Are Blair's numerous roles -- paid consultant to US bank JP Morgan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait and an Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund -- in conflict with his role as Middle East peace envoy?

Sawers "two years" threat may not be as startling as Tony Blair's infamous claim that Iraq could activate weapons of mass destruction "within 45 minutes". But its purpose is the same.

“This is not the new Libya we fought for and we may have to take up arms again if the corruption and greed continue. This time against the new government.”

There is still no evidence that Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons. but evidence is irrelevant when the enormous economic power of the US and EU can force a country to its knees.

"I think if a nation goes to war, every town, every city needs to be at risk," says US General McChrystal. "You make that decision and everybody has skin in the game."

Writer and activist Owen Jones says it is time for Muslims and non-Muslims alike, to join forces against the most widespread – and most widely accepted – form of bigotry of our times.

Many of the "activists" and spokespeople in the Syrian opposition calling for military intervention are interlinked with the US and London – the very people who would be doing the intervening.

The Iraq war will follow Blair wherever he goes. He lied, bullied, manoeuvred and deceived in order to get his way. But some now say that's in the long past and we should "get over it".

The whole point of drone warfare is to allow large numbers of human beings to be killed without the slightest physical risk to those doing the killing: it is the opposite of bravery.

That a Saturday night in central London, the Olympic Games or any other public space can come to look as if it was a militarised zone must disquiet more than the usual civil liberties campaigners.