Clare Short does not disappoint Blair Iraq...

What with all the Chilcotery of late, it occurs to me that I've been linking to a lot of stuff, by way of criticizing it, that I wouldn't have sent to my Gran - or indeed to anybody - as a way of improving their day. But the conventions of blogging being what they are, I have, willy-nilly, been sending readers of normblog in this direction, day after day. To make amends, I draw your attention here to items of another sort. > Hopi Sen on the Iraq inquiry: 'Where the terrible suffering of others did not provoke us to act - there we should find our secret shame.' > Danny Finkelstein on Churchill, Blair and 'what would have happened if we had not acted'. > Ann Clwyd at the Chilcot inquiry, somewhat less reported than, say, Clare Short: 'I felt myself there was no other option.' > Simon...

Original Home Page All Contents of Site – Index All Links to ‘The Trial of Tony Blair’ posts Sign the Ban Blair-Baiting petition here. A recent sig comment: “Blair was an outstanding prime minister doing his job very well. One of his jobs was to take decisions like going to war.” Comment at end 3rd February, 2010 SHOCK!!!!Clare Short says Blair is SINCERE!!!!! By Julie – thanks, Julie! Hold onto your breath now Blair-dissers. Your No. 1 Warrior Princess Clare Short has told the troof THE TRUTH for once (a rare moment of enlightment, I suppose)…….. Ms. Short former Minister of International Destruction Development, appearing in front of the Iraq Inquiry today, told the panel that: a) “I think Tony Blair sincerely wants to contribute to peace in the Middle...

She was a strong supporter of the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia- a war just as illegal and deceitful as the Iraq war.She defended the bombing of Serbian State television- in which 16 civilians were killed- and which was denounced by Amnesty International as a ‘war crime’.In 2003, instead of following Robin Cook’s example, and resigning from the Cabinet before the Iraq war, she opted to stay in it.And although she told Tony Blair the need for United Nations (UN) backing "was critical", to give the military action "maximum authority", she was quite happy to support a war without UN backing four years earlier.Sorry, Clare, but you're no anti-war...

The remarkable attack today by Clare Short on Blair and Brown over Iraq at the Chilcot Inquiry may have the power to produce headlines but it doesn't throw much light on her own role. She spoke with an incredible degree of bitterness and a considerable amount of hindsight. Her claim that the Cabinet was misled by legal officers claiming the war was legal is all very well but there were...

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...

Clare Short, one of the most vocal critics of the Iraq War, is to give evidence to the official inquiry on...

The argument put forward by Tony Blair in his evidence to the Iraq inquiry were "ludicrous", former cabinet minister Clare Short...

Clare Short has a bit of explaining to do. It seems she instructed Dfid employees to "sit in their tents" and do everything they could to obstruct reconstruction efforts in...

Original Home Page All Contents of Site – Index “Ban Blair-Baiting” petition - please sign Comment at end 3rd December, 2009 Tebbit: Tony Blair had to intervene “to finally hammer out the terms of proper support” Amazing accusations from today’s Iraq Inquiry. I expect the anti-war publications will ALL lead with this. Ye-e-e-es, of course.  In case not, it’s here, below. (source BBC, with short clip video of Boyce’s damning remarks on Short’s DfID.) Sir Kevin Tebbit, who was the senior civil servant at the Ministry of Defence, suggested DFID was fundamentally at odds with the rest of the government at that time. He told the inquiry: “DFID felt a second UN resolution was absolutely essential before they could agree to do anything. That...

Claire Short could with her grasping paw in the taxpayers pocket! I am shocked...Clare Short, the former international development secretary, admitted claiming thousand of pounds of taxpayers’ money to which she was not entitled within months of standing down as a Cabinet minister.Records seen by The Daily Telegraph show that the independent Labour MP for Birmingham Ladywood claimed the full cost of her mortgage for two and a half years, despite being entitled to charge only for the interest element.When she was asked by the House of Commons fees office to repay more than £8,000 to compensate for the overpayments, Miss Short sent a letter back saying officials “should accept some responsibility for the situation” for not spotting the error earlier.The records show that over the...

Former Cabinet minister Clare Short was overpaid more than £8,000, the Daily Telegraph says in its latest expenses...

It appears that Clare Short is in trouble for inviting Hamas leader Khaled Meshal to address MPs in Parliament. Meshal, the head of Hamas's political bureau and the target of a bungled Israeli assassination attempt in 1997, is set to speak to a committee of MPs via a video link.I think, on balance, that Clare Short is right to extend the invitation to Meshal. It is easy to forget that the recent role played by Hamas in securing the release of the BBC journalist Alan Johnston. Hamas cares about how it is perceived abroad which means that countries like the UK really do have potential leverage over the organisation that, legitimately and democratically rules Gaza. Short and others argue that the attempt to weaken Hamas by isolating it has failed; and that this policy seems to have...

The UK Government is accused by Clare Short MP of "doing nothing" to help two men from Birmingham who were allegedly tortured by police in...

Jo Swinson brilliantly tweeted the unfolding disgrace in parliament yesterday.Quite frankly, we've come to expect the kind of outrageous stupidity of Labour over Freedom of information, as with Jack Straw's refusal to publish six year old cabinet minutes. It is ludicrous because the minutes, if Clare Short is to be believed, are more notable for the reporting a lack of debate, rather than...

I agree with the sentiment of this post, at least regarding Clare Short, and the article to which it links. I'm not sure 'shifting left' is what needs doing though. What we need to do is expand our repertoire leftwards, and adopt a more left 'utopia' to work towards. Moving the country identifiably leftwards rather than identifiably rightwards (an issue of direction more than position) would do me in terms of principle, leaving aside for a moment the question of the votes to facilitate it....

...all part of some fascinating revelations on Food and politicians in this week's Observer Food monthly. Nick Clegg is in there too, talking about his love of Mediterranean food. Also featured are Clare Short, Theresa May and David Blunkett. But it is Paddy who provides the most interesting culiniary information: 'I was sent off to fight in a little war in Borneo in the Sixties. I had to...

Clare Short imagines a future in which George Bush and Tony Blair are brought before a court somewhere for the invasion of Iraq. John Rentoul sees a snag for...

This is a bit late... she seems to be pretty much doing a Clare Short.A principled one eh? Someone send her a Compass form.UPDATE: The more I think about it, the more it pisses me off that MPs are choosing now to slag off the government and /or resign. Lot's of great Labour councillors are up for election, you dolts....

The one thing that people who care not one jot about politics know about Clare Short is that she does not like photographs of underclad women in tabloid newspapers. Or at least she did not, as she has not had much to say about the subject since '86.Anyway, the Danish equivalent of our own dear super soaraway Sun, Ekstra Bladet, is ditching page three, or in its case page nine, girls. So far, so not very interesting, but in a development that is howlingly funny, "Starting Wednesday, the paper's page 9 will instead be dedicated to women's issues featuring advice, comments and letters". Anyone would think that the likes of Toynbee, Campbell (B), Bunting et al (or Nordic equivalents) had stormed the building, tarred & feathered the management and instigated a new editorial line, but...

Shame on embittered has-been Clare Short for her frankly weird attack on Baroness Amos.Short said of Amos' presence at the EU/Africa summit "I don't see any reason to send a kind of pseudo-minister and I think that it's not right to send her because she's black. I don't see any other reason for sending her."Well done to Amos for the dignity with which she has responded to questions about Short's...

Wahey, in a close field, Tony Blair, Diane Abbot, Jack Straw, Clare Short and George Bush have been pipped at the post for the award of Most Odious Politician of the Year by one Shahid Malik, Lab. Dewsbury. Let's have a look at his voting record (from theyworkforyou.com): * Has never voted on a transparent Parliament. * Voted strongly for introducing ID cards. * Voted very...

The left in the Labour Party - The Red pepper debate. The Short answer by Clare Short (also see the article by Liz Davies and other comments below this one). Powerful historical forces are at work in the Middle East, the global economy and the climate that will unpick the status quo, writes Clare Short. Can the left reinvent itself to meet the challenge? The short answer to the question ‘What...

The left in the Labour Party - what future? The Red Pepper debate on the future of the left in the Labour Party. Today we post two articles by Liz Davies and Clare Short (above this one). You can add your own comments in the comments section at the end of each post. These articles are very important in view of the Respect National Council decision taken on 20.09.07 to "Take a positive and...

If we let in Tories, ex-heads of the CBI and Liberal Democrats, I don't see why we can't let in people who were, until recently, Labour; after all, Chort may have called for a hung parliament once, but Quentin Davies has been calling for Labour's outright obliteration for years, while Digby Jones has fought for more poverty pay.If I had my way, none of them would be in (short included; her advocacy of a hung parliament was totally unacceptable), but I feel that consistency, as ever, is in order (besides, I supported making an exception for Ken, and I'd like to be consistent myself!).For all of the above transgressors, I feel that repentance is the key. I reckon that's most likely from Short. Young Fabians Boat Party: click for info...

So Clare Short has hinted that she might wish to rejoin the Labour party in Parliament following Gordon Brown’s new ‘all inclusive’ approach to politics. The question is, will Labour have her back?Back in December 2006, in her letter of resignation of the party whip to Jacqui Smith (the then Chief Whip) Short argued that she was leaving the party because she had no confidence in the government. According to Short the government had lost its way and was no longer a ‘Labour’ administration. Less than eight months later you have to ask what has changed? Brown is still in favour of a replacement for Trident and the renewal of nuclear power plants. The government is still committed to staying the course in Iraq and the middle east is still a huge mess. Perhaps Short herself has...

Clare Short might take back to Labour Whip, she says:"I very much hope that this is going to be a new beginning [under Gordon Brown]...We look for a new and better Middle East policy, we're not so obsessed with being in America's pocket, and the slimming down of the centralised diktat bureaucracy of the health service and education.I think all that may happen and if it does - who knows, I might take the whip back before I leave Parliament." A comment from Hazel Blears on the prospect of Short returning to the Labour benches is hardly overflowing with delight, however:"If she wants to sign up to our whip and our policies and vote for our legislation then that probably will be a great thing, but we shall see." [Emphasis added]I hope she takes it back, just so that we can see what monkey...

Ex-minister Clare Short hints that she may rejoin Labour MPs in Parliament....

Speculation and argument on the Tory blogs about whether Quentin Davies really is an admirer of Gordon Brown. He told me in 2001 that he was, and put it very strongly. I think he has been consistent in this, though not all his speeches look that way. He thought that Gordon was the only hope for the party to continue in the right direction. I wondered then why it seemed so important to him... looks like he is getting a seat, judging by his latest comments.Gordon is likely to appoint the more junior members of his government by the end of this week, ie in the next two or three days. The Wikipedia entry for M. Salter says in its latest entry that he is expecting to get a junior ministerial, and cites as its source the Martin S. posting on this blog. Hmmm.Anybody notice Clare Short,...

My friends at The Daily (look at me pretending I have friends!), send me an e-mail asking me to plug their exclusive on Clare Short standing down at the next election.I am tempted to ask where they were when I needed their support to raise awareness of my exclusive story of someone plagiarising my post about ukulele playing, but hey. I guess I'm the bigger man for it. ;-)The Clare Short story is too a good an opportunity, for punning purposes alone to ignore (although I note that The Daily are encouraging me to use the story as part of my "ongoing campaign to antagonise every member of the PLP one by one". :-/). It reminds me of when Clare was Secretary of State at DFID and we needed to get the press interested in a meeting my MP was having with her to discuss various Trade Justice issues...