Blair’s role

You report (3 June) that Tony Blair “dodges calls to sanction release” of contacts with George Bush about the Iraq war. I wonder if he would also dodge calls to take responsibility for the possible breakup of the UK.

Shortly after being elected to Westminster in 1997 he set up a referendum for a parliament in Scotland.

I believe he assumed that, as Labour had had a majority in Scotland since that Thatcher woman, giving Scotland a parliament would seal Labour as the main party in Scotland for 
generations.

More than 70 per cent voted for a Scottish Parliament. So far so good, but then in the Scottish election of 1999 while Labour did win 56 seats but no overall majority, the SNP with 35 seats got much greater support than expected by anyone, including Mr Blair.

I understand he was then very angry with Donald Dewar (a good man even if he was a lawyer!) for not telling him just how much support the SNP had in Scotland before he agreed to the referendum.

He was, after all, born and educated in Scotland before he initially became a lawyer as 
well, then went out and made millions by being first a pretend Labour prime minister and
then some sort of envoy for George Bush in the Middle East, and then speaking and writing about his experiences round the world.

John Maclean

Stevenson Road

Haddington, East Lothian