Compare the relative magnitude of these Prime Ministerial wrongdoings.
Boris Johnson allowed a couple of cheese and wine parties to be held at Downing Street, in possible contravention of Covid restrictions.
Tony Blair, via his chief of staff Jonathan Powell, allegedly ordered ministers to destroy advice from the attorney-general that the Iraq war could be illegal.
He then gulled Parliament into backing military action via a ‘dodgy dossier’ of doctored evidence – a deception that ultimately cost countless lives.
And the upshot? Mr Johnson’s howling critics say he should resign. Mr Blair has been elevated to the Order of the Garter and is now entitled to call himself Sir Tony.
Tony Blair, via his chief of staff Jonathan Powell, allegedly ordered ministers to destroy advice from the attorney-general that the Iraq war could be illegal
What bizarre times we live in. We don’t seek to absolve Mr Johnson. Those who make the rules must abide by them.
But his crime was essentially carelessness. Mr Blair’s was a deliberate plot to mislead the country into backing an illegal war. So by what twisted logic could he possibly deserve Britain’s highest chivalric honour?
In a poignant letter to the Queen, the mothers of five soldiers killed in Afghanistan (Mr Blair’s other ill-fated war) beg her to rescind the knighthood, which they say ‘tramples on our sons’ sacrifice’.
If he had a shred of dignity, he would give it up voluntarily. But of course he won’t, because he refuses to acknowledge the enormity of his sins.
Ex-defence secretary Geoff Hoon (pictured), who says he was one of those ordered to destroy the Iraq legal advice, also accuses the Downing Street press office, then run by Alastair Campbell, of bolstering the case for war by telling newspapers Saddam could fire missiles into UK bases in Cyprus within 45 minutes – a claim later demolished
Ex-defence secretary Geoff Hoon, who says he was one of those ordered to destroy the Iraq legal advice, also accuses the Downing Street press office, then run by Alastair Campbell, of bolstering the case for war by telling newspapers Saddam could fire missiles into UK bases in Cyprus within 45 minutes – a claim later demolished.
Last month, that same Mr Campbell launched a searing Twitter attack on Mr Johnson. He wrote: ‘When you elect a liar as PM, and when those who work for him have to lie to cover up his lies, it will eventually unravel.’
Well, if anyone should know, it’s him.
Going to pot on drugs
Insanity, Einstein said, is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. In which case, London mayor Sadiq Khan’s plan to decriminalise cannabis possession is surely a descent into madness.
A similar scheme was tried in Lambeth some years ago with baleful effect. The police stood off, dealers took control of the streets and ‘drug tourists’ flocked into the area. Residents suffered a sharp spike in crime and demanded action. The police had to recant and enforce a strict zero-tolerance policy on drugs to restore order.
Insanity, Einstein said, is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. In which case, London mayor Sadiq Khan’s plan to decriminalise cannabis possession is surely a descent into madness
Cannabis is not a ‘soft’ drug. Countless studies have linked it – especially in its stronger forms – to severe mental illness. Decriminalisation would be an act of extreme recklessness.
Ironically, Mr Khan made his announcement on the very day his party leader Sir Keir Starmer was promising in a keynote speech to make people feel safer in the streets.
As history shows, this hare-brained scheme would do exactly the opposite.
Cut this house arrest
Soaring infections (218,724 yesterday) alongside falling death rates perfectly illustrate how staff shortages in key areas are becoming a bigger problem than coronavirus itself.
Several hospital trusts are struggling, not primarily because of a surge in Covid patients, but as so many staff are having to isolate, many with trivial symptoms.
With absenteeism rising dangerously across all industries and services, it’s surely time to reassess the quarantine period.
It has already been cut from ten days to seven. Shouldn’t we emulate the US, France and Greece and reduce it to five for those who test negative?
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