Poodle Blair snubs Robin Cook's funeral

[BurtWorm]

Bastid! Cook resigned as foreign minister in 2003 to protest the Iraq war.

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/politicsobituaries/story/0,1441,1544701,00.html

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/labour/story/0,9061,1547804,00.html

The service was attended by most of the cabinet, and by the Scottish first minister Jack McConnell, the Liberal Democrat leader, Charles Kennedy, the SNP leader, Alex Salmond, and the German foreign minister, Josckha Fischer, and the comedian Rory Bremner.

But Mr Cook's friend from the world of horseracing, the pundit John McCririck, used his tribute from the pulpit to castigate Tony Blair for "snubbing" the service by "opting to continue snorkelling" rather than break his holiday to attend.

Mr McCririck, whose outspoken rightwing views were revealed to the nation in Celebrity Big Brother, contrasted Mr Blair's absence with Lady Thatcher's presence at the funeral of Sir Edward Heath.

He told the congregation: "I believe the prime minister's snub to Robin's family, to millions of New Labour voters, demonstrates a petty vindictiveness and a moral failure, opting to continue snorkelling instead of doing his duty. What a contrast with Lady Thatcher."

Downing Street has already said the prime minister will attend the public memorial service for Mr Cook later in the year.

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Didn't know Cook had passed away. :^(

[BurtWorm]

2. The American media certainly didn't pay much attention.

I only noticed his name in the obituaries on NYTimes.com today by chance when I was looking for something else.