Bob Piper has been a Labour Councillor for the Abbey
Ward in Sandwell, West Midlands, for 10 years. He is a lifelong supporter of Aston Villa Football Club and a follower of Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
The views expressed here are mine in a personal capacity, not those of the Labour Party, Sandwell MBC, Aston Villa or Yorkshire County Cricket Club. Get it! Mine... just mine!
Tim Ireland has started a meme asking people what they were doing on or about 20 March 2003. Just to help you remember, here's what the BBC had to say on the day. I'm not actually sure about the 20th, but I know on the evening of the 21st I was heckled loudly at our General Management Committee for trying to make the point that the US would defeat Saddam in a matter of days, but the Israelis won a war in 6 days, and were still fighting it nearly 40 years later. I was described as the Councillor for Abbey Ward and Baghdad Central for having the temerity to suggest that this war for oil would be another Vietnam. Back then all the talk was of Weapons of Mass Destruction, and talk of regime change or democracy barely got a mention.
I'm not a fan of these meme things, but I'll keep it local and 'tag' ...
I was working in Dudley, but living in Stafford at the time. For the first time in my working life I had time to listen to plenty of Radio 4. I remember listening with increasing incredulity in the weeks and months leading up to the war when it became increasingly obvious that the US were going to war no matter what, and that we were going to back them. I swore that I could never vote Labour again as long as Blair was leader. Obviously I changed my mind, but I still get angry if I think about it too much.
I was inside on 18 March 2003, voting against the invasion. But in spite of a couple of interventions, I could not find an opening to speak on Iraq until 3 April apart from a couple of earlier questions trying to change the business in order to discuss developments.
On 20 March itself I asked questions on Post Offices and the Fire Service (I doubt whether the invasion was announced at these times).
I was finally freed on 11 April 2005 and I hope not to have to go back in again.
Hi Harry: You're an old soldier. You deserve a medal. You don't have to buy your honour. Its awarded free. It's the KBO (Keep Blogging On), the internet version of the old KBO.
March 20, 2007 3:07 PM | permalink
What do you make of this story Bob?
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/20032007/140/tory-escapes-jail-pimping-woman.html