Sir - I am underwhelmed by Oxford New Labour's call for Tony Blair to resign - 18 months after the Iraq War "officially" ended (Oxford Mail, November 19).
Hardly a resounding victory for the anti-war faction, was it? Only 16 of the 34 present voted for the 'Blair out' resolution, with 11 opposing it and seven sitting on the fence.
Rather than show how resolutely anti-war Oxford New Labour is, all it has done is demonstrate how utterly divided the party is on the issue.
This is pathetic political posturing, motivated by a recognition that Mr Blair is a liability - an attempt by some to distance themselves from him with the county elections in mind.
They will doubtless make much of their anti-Blair credentials on the doorstep, but how do they reconcile this with campaigning for pro-war MP Andrew Smith in the General Election, as they will, and probably at the same time? It's an intellectually dishonest position. How can they condemn Mr Blair and not their own MP?
Mr Smith was an arch-Blairite Cabinet Minister bound by collective responsibility and thus equally culpable. Why aren't they demanding that he also resigns?
If city councillor Rick Muir is so at odds with New Labour on so many issues, why doesn't he leave and join a party of principle? The Greens or the Independent Working Class Association.
John Green
Rose Hill
Oxford
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