Tony Blair got a shock in Ireland yesterday at his book launch - they pelted him with eggs and shoes and called him a war criminal. He was signing his memoir - A Journey - at a bookshop in Dublin. Now he's been warned to stay away from today's scheduled promotion in central London where anti-war protesters were ready to turn out in force.
About 400 people were queueing up around the side of the store in Middle Abbey Street in Dublin to buy the book, meet Blair and have their book signed. But they were harrassed by protesters who said they should be ashamed and yelled "Hey Tony, how many kids have you killed today?"
The Dublin tram service was shut down and shops were closed. Buyers had to hand over bags and mobile phones before entering the store. Undercover detectives mingled with the crowds taking names before Blair arrived.
The book has become one of the fastest selling autobiographies on record but his decision to donate 5 million pounds from the proceeds to the British Legion has not impressed his critics. His appearance on Irish TV the night before enraged the anti-war movement even further when he said he would support military action against Iran to prevent them from developing nuclear weapons. In other words, he's prepared to go to war again when the feeling around the world is that people are sick and tired of it and are crying out - enough - stop meddling in the business of other countries.
In the book, he defends his decision to go to war with Iraq even though Saddam Hussein didn't have any weapons of mass destruction. Rumour has it that he chose Ireland for his only live interview because he thought the people would appreciate his efforts in briging about peace in Northern Ireland. He said "When we finally got the whole lot together, literally weeks before I left office in 2007, and there was Martin McGuinness sitting with Ian Paisley, it was such a strange and extraordinary sight, it was one of the few times in politics I felt really proud."
How wrong could he be?
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