The Week on TwitterTopical

The Week on Twitter: Maureen O’Hara, Tony Blair, and James Bond

By Jade Hayden

This week, Twitter said goodbye to Maureen O’Hara, celebrated National Cat Day, and listened to Tony Blair kind of, sort of, not really apologise for the Iraq war. We also talked about James Bond a bit, and questioned Piers Morgan’s existence.

#TonyBlair apologises for false intelligence leading to the #Iraqwar 

On Sunday, Tony Blair issued a sort of apology for the Iraq war. Speaking to American journalist Fareed Zakaria, the former British Prime Minister stated that he was sorry the intelligence he received regarding weapons of mass destruction was wrong, and that he regretted not having adequate information on the matter.

Blair also admitted that there was some truth to the claim that the invasion triggered the rise of Isis. When asked whether he believed the war led to the extremist militant group’s growth, he said “I think there are elements of truth in that (…) Of course, you can’t say those of us who removed Saddam in 2003 bear no responsibility for the situation in 2015.”

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Blair’s claim that he regrets the Iraq war, but not the removal of Saddam Hussein, was criticised by those who blame him for the deaths of over 200,000 Iraqis. Since his direct involvement in the conflict, Blair has been branded a war criminal; with many still demanding that he stand trial for his crimes. For them, his apology was insufficient as it emphasised a lack of remorse for the dead, and instead placed the blame upon intelligence agencies.

Blair was also criticised for speaking to US press ahead of the disclosure of the Chilcot Inquiry. Sir John Chilcot’s investigation into the Iraq war is set to be finalised by April 18th 2016. In a letter to David Cameron, Chilcot stated that the inquiry would be over 2 million words long, and should be cleared by officials for publication some time in June or July.

Blair’s interview with Zakaria is part of a longer documentary called ‘Long Road to Hell: America in Iraq.’ It airs on CNN Europe at 1am next Tuesday.

Twitter celebrates #NationalCatDay!

Yesterday was National Cat Day and everyone was only delighted. It meant that cats all over the globe finally got the recognition they deserved for being amazing, cute, and also a bit sly. Twitter flooded with pictures of nice cats being nice, people being thankful for their cats, and other cat-related things. It was good.

Uber even got in on the cat action, and decided that they’d deliver kittens to your door for a small fee of just $30. The event was part of an initiative run by multiple US animal shelters aiming to find some kittens a “fur-ever” home.

For some reason, some uncool, unfun, cat-hating people weren’t too happy about the celebration of National Cat Day.

Those people don’t deserve kittens delivered to their door.

New #JamesBond film comes out. People talk about #JamesBond

This week, the latest Bond film was released, and lots of people went to see it and got very excited by it. According to the Guardian, #Spectre broke some box office records, grossing over £6.3m on its opening day.

Bond trended for a bit on Twitter over the week as users discussed Daniel Craig, potential candidates for the next James Bond, and wondered whether Piers Morgan was homophobic.

https://twitter.com/_bkrowney/status/659822066154283008

In a column for the Daily Mail, Morgan made some fairly dodgy comments about a potential homosexual Bond. He stated that if James Bond was gay the whole franchise would fall apart as Bond girls would have to become Bond boys; thus leading to the confusion of myriads of the film’s fans, the disruption of the patriarchy, and ultimately the end of the world as we know it.

Morgan also justified his comments by alluding to the total and utter demise of George Michael’s career. “He had a brilliant pop career, right up to the moment where he came out as gay,” claimed Piers. “It wasn’t his sexuality that was the problem. It was the fact that he’d misled millions of adoring female fans for years…” 

Some people called Morgan out on his blatant homophobic comments, and lots of other people agreed. Piers, of course, did not, and instead tried to claim that ‘heterophobia’ was a thing. Daniel Craig, on the other hand, has stated that Bond can do whatever he wants. He doesn’t really seem to care all that much.

Alright, Piers…

Twitter remembers #MaureenOHara

On Monday, it was reported that acting legend Maureen O’Hara had died in her home at the age of 95. Hailed by many as ‘the Queen of Technicolor,’ O’Hara is best known for her role in ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ and her numerous collaborations with John Ford.

This week, fans took to Twitter to celebrate O’Hara’s life, her films, and achievements.

Featured image via rte.ie

Jade Hayden 144 posts 0 comments

Jade Hayden has an MA in journalism, a degree in English, and a house rabbit who sleeps in her bed sometimes. You'll often find her wearing glasses, fixing her fringe, and complaining about the amount of time she spends on public transport. Jade is also the editor of HeadStuff's topical section, and she'd love if you sent your submissions over to [email protected].

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