Alex Massie Alex Massie

Does Boris Johnson really want to see Tony Blair tried for war crimes?

What are we supposed to make of Boris Johnson? I mean, are we supposed to pay attention to what Boris actually says? Or is he permitted to play the game of politics by different rules? That is, the sort of stuff that applies to other politicians does not apply to Boris because the Mayor of London is a great entertainer and thus granted some kind of relief from the usual rules of responsibility.

Just asking, you know. Consider his recent remarks about Tony Blair and the Iraq War. During an appearance on LBC last week, the Mayor appeared to endorse the fashionable daft idea that Mr Blair should be tried as a War Criminal. At the very least, Boris suggested, this is what Blair deserves.

According to Boris:

“There will be plenty of arguments you can make about bringing all kinds of people to justice. […] I happen to think that in the case of Tony Blair, it will be quite difficult to secure a conviction. He is a very eel like customer. I think it would be very unlikely that you’d get him.

[…] He can be, you know, he’s a very, very adept and agile lawyer and I think that … our caller who thought that he was going to be imprisoned for what he did in Iraq, his heart is in the right place.”

Really? Now you may object that this was an off-the-cuff response on a radio phone-in programme and not, therefore, to be considered evidence of Boris’s own considered position. Perhaps. Then again, it might actually be what Boris really thinks, not least because a) it’s what he said and b) he had no time to prepare his remarks or consider how they might be received.

So does Boris think Blair should be tried? We have to presume that, yes, he does.

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