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CNN Sunday Morning
Interview With Margaret Doyle
Aired November 16, 2003 - 07:14 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Recent polls in Britain do not paint a rosy picture for the president's trip, with a majority not believing the relationship between Bush and Blair is good for Britain.
For some perspective on this now, we turn to Margaret Doyle, a columnist for "The Economist" joining us today from London.
Margaret, thank you so much for here. We've just heard from Robin Oakley. Obviously the security concerns are very high. Police officers have not been allowed to take any leave. About 5,000 of them are going to be on hand. What sort of response do you see the president getting in Britain?
MARGARET DOYLE, "THE ECONOMIST": Well, I think it's going to be quite mixed, because the feelings here are running very high. As you know, even before the war in Iraq, there was a huge anti-war demonstration with a million people protesting against the war. And I think that if anything, feelings against the war have hardened since then, with people thinking that, you know, with no weapons of mass destruction being found, they're very skeptical about the intelligence case for war.
They're also deeply disheartened by the ongoing chaos on the ground in Iraq. People are seeing very much this was an American war. They think that it was President Bush's war. And they think that Prime Minister Tony Blair was wrong and that he was somehow a poodle a President Bush.
So I think that when this visit was first planned, I think the perception here was that it was seen as being a great, sort of, photo opportunity, just as election year got underway in the United States.
Whereas in fact, I think the people now expect that there will be huge protests when President Bush visits, and it won't be the sort of welcome that he perhaps was expecting when this visit was first organized.
COLLINS: What do the people of Britain want to happen with the country of Iraq and Saddam Hussein?
DOYLE: Well, I think that like most Americans, I think most British people would like the Western powers, the occupying powers to get out of Iraq as soon as possible. And I think that they would like to -- so they really are glad to hear about President Bush's more recent plan, which is to speed up the transfer of democracy. And I think that they also see a contrast between the way in which the situation's being handled in Basra and Baghdad. Now to be fair, Baghdad was always going to be a much tougher station than Basra. Partly because of the ethnic make-up.
I mean, Baghdad was always more -- and the area around Baghdad was almost more sympathetic to Saddam Hussein. But it's felt that the British police, who've learned a lot from policing in northern Ireland, or the British Army, who've learned a lot from northern Ireland, have adopted a more conciliatory approach.
And the mass being adopted in the region around Baghdad. So I think there's also feeling this -- the way in which the occupation is being carried out is not enhancing the reputation of Britain in America, particularly America, throughout the middle east.
COLLINS: Well, let me ask you then, you mentioned the new plan, the plan for Iraq to take over its own country. That we learned yesterday is set for possibly spring of 2004? Is that then what Prime Minister Blair and President Bush will be speaking about today, moving things forward?
DOYLE: I think that's certainly going to be very high on their agenda. You know, how swiftly they can move to democratize Iraq. And also, to let Iraqis take control of their own country.
COLLINS: Of course, the other thing that's going to be high on their agenda is something that attorney Blair has always had as a priority, which is the situation in the Middle East.
And over here, it is always seen that that was a quid pro quo for Britain getting involved in the war. You know, the understanding here is that Tony Blair said OK, George Bush, I will back the Iraq War, but you absolutely have got to put the weight of American diplomacy behind the road map to peace in the Middle East, and particularly to Israel, Palestine.
So he is also going to be pushing the case for further developments there. And perhaps even a stronger statement from America that they do not approve of Israeli plans to build a wall around the occupied territories.
COLLINS: Many issues to talk about, no doubt. Margaret Doyle, a correspondent for "The Economist." Thanks so much this morning, live from London.
DOYLE: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 16, 2003 - 07:14 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Recent polls in Britain do not paint a rosy picture for the president's trip, with a majority not believing the relationship between Bush and Blair is good for Britain.
For some perspective on this now, we turn to Margaret Doyle, a columnist for "The Economist" joining us today from London.
Margaret, thank you so much for here. We've just heard from Robin Oakley. Obviously the security concerns are very high. Police officers have not been allowed to take any leave. About 5,000 of them are going to be on hand. What sort of response do you see the president getting in Britain?
MARGARET DOYLE, "THE ECONOMIST": Well, I think it's going to be quite mixed, because the feelings here are running very high. As you know, even before the war in Iraq, there was a huge anti-war demonstration with a million people protesting against the war. And I think that if anything, feelings against the war have hardened since then, with people thinking that, you know, with no weapons of mass destruction being found, they're very skeptical about the intelligence case for war.
They're also deeply disheartened by the ongoing chaos on the ground in Iraq. People are seeing very much this was an American war. They think that it was President Bush's war. And they think that Prime Minister Tony Blair was wrong and that he was somehow a poodle a President Bush.
So I think that when this visit was first planned, I think the perception here was that it was seen as being a great, sort of, photo opportunity, just as election year got underway in the United States.
Whereas in fact, I think the people now expect that there will be huge protests when President Bush visits, and it won't be the sort of welcome that he perhaps was expecting when this visit was first organized.
COLLINS: What do the people of Britain want to happen with the country of Iraq and Saddam Hussein?
DOYLE: Well, I think that like most Americans, I think most British people would like the Western powers, the occupying powers to get out of Iraq as soon as possible. And I think that they would like to -- so they really are glad to hear about President Bush's more recent plan, which is to speed up the transfer of democracy. And I think that they also see a contrast between the way in which the situation's being handled in Basra and Baghdad. Now to be fair, Baghdad was always going to be a much tougher station than Basra. Partly because of the ethnic make-up.
I mean, Baghdad was always more -- and the area around Baghdad was almost more sympathetic to Saddam Hussein. But it's felt that the British police, who've learned a lot from policing in northern Ireland, or the British Army, who've learned a lot from northern Ireland, have adopted a more conciliatory approach.
And the mass being adopted in the region around Baghdad. So I think there's also feeling this -- the way in which the occupation is being carried out is not enhancing the reputation of Britain in America, particularly America, throughout the middle east.
COLLINS: Well, let me ask you then, you mentioned the new plan, the plan for Iraq to take over its own country. That we learned yesterday is set for possibly spring of 2004? Is that then what Prime Minister Blair and President Bush will be speaking about today, moving things forward?
DOYLE: I think that's certainly going to be very high on their agenda. You know, how swiftly they can move to democratize Iraq. And also, to let Iraqis take control of their own country.
COLLINS: Of course, the other thing that's going to be high on their agenda is something that attorney Blair has always had as a priority, which is the situation in the Middle East.
And over here, it is always seen that that was a quid pro quo for Britain getting involved in the war. You know, the understanding here is that Tony Blair said OK, George Bush, I will back the Iraq War, but you absolutely have got to put the weight of American diplomacy behind the road map to peace in the Middle East, and particularly to Israel, Palestine.
So he is also going to be pushing the case for further developments there. And perhaps even a stronger statement from America that they do not approve of Israeli plans to build a wall around the occupied territories.
COLLINS: Many issues to talk about, no doubt. Margaret Doyle, a correspondent for "The Economist." Thanks so much this morning, live from London.
DOYLE: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
