It is time to leave Tony Blair alone

For seven years Mr Blair has had to put up with a most hostile level of ‘Blair-mongering’ in the media, whilst he has had to remain silent until the report was concluded, a situation endured by his good friend Sir Cliff Richard who also had to keep schtum until exonerated by the Courts.

It was good to see Mr Blair speaking out at last in his own words, extremely sensitive about the people who were killed, yet pointing out the difficult position he was in.

No doubt there will always be people who continue to vilify Mr Blair like those heard on the television news reports who shouted ‘War criminal!’ brandishing placards with the word ‘Bliar’ on them or citing him as “the world’s worst terrorist”.

I had the privilege to prepare food for Mr Blair when he was Prime Minister along with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in 2002 when he was conducting peace talks in the Middle East and I was a chef at the Tel Aviv Hilton.

Saddam Hussein was a serious threat back then and I had to have a gas mask and underground bunker along with my Israeli friends, both Jewish and Arab, when the Iraqi tyrant was threatening to send a barrage of scud missiles and poison gas onto Tel Aviv. He wasn’t just sabre-rattling.

With the benefit of hindsight it is always easy to apportion blame, but Mr Blair has stood by his convictions and has shown integrity in the face of his detractors.

Let’s hope after seven long years, a special Biblical number, that Mr Blair and his family can enjoy a bit of ‘Sabbath-rest’ after such an ordeal. I was living in the city when Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin, was assassinated by his own people in Tel Aviv because there were those who opposed him so vehemently for his actions, which were carried out with the intent also to help an intractable situation.

I think now it’s time to leave Mr Blair alone.

Colin Nevin. Bangor