(Cross posted from ePluribus Media)
Over the last two days there have been some fairly dramatic events in the politics of the UK. Much of this centred around the poor performance of Tony Blair's Labour Party in the local elections held yesterday.
It is worth commenting at some stage on these but I will only try do so in the context of any alerts in political trends that they may offer to all of you in the United States. Our political structures are different but how electorates respond on current issues are often remarkably similar.
What is significant is that it has led to a Cabinet reshuffle today and the biggest surprise is that Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary has gone. This could be highly significant.
His going
is a big surprise. He appeared to have excellent relationships with Condi Rice and to be firmly alongside Tony Blair. In fact I have always equated them as having very similar personalities - personalities that made them prone to their support of the USA over Iraq.
What worries me and what has prompted this diary on this single issue is the report on AP Breaking News. It says:
But there had long been rumors of tension between Straw and Blair - some reports said the outgoing foreign secretary had private expressed doubts about the Iraq war, and he publicly took a different position on Iran than Blair did. Straw frequently described military action against Tehran as "inconceivable" and the reported U.S. contingency plans for a tactical nuclear strike as "completely nuts."
This, if true, is a disagreement that has been very carefully hidden. When eMedia News Agency talked to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesman last week, there was not a hint of them even modifying the positional statement made by Jack Straw on Iran. Whilst this was taking place, Tony Blair was being questioned about the difference in his language and that of Jack Straw and he did a slight shuffle but basically papered over what seemed like a very small crack. Nowhere did this suggest a rift and all it suggested was a slight dysfunction between the press statements coming out of Downing Street and Jack Straw's own people.
I will talk about Margaret Becket, his successor, later but the one big international implication is that, again if AP is right:
this has enormous significance in relation to possible conflict with Iran and the close alignment of the UK to the US position.
Over on ePluribus Media we are researching aspects of the conflict with Iran that, the more we progress with it, the more we are becoming highly concerned. Let no one on DKos simply see this as an issue between your country and George Bush. It is one that could divide the Democratic Party just as equally.
We shall write at much greater length on all these matters, but in the meantime this news about Jack Straw, whilst he has never been a great favourite of mine, has taken me aback and creates real concerns.
I don't think it has been asked here before but let me ask Daily Kos readers a rather complex question, based on the information currently known to us and with the evidence as is currently available: