RMT leader Eddie Dempsey's stark warning shook up a fringe meeting at the Scottish TUC
No to Blair’s knighthood!
There is clearly a wider push from the British Establishment to rehabilitate the warmongering former PM and his political project, says KEN LIVINGSTONE

THE news of Tony Blair’s knighthood felt like a classic case of “shocking but not surprising.” It is indeed shocking that a man who led Britain into a war unleashing nearly 20 years of death and destruction across the Middle East has not only faced little in the way of consequences, but has been honoured with Establishment pageantry.
At the same time, it is unsurprising that the British state sees involvement in mass slaughter as no barrier to hero status, or that a former leader of the party of organised labour is happy to embrace the archaic traditions of the monarchy.
While the Queen formally awards these honours, her function in practice is to nod through the list recommended by the Cabinet Office.
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