February 3, 2003
YOU DON'T SPIT INTO THE WIND:
Blair blocked ship deal to snub Chirac (Michael Smith and George Jones, 04/02/2003, Daily Telegraph)Tony Blair blocked a decision to award a French company a 3 billion pound contract to build the Royal Navy's two new aircraft carriers because of anger at President Jacques Chirac's behaviour over Iraq and Zimbabwe.The industry journal Defence Analysis will say today that the reason for snubbing the French company was "purely political".
M Chirac's decision to invite President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe to Paris for a summit on Africa this month in defiance of EU travel sanctions proved to be "the last straw".
The disclosure that Mr Blair intervened to ensure that Britain's BAE Systems was made the prime contractor will increase tensions between him and M Chirac at today's Anglo-French summit at the resort of Le Touquet, near Calais.
The French are likely to be further affronted by the disclosure by defence sources that the decision to give BAE Systems the leading role was discussed in advance with Washington. America is angry about M Chirac's attempts to delay President George W Bush's plans for military action against Iraq.
If he wasn't French Mr. Chirac might be in a lather. Posted by Orrin Judd at February 3, 2003 9:39 PM
I'm not sure.
I thought the decision was party made to safeguard British jobs and not annoy Labour MPs.
Maybe the decision was made to ensure that the fiasco in the building of the Charles de Gaulle wasn't repeated.
Posted by: Mike at February 4, 2003 7:33 AMAli:
That may well be the real reason. What's awesome is that Blair leaked the cover story on the day he was meeting with Chirac.
I think Ali's remark about British jobs had much to do
with such a decision. Cocking a snook at Jacques would just be, as my creole relatives would say, lagniappe.