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:41,240 what is to happen to them they voted for 114 00:04:39,280 --> 00:04:43,039 a particular government it happened to 115 00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:44,960 be Hamas but they voted for it in free 116 00:04:43,039 --> 00:04:46,520 and Democratic elections but nobody 117 00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:48,800 liked it and as a consequence they have 118 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:51,240 been strangled and where has Tony Blair 119 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:53,680 been in defending them Tony Tony Blair's 120 00:04:51,240 --> 00:04:55,800 job is to try to get the principles 121 00:04:53,680 --> 00:04:57,320 ready to do two things one is to create 122 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:59,360 economic development in Palestine which 123 00:04:57,320 --> 00:05:01,800 is a central part of any independent 124 00:04:59,360 --> 00:05:03,840 democ there and the second one is to put 125 00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:06,000 as much pressure as he can on behalf of 126 00:05:03,840 --> 00:05:06,000 the 127 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:10,600 quartet going to resign he's going to 128 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:12,160 resign before he's pushed there's no 129 00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:13,560 chance he be pushed there's no chance to 130 00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:15,880 resign he's doing the job the court 131 00:05:13,560 --> 00:05:17,759 asked for and it's the Prime Minister 132 00:05:15,880 --> 00:05:19,720 net who who has to make the peace deal 133 00:05:17,759 --> 00:05:23,120 John murnan and George Galloway thank 134 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:23,120 you both very much