As a public service, I have transcribed verbatim the interview with Tony Blair on the Today Programme on 16 September. You can read the full text here.
The interview touches on the Government’s draft anti-terrorism legislation, the UN summit, development, Iraq, and Tony Blair’s legacy of reform of public services.
If I have time, I will post soon about the Government’s proposed anti-terrorism laws. In the meantime, I will let the Prime Minister’s words speak for themselves:
let’s be absolutely clear: there will be all sorts of people who say for all sorts of reasons: "look, I understand why the terrorists do it, and you know, you can sympathise with their motivation." Now I happen profoundly to disagree with that, but I am not suggesting that you make that a criminal offence. Er, what I am suggesting should be an offence is somebody who in effect by glorifying is inciting and is saying to people – particularly impressionable people – and we know, look, that this is a modern phenomenon that we have, this extremism based on a perversion of Islam – is in effect saying to impressionable young people: this is something you should do.
I remain unclear what statements the Government wishes to make illegal. Are there statements which are not incitement, which is already illegal, and which are not merely expressing sympathy with a terrorist’s motivation, which Mr Blair does not think should be illegal. Can anyone think of an example of such a statement?
Owen
Wonderful job producing the transcript!
When I read this I wonder if Blair has actually read the Bill for which his government is responsible.
t
Owen replies: Thanks Tony. I felt somebody had to do it; and Number 10 do not seem to be in a hurry to produce one. I can’t think why.
Thanks for the transcript;)
We couldn’t make head or tail of Blair’s attempts to explain his position on glorification the week:
Interviewer:
What does ‘glorifying terrorism’ mean?
Blair:
It means, erm, creating the sense, that those that engage in this terrorism, are doing a worthy and a good act.
In other words its, if you like, it’s a sort of branch of incitement.
Thanks for posting this. Truly scary. Read also the text of his speech in Brighton yesterday, about which I blogged a piece on Samizdata. The man’s contempt for traditional civil liberties is grotesque.