The Chilcot Inquiry is succeeding against the odds – and the Tories are benefitting

Billy Blofeld

What escapades in Kiev Hotels? Can someone please remind me?

wrinkled weasel

This is becoming like Watergate. It may well end the same way, i.e. with a former leader disgraced and facing a court. Every delay in producing vital evidence, every obfuscation and every attempt at spin will just not work. People seem to forget that political will changes. We saw this with Karadic - he could have been handed over years before, but no, he was finally traded, just like any other commodity.

Perhaps the mechanisms are not in place now. Perhaps there is no political will to serve up Blair on a plate to a War Crimes tribunal, but who is to say that, five, ten or twenty years hence the game has changed?

The facts are that important information is still being withheld, for no good reason. Even the defense of "National Security" cannot apply if the evidence in given in closed session, and then it is for the committee to make that call, not those who could benefit from secrecy.

A side issue is the decision to consign information about the death of David Kelly to the vaults for seventy years. It is all too convenient.

Somehow, I don't see the Tories facing this head on, even when they get into office. Do you?

CW

This is a case of commentators giving events like these far more importance than they deserve when it comes to the average voters views.

Most people don't care/understand about the inquiry and the government refusing to release documents. Those that do will almost certainly have made up their minds one way or the other by now.

The only way the Tories will benefit from this inquiry is if Brown gets caught up when he gives evidence.

Dorothy Wilson

Billy Blofeld: That comment intrigued me too.

And isn't Blair supposed to be campaigning in Labour marginals during the forthcoming election campaign? They really must be desperate.

David Ossitt

“The government’s refusal to disclose the full range of relevant documents frustrates Chilcot, but it also compounds the impression that Downing Street has contrived to restrict the inquiry, which suggests that they have something to conceal.”

Isn’t that the whole point; this despicable shower have much to conceal, and that will be their malign evil legacy, the fact that information is hidden from the general public.

We see it every day; it is all around us, politicians lie with every breath, information is hidden away for years (Dr David Kelly).

We are told that we are not allowed information on crime and criminals, for legal reasons; town and city councils spend thousands trying to hide their mistakes and misdemeanours, the last discredited Speaker of the House of Commons spent a small fortune trying to hoodwink us all.

Innocent members of the public are harangued and bullied by the police; should any second or third party make a complaint, and yet the crass stupid plod will refuse to disclose the full nature of the complaint or who it was that made the complaint.in the first place.

Raoul Wallenberg

Re Kiev, a quote from The Time sketch of Hoon's Chilcot evidence:

"At some point in the autumn of 2002, Mr Hoon became worried (as you do) that the military had no real plans to invade Iraq. A letter from his private office was written on October 29 to the PM. Why not from Geoff personally? He shrugged. “It sometimes would vary — I never knew quite why.”

He was equally relaxed about the September dossier. He had not been aware of alarming press reports headlined “45 minutes from doom” with missiles supposedly pointing at Britain. “I had not seen those newspaper reports,” he noted. “I checked my diary and found I had been in Kiev for a couple of days.” "

Moraymint

" ... the dysfunction that Blair’s style of government wrought ..."

Otherwise known as treason.

Bob Dixon

Dead right about years passing and politics changing.

Look at

Oliver Cromwell was dug up & executed.

Sir Walter Raleigh was executed for political reasons.

We may still see Tony & Gordon in THE TOWER

David Lindsay

What the hell right have the Tories to benefit from this? Their stupidity in supporting this war was not the least reason why they were the only "Opposition" that Blair could still have beaten by as late as 2005.

The Bellman

"Brown's record on choppers is scarcely awesome."

Cracking line, David. He also has a diosmal record on rocking horses and nappies.

If you get my drift.

John David Barnett

If Blair and Brown were to be put in the Tower, would that mean that this ancient fortress would no longer be open to tourists? This could cause a tremendous loss of revenue.

Afternoon Snooze

I would be interested to learn why you assume the inquiry will be a whitewash.

Boudicca

CW "The only way the Tories will benefit from this inquiry is if Brown gets caught up when he gives evidence."
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I think you're wrong with this. Whilst the average person isn't generally too interested in politics, this is war. Most people remember the anti-war protests and the 'case' Blair made for war. They also remember the British dead and the constant refrain that there were equipment shortages.

They might not follow the detailed 'who said what to whom and when' but the overall impression is of a war based on untrustworthy information which was carried out in a shambolic manner and 'our boys' died because of equipment shortages.

I think it WILL do Labour a lot of harm. I'm astounded they are planning on using Blair in the election campaign - particularly in the marginals. He is now loathed - and not just for Iraq. The economy has been devestated by Labour - and he was in charge for most of the time - yet he is swanning round the world earning millions, avoiding tax yet charging the bill for his security to UK taxpayers. He's a liability for them now.

mitcheltj

David Lidsay - "What the hell right have the Tories to benefit from this? Their stupidity in supporting this war was not the least reason why they were the only "Opposition" that Blair could still have beaten by as late as 2005"

I could not agree more, nor put the point better. The Conservative Party should hang its head in shame.

I would personally hold fire before congratulating the Chilcot committee on its work. I remember that the Hutton enquiry seemed to be going well - lots of searching questioning(ish) and embarrassing revelations - before he came up with that travesty of a report (I am not at all surprised that he wants to suppress publication of the medical papers on Dr Kelly). Ditto the Butler enquiry (and for those old enough to remember, the Franks committee on the Falklands War).

Never underestimate the establishment's capacity for whitewash - as the great Damon Runyon once observed, the battle may not always go to the strong, but that's the way to bet.

salieri

Peculiar things have been happening to the thread dedicated to the ci-devant Attorney General, which was opened yesterday, was inaccessible for most of today, reappeared and has now vanished for good. Have your learned friends been in touch?

Holly ......

The government treats us out here like two year olds..got to make laws to protect us from ourselves.
The media treat us as if we believe the stuff they pass on from said government.
So will the people posting comments on here please refrain from telling us 'the gormless public'that they don't understand, know or care what is going on.
They DO and thousands are still as pissed about this today as when they marched against it...ignored by the ones in power.
We are NOT stupid,ignorant or indifferent.
We are also living through the same shit people who post here are living through.
A bit more credit to our people please.

TrevorsDen

There was nothing illegal about invading Iraq. There are no international laws to break ans no international court to prosecute the non existent laws.

Iraq is now a democratic country, as is afgh\nistan of sorts.

The only thing broken is Blairs and labours trust with the British people.
the isue is quite simple realy - the nutter incompetence of the labour party and Govt. It has widely manifested itself elsewhere, in Afgh\nistan and the economy and our education system and the huge increase in benefits and immigration.

The real point is staring everybody in the face. Suppress your prejudice and wake up - there is an election coming.