Time for Tony Blair to admit the Iraq war was a shameful abomination

Today is the 10th anniversary of the million strong march against the Iraq war. Which is why today would be the perfect day for Tony Blair to hold up his hands and say “I was wrong”.

Tony Blair got it wrong. Totally, utterly, catastrophically wrong. And his failure to acknowledge that fact isn’t just hurting him, it’s hurting those who are desperately trying to ensure the positives from his New Labour agenda don’t vanish down the plughole with the Iraqi bathwater. Focusing on the forthcoming 10th anniversary of the invasion, the Independent’s John Rentoul – who graciously acts as a sort of Yoda to my Blairite Padawan – wrote “The wheezing traction engine of Blair rage is being cranked into action again”. But there’s a very good reason that engine is being cranked up. It’s because Blair hasn’t done what he needs to do. It’s not good enough to leave it the likes of Douglas Alexander or Jim Murphy to attempt to clean up the mess. Nor is it enough to blindly keep saying “Hey guys, I’d like to say sorry, but I can’t, because I honestly don’t believe I’ve anything to apologise for”.

Iraq isn’t a matter of belief, it’s a matter of harsh reality. The 100,000 dead Iraqis are a reality. The thousands of dead in Syria – 90,000 by some estimates – are a reality. An Iranian nuclear bomb may now be 18 months away from becoming a reality.

This time 10 years ago, a million people were on the streets. And they were proved right, and Tony Blair was proved wrong. It’s time for him to hold up his hand and admit it.