Tony Blair

Where the Blair Doctrine was a checklist for democratic leaders, the Responsibility to Protect is a statement of aspiration, typical of the United Nations.

And before some academic statistician who is imposing upon us the ridiculous Blair doctrine of "education, education, education" tells us it is not cost effective, may I tell him or her that we already know, but we must spend vast capital sums on preservation of our civilisation at whatever cost.

The Blair doctrine of pre-emptive war was firmly rejected by other centre-Left parties from round the world.

However, it is the terrorist threat which is the most dangerous element of the Blair doctrine. Terrorism cannot be defeated by armed force, and is almost certain to be increased by brutal attempts to suppress it by violence.

We should be told if we have just heard the Blair Doctrine - coming second-hand from the dangerous men who run today's White House - which will become our foreign and military policy at the start of the 21st century.