Gordon’s off the hook, for the moment
David Blackburn 3:16pm
Oooh, there’s just been a wonderful exchange at the Chilcot Inquiry. Baroness Prashar was asking some kindergarten questions about military planning. She barely mentioned Geoff Hoon’s evidence that the MoD was chronically under-funded and short of equipment before, during and after the conflict, and merely concentrated on 'visible military planning', or the lack of it to be precise.
Blair is much more assured after lunch than he was immediately before, and gave one of those of those “Trust me, I’m Tony” spiels about the armed forces’ readiness. He added earnestly, “I never refused a request for money to pay for arms and equipment during my time as Prime Minister,” an utterance that was accompanied with a stifled chuckle and a twinkle of the eye. The Baroness didn’t take the bait. What a disappointment. More on planning to come, I wonder if Prashar will ask a pertinent question about Basra? Not so far.
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sinosimon
January 29th, 2010 4:04pm Report this commentthe idea that the baroness will ask a pertinent question on anything is laughable. She is obviously modelling her interrogation technique on Geoffrey Howe (who dennis healey described as having a forensic ability akin to 'being savaged by a dead sheep). Of course Howe finally did manage one effective strike.....but i wouldn't hold your breath. they've all been pretty poor, she has been off the scale......which begs the question what part of her experience at the runneymede trust, literacy trust, C4 tv, or the national council for voluntary organisations was supposed to fit her for a role on this committee? Or was she a good fit having received her peerage from the blessed Tone(1999)....she appears to be repaying the favour.....unless of course she's just thick.
Jez
January 29th, 2010 4:05pm Report this commentI've just listened to this travelling on the M62- i have never heard such a lame, unconvincing cross examination in my entire life.
You've got to start wondering what's going on when the ex-Prime Minister *still* almost goes to peices when asked about the legalities of the War by Sir Roderick Lyne (admitedly in a very professional and intelligent manner) but how much time is and space is provided to manipulate the answers into a 'maybe'.
If you are asked a yes/no question, then the answer is 'yes' or 'no'- maybe?
End on this;
NuLab messed up the post-war contingencies e.g. being utterly incapable of understanding that if you rapidly destroy an existing infrastructure, a present social 'status-quo' and not take ethnic differences into account- because Nulab don't think these are important (note: it was only Baroness Prashar that mentioned the words Shia & Sunni- Blair mantioned Iran & Al Qaeda thus shifting any attention from this phenomenon)..... and thus Nulabs Iraqi 'crash course' in multi-ethnic dynamics won't even be contemplated when looking back at our multi-ethnic, immigration swamped urban centres right now.
These people are bad news.
terence patrick hewett
January 29th, 2010 5:07pm Report this commentWe need to put in a Daniel Hannan or a Simon Heffer in, then see the bastard squirm. Only a degenerate could snigger at a conflict that has killed so many honourable men. Not the least Dr David Kelly.
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