Listening to Clare Short's evidence to the Chilcot Enquiry this morning has got to be excruciating for Labour and Blair in particular. Clare is not pulling any punches and seems, if anything, that she is out to tell it the way it was, warts and all. Who do we believe? Blair, Campbell, Goldsmith and Straw - all who have to defend their actions - or do we believe Short who resigned over the conflict and has nothing to lose? I'm sure Clare has an axe to grind, but I can't help feeling that she is telling us the truth.
Here are a few lines from her evidence:
"We asked for a briefing... This just didn't come and didn't come."
"It became clear there was some sort of block on communications."
She told the Iraq inquiry the cabinet had not been a "decision-making body" and called Parliament a "rubber stamp".
Clare is still giving evidence live, and you can watch it by clicking HERE.
5 comments:
Really wish that she had been interviewed by the inquiry, before Tony Blair. It would have made his questionning a little more interesting.
Simon,
Yes it would have been interesting if she was the first one up. It would have been good to see the others answer her accusations.
It's a shame Claire Short didn't show the same principled stance before the war - she threatened to resign, then didn't, then after two months she finally did.
Robin Cook was far more dignified.
That said, this inquiry is turning into another Brown cock-up (for him) - marvelous
Am I the only person following the Chilcot Enquiry to notice that the
only two people so far to come out of this with any integrity are both members of the fairer! sex?
Clare Short and Elizabeth Willingham.
The real scenario is of Tony Blair and Co following the American lead like a bunch of sheep. At a cost to this country and the rest of us both in lives and hard currency.
Mel Hobbs
For more on this topic see http://dioclese.blogspot.com/
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