The Killing$ of Tony Blair

George Galloway takes on Tony Blair in a timely documentary that deserves attention.

George Galloway is a politician who, hardly less than Tony Blair, can be described as a divisive figure. But, whatever your views on Galloway, there is no doubt that he shows his form here writing and presenting a  work that decidedly arrives at the right moment. This well-assembled picture should not be regarded as representing the trial of Tony Blair since to do that you would need a defence as well as a prosecution. Instead, this is devoted to the case against him, and it is compellingly presented at a time when the Chilcot Report has invited fresh reflection on the extent of Blair's responsibility for the Iraq War and for its tragic consequences. That aspect is certainly covered here, but the value of the film lies first and foremost in the  broader picture that it provides.

Galloway's contention is that any study of Blair's behaviour before and after that period is hardly less damning. For all the hopes aroused when he first entered 10 Downing Street, Blair in Galloway's eyes destroyed the old labour party with its roots in socialism choosing to build instead on the ideas of Margaret Thatcher. His deals with Rupert Murdoch offer just one example of what his government represented and, among an impressive array of contributors, Clare Short is there to describe how she felt in his cabinet.  Post-Iraq and post his premiership, the path that turned Blair into an enormously rich man is equally devastating  when one considers the dictators and others that he has advised and supported and the banks and  companies with which he has been associated. Judge a man by the company he keeps and, if still in doubt, note that the jet that he uses is known as Blair Force One.

Going on to note the irony in this man becoming peace envoy in the Middle East, touching on the conflict of interests that were involved then and pointing out how little he actually achieved before standing down, the film has still not finished. Ultimately it is suggested that the combined actions of America and Britain were responsible for turning Iraq into a conflict zone which would nurture the emergence of ISIS. The bigger picture makes it all the harder to believe that Blair, however wrong over Iraq, may nevertheless have been well-intentioned. Should we regard him as a war criminal? Even if three contributors here believe that he is, Galloway himself makes no direct comment on this issue, but after seeing this film you may feel that he does not need to do so.                  

MANSEL STIMPSON

Featuring George Galloway, Clare Short, Stephen Fry, Michael Mansfield, Lauren Booth, David Davis, Will Self, Noam Chomsky, Ken Livingstone, Peter Osborne, Francis Beckett, Matthew Norman. 

Dir Sanne Van der Bergh, Daniel Turi and Greg Ward, Pro George Galloway, Putyi Gayatri Pertini and Sanne Van der Bergh, Ph Greg Ward, Ed McDonald Brown, Music Steve Finery and Juao Tueros, Animation Steve Bell.

Molucca Media-Bulldog Film Distribution.
92 mins. UK. 2016. Rel: 27 July 2016. Cert. 15.