Ellee Seymour

Former Hezbollah hostage Terry Waite has joined critics who have condemned Tony Blair’s handling of the Middle East crisis. He knows more than most about Lebanon. It is 15 years since the former church envoy was released from captivity by militants in Lebanon.

In an interview with his local press (not available on-line due to the lack of Bank Holiday updates), the humanitarian explains why he believes Tony Blair and George Bush have got their policies wrong. He speaks fairly, recognising the dilemmas on all sides. Here are some extracts:

“I don’t think it does any good to ask the question who started the war. It is futile. You have to say what causes this friction and it is fundamental injustice on all sides.

“I am not one of those people who believe the state of Israel can or should be eliminated, but at the same time, I don’t think they should be allowed to get away with many of the injustices they have perpetrated on the Palestinians.

“If a Jew from anywhere in the world wants to reside in Israel, they have automatic right of entry, but Palestinians have no right (to return to their former homes). In Lebanon, you have refugee camps with third generation Palestinians who have no right of return and no possibility of equal status in Lebanon.”

The report adds that Waite suspects American foreign policy is mainly decided by its economic interests and its desire to control oil. It seems that oil is at the heart of many wars.

“That is a very strong motive. Perhaps the decision has been taken in Britain that it is in our economic interests to go along with that. But it has done us enormous harm.

“I feel Tony Blair has failed to give the balanced leadership that is required at this time. Admittedly it is exceptionally difficult to deal in a balanced way with the Middle East, but he has succeeded in giving the impression that he is purely going along almost blindly with American foreign policy, which is mistaken.

“The Palestinian question will not go away. It has to be resolved. I don’t want to put the total blame on America and Israel. That would be unfair, there are grave difficulties in many Arab states themselves, but these are the symptoms of unresolved problems.”

He does remain optimistic and remembers thinking we would never see the end of apartheid or communism - yet they both happened.

Interestingly, the report adds how Waite was asked to stand as an anti-sleaze political candidate against disgraced former Tory MP Neil Hamilton, but he declined and Martin Bell took up the crusade instead. I think Waite would have made a great MP, though I imagine he would easily become very frustrated by attending endless committee meetings, being tied by endless paperwork and bureaucracy.

If John Reid wants magistrates to use electronic tagging as an effective alternative to prison, I suggest tags are used that cannot be removed.

At the moment it is all too easy to slip the net and commit further crimes and the Home Office has not even kept vital records on this. This is a flawed system that has not proved itself.

Magistrates must despair at this kind of interference, being told to take the easy way out. Only serious suspects would be considered for jail. Let’s keep them there, let’s build more prisons.

Welcome to a new female blue blogger - only this one wears a uniform and gives some interesting inside info about life on the beat .

PC Bloggs gives useful tips on what to avoid saying if you don’t want to get booked for speeding; certainly best not to blurt out that you pay their salary!
She is also conducting her own survey on police overtime as the much derided Home Office wants to slash this bill by 15%, despite the increasing terrorist threats and staff morale being at an all-time low with officers leaving the force left, right and centre, though there are some that still love their job.

I’m amazed that PC Bloggs can find the time to write a weblog with all the paper work and bureacracy they are faced with. But I like what she writes, getting the grassroots view about the life and work of a WPC.
By the way, if the police will not confirm an enquiry, it means “yes”. You read it here.