Progressive Neighbors and Progressive Working Group, and hosted by Impact Silver Spring, are calling for a gathering on Sun., Jan. 23 at 2 PM at 825 Wayne Ave., Silver Spring. Maryland faces a significant budget deficit. Will it be balanced on the backs of working Marylanders or will more progressive solutions be offered? Email malakoff@starpower.net or call 301-587-5559. If you are able to come at 1:45 PM, you will be able to meet and speak with their legislators. To date, 10 senators and delegates have confirmed that they will be participating: Senators Raskin, Manno, and Madaleno; Delegates Hixson, Mizeur, Hucker, Luedtke, Gutierrez, Cullison, Robinson, and Carr.  The Progressive Working Group's 6 Priority Issues are as follows: Transparency and Equal Access in Government, Combined Reporting, Offshore Wind Power, Public Financing of Campaigns, Health Security Act (Single-payer), Costs of War / "Fund our Communities--Bring the War Dollars Home"

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1349084/Downing-Street-ordered-Cover-Straws-bid-talk-Blair-Iraq-invasion-explosive-new-evidence-reveals.html

 

 

Sunday, Jan 23 2011

Downing Street ordered a 'cover up' over Straw's bid to talk Blair out of Iraq invasion, explosive new evidence reveals

By Tim Shipman
Last updated at 1:55 AM on 21st January 2011

Final opportunity: Blair allegedly insisted he wanted to go to war despite an 11th-hour attempt to stop him by his foreign secretary Jack Straw

Downing Street ordered a cover-up after Jack Straw made an 11th-hour attempt to stop Tony Blair going to war in Iraq, it was claimed last night.

Explosive anonymous evidence given to the Chilcot Inquiry said Mr Blair responded to his Foreign Secretary by insisting that he wanted to go to war.

Officials at Number 10 then allegedly ordered that no record was kept of the confrontation.

The revelation will pile pressure on the former Prime Minister when he returns to give evidence to the inquiry today.

Mr Blair will be concerned about the aggressive way Sir John Chilcot’s team have published damaging evidence against him in the week before his appearance, which is expected to attract anti-war protesters and security costs of more than £250,000.

Sir John gave anonymity to the witness – who may be a civil servant or a member of Mr Blair’s inner circle – so he could reveal details of the alleged controversial showdown with Mr Straw.

At the meeting on March 12, 2003, the source claimed Mr Straw made the point that ‘this was the final opportunity to decide on a different track – advising the prime minister that he still had a chance to avoid it if he wanted to’. The source said Mr Straw told Mr Blair: ‘If you want to avoid your own resignation, Prime Minister, you still have an opportunity and here it is.’

 More...

• Chilcott's anger as Blair's Iraq memos to Bush stay secret

The witness said he was ‘absolutely struck’ by the speed of Mr Blair’s response as well as ‘the absolute insistence of it, and the fact that he had got his arguments all marshalled and all laid out’.

He added: ‘Number 10 officials decided, after careful consideration, that the meeting should not be recorded because it didn’t change anything’ and because it was a ‘very personal meeting’.

Mr Blair is likely to be questioned about the claims today.

 

© Associated Newspapers Ltd  

 

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"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs