A prominent friend of deceased former British foreign secretary Robin Cook defended his astonishing attack at the funeral on Prime Minister Tony Blair's non-attendance, a newspaper said yesterday.
Horse racing pundit John McCririck, a close friend of racing fan Cook and a well-known face in Britain, stunned mourners by delivering a stinging assault on Blair from the pulpit on Friday.
In front of hundreds of politicians, family and friends, McCririck savaged Blair for remaining on holiday while other government colleagues had altered their plans.
The comments left Cabinet ministers seething.
Cook, 59, who quit Blair's Labour government in March 2003 in protest over the decision to take Britain into the Iraq war without a clear UN mandate, died suddenly last Saturday.
"I believe the prime minister's snub to Robin's family and millions of New Labour voters demonstrates a petty vindictiveness and a moral failure, opting to continue snorkeling instead of doing his duty," McCririck told the stunned-silent congregation, though mourners outside applauded.
Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain called the attack "very out of place. A wave of resentment swept through the cathedral."
McCririck later said Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott was "incandescent with rage."
"I don't think there's anything in it that Robin would not have wanted me to say," the Daily Mail quoted him as saying.
"You have a duty in these situations. To treat a man of Robin's stature by saying `I'm just going to sit here on the beach' is a disgrace. I was merely reflecting what New Labour voters and everybody else was thinking. Where's the prime minister? Where is he? McCririck said.
"John Prescott is furious with me and I'm not going anywhere near him because he might punch me. But Robin's family have come and said thank you," he said.
ELECTION DISTRACTION? When attention shifted away from the fight against the militants to politics, losses and setbacks in the battlefield increased, an analyst said Recent clashes in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Jubaland region are alarming experts, exposing cracks in the country’s federal system and creating an opening for militant group al-Shabaab to gain ground. Following years of conflict, Somalia is a loose federation of five semi-autonomous member states — Puntland, Jubaland, Galmudug, Hirshabelle and South West — that maintain often fractious relations with the central government in the capital, Mogadishu. However, ahead of elections next year, Somalia has sought to assert control over its member states, which security analysts said has created gaps for al-Shabaab infiltration. Last week, two Somalian soldiers were killed in clashes between pro-government forces and
Ten cheetah cubs held in captivity since birth and destined for international wildlife trade markets have been rescued in Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia. They were all in stable condition despite all of them having been undernourished and limping due to being tied in captivity for months, said Laurie Marker, founder of the Cheetah Conservation Fund, which is caring for the cubs. One eight-month-old cub was unable to walk after been tied up for six months, while a five-month-old was “very malnourished [a bag of bones], with sores all over her body and full of botfly maggots which are under the
BRUSHED OFF: An ambassador to Australia previously said that Beijing does not see a reason to apologize for its naval exercises and military maneuvers in international areas China set off alarm bells in New Zealand when it dispatched powerful warships on unprecedented missions in the South Pacific without explanation, military documents showed. Beijing has spent years expanding its reach in the southern Pacific Ocean, courting island nations with new hospitals, freshly paved roads and generous offers of climate aid. However, these diplomatic efforts have increasingly been accompanied by more overt displays of military power. Three Chinese warships sailed the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand in February, the first time such a task group had been sighted in those waters. “We have never seen vessels with this capability
‘NO INTEGRITY’: The chief judge expressed concern over how the sentence would be perceived given that military detention is believed to be easier than civilian prison A military court yesterday sentenced a New Zealand soldier to two years’ detention for attempting to spy for a foreign power. The soldier, whose name has been suppressed, admitted to attempted espionage, accessing a computer system for a dishonest purpose and knowingly possessing an objectionable publication. He was ordered into military detention at Burnham Military Camp near Christchurch and would be dismissed from the New Zealand Defence Force at the end of his sentence. His admission and its acceptance by the court marked the first spying conviction in New Zealand’s history. The soldier would be paid at half his previous rate until his dismissal
RSS