STV reports: Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg says that the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq War has provided enough information to suggest that the war was illegal. Speaking on Radio Tay on Friday morning at the same time Prime Minister Gordon Brown was facing questions at the inquiry in London, he said: “I’m not a lawyer, but my view is that now there is sufficient evidence to sustain the claim that this was illegal.” “A Dutch inquiry into the Iraq war came to the conclusion that it was indeed illegal, and flew in the face of international law… “It is not a court of law, the Chilcot Inquiry, it was explicitly set up not to determine whether it was illegal or not so that is going to have to happen elsewhere by the lawyers, by the court, but my view is...

[This is the headline over my most recent column in the Scottish lawyers' magazine The Firm. It reads as follows:]Despite willingness expressed by both the Scottish and UK Governments to hold an inquiry into the Lockerbie debacle, neither has initiated one, and each appear to expect the other to do so. Professor Robert Black QC says the complicated comedy of manners and faux fidelity hides the knowledge of both that the actings of their legal advisers are fatally compromised.Abdelbaset al-Megrahi abandoned his appeal because he thought it would maximise his chances of being allowed home to Libya to die (by keeping open the possibility of prisoner transfer). In fact, what Kenny MacAskill did was to release him on compassionate grounds, a procedure which, unlike prisoner transfer, does...

Why has this review been announced? Well, the website says: "The University of East Anglia announced the independent Review on 11 February to investigate key allegations arising from the series of hacked emails from the Climatic Research Unit in December 2009.""The incident," it continues, "saw an anonymous hacker steal 160MB of data from the UEA server (including more than 1,000 emails and 3,000 other documents) and leak it online." So, even while a police inquiry continues, with every possibility that this was an inside job, we have a supposedly independent inquiry which makes assumptions which prejudice the outcome of another inquiry – and shows its own bias into the bargain.And we are supposed to believe this is going to come up with anything useful? It is tainted before it has even...

Chilcot inquiry told that the 'problem of leaks' was used to stop attorney general Lord Goldsmith addressing ministersJack Straw made clear in evidence to the Iraq inquiry today that he believed there was absolutely no need for the cabinet to be told of the attorney general's doubts about the legality of the invasion.The inquiry has heard that a week before the invasion, on 13 March 2003, Lord Goldsmith, the attorney general, told Straw that he might need to tell the cabinet that "the legal issues were finely balanced", documents released by the inquiry today reveal. Straw, then foreign secretary, advised him not to do so, warning of "the problem of leaks from the cabinet"; the inquiry has heard it was never told of Goldsmith's doubts.Summoned back to the inquiry today, Straw said the...

A report into the management of hospitals in Mid Staffordshire will highlight a culture of secrecy about poor working conditions that may have contributed to more than 1,000 patients dyingA hospital trust branded the worst in Britain by the NHS regulator actively discouraged staff from expressing fears about the safety of patients, an independent inquiry is expected to conclude.Senior managers at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, where poor working conditions may have contributed to more than 1,000 deaths, will be accused of promoting a culture of secrecy, according to sources close to the inquiry.The disclosure of a key finding of the report, expected to be released this week, comes as campaigners for patients who suffered neglect in Stafford and Cannock Chase hospitals call for a...

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: “… The level and wickedness of getting at Tony Blair in the press tells us what a good man he really is.” Comment at end 30th January, 2010 AS A MATTER OF FACT … Since I was in attendance, I will soon be doing my own report on yesterday in court, aka Blair in the dock, otherwise known as The Iraq Inquiry. But amongst all the opining I found this mention of the Inquiry – simply headlined - ” Tony Blair speaks to the Iraq Inquiry”. You might find it useful if you want to know ALL the facts before reading the opinions of those who ‘know’. It points directly to the video of the most...

Former prime minister expected to strongly assert that he acted in good faith when taking the decision to send British troops to join the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003Tony Blair will give evidence to the Iraq inquiry today in a long-awaited appearance that is expected to shed some light on the most controversial decision of his premiership.Sir John Chilcot and the four other members of the inquiry will question the former prime minister for six hours at the QE2 centre in London, where police have mounted a large security operation ahead of the protests being planned by anti-war campaigners.Blair has always defended his decision to send British troops to join the American-led invasion in 2003 and today he is expected to strongly assert that he acted in good faith and that the war brought...

Sir John Chilcot, who is chairing the inquiry into the Iraq war, today expressed publicly his “frustration” that the Government has refused to declassify certain information. The BBC reports: The Lib Dems have accused the government of trying to “gag” the inquiry by refusing to publish them. The documents include letters between Mr Blair and President Bush. The Cabinet Office said no documents had been withheld from the inquiry but some needed legal clearance before they could be released to the public. Nick Clegg has called – once again – for those documents requested by the Chilcot inquiry to be published, and that it be done before Tony Blair is questioned. Nick first asked Gordon Brown to release these documents into the public arena at Prime...

Former attorney general admitted to changing his mind over necessity of further justification for military actionLord Goldsmith at the Iraq war inquiry - liveLord Goldsmith, the government's attorney general at the time of the Iraq war, has told the Chilcot inquiry that he believed in 2002 there was no imminent threat from Saddam Hussein's regime that would have justified the use of force against him.While he told the inquiry this morning that he believed a second UN resolution would have been "safer" to justify military action, he admitted he eventually concluded that a further reinforcement to the earlier resolution 1441 was not necessary.Goldsmith has told the inquiry he changed his mind "for good reasons" but has not spelled them out, nor yet been asked by the inquiry what they...

Prime minister will now appear at Iraq inquiry before election, along with David Miliband and Douglas AlexanderSir John Chilcot today said that he had invited Gordon Brown to give evidence to the Iraq inquiry "as a matter of fairness".The inquiry chairman said that Brown, David Miliband, the foreign secretary, and Douglas Alexander, the international development secretary, would be appearing within the next couple of months.Chilcot also repeated his assertion that he wanted the inquiry to stay "outside party politics". This was the reason he gave before Christmas for his original decision not to invite Brown, Miliband and Alexander to give evidence before the general election.Brown and his two colleagues were originally given special treatment because they are due to be questioned on...

A total of 120 members of the public will be allocated seats for the Chilcot inquiry hearing at which the former prime minister is to give evidenceA ballot will be held today to allocate seats for the Iraq inquiry hearing at which former prime minister Tony Blair will give evidence.The inquiry invited members of the public to apply for a ticket two weeks ago because there are only 60 seats in the room where the inquiry sits, and thousands of people would like to be there to listen to Blair.People had to apply not knowing exactly when Blair would appear. The inquiry has only said he will give evidence for a full day at some point during the fortnight beginning next Monday, although it is possible the inquiry may announce a date later today.The inquiry is holding two separate ballots, one...

Missed PMQs? Here’s the catch-up … Nick Clegg pressed Gordon Brown to volunteer to appear before Sir John Chilcot’s inquiry into the Iraq war this side of the general election “before people decide how to vote on his record in government?” The Prime Minister replied that it wasn’t a matter for him. (Odd how when you become the most powerful person in Britain, you seem to lose the power to volunteer to do something inconvenient). So Nick asked again, telling the Prime Minister he “should insist on going to the inquiry now”, and asking “What has he got to hide?” Again Mr Brown said, “Sorry, guv, more than my job’s worth” (or words to that effect). Nick still wasn’t happy, so has now written to the Prime...

The BBC reports:An inquiry into the Netherlands' support for the invasion of Iraq says it was not justified by UN resolutions. The Dutch Committee of Inquiry on Iraq said UN Security Council resolutions did not "constitute a mandate for... intervention in 2003". The inquiry was launched after foreign ministry memos were leaked that cast doubt on the legal basis for the war. The Netherlands gave political support to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, but had no military role. The report demolishes the Dutch case for supporting the invasion, says the BBC's Europe correspondent Jonny Dymond. It could also be taken to reinforce the international case against the Iraq war, he says. In the First Post, Robert Fox writes:While he (Alistair Campbell), was protesting that Tony Blair, honourable as Brutus,...

Because of expected high demand, members of the public must apply to attend Chilcot inquiry when Tony Blair gives evidenceA seat at the Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war when Tony Blair gives evidence later this month is expected to be so sought-after that the inquiry team is launching a ballot for members of the public wishing to attend.The former prime minister is expected to be grilled – or, if the performance of the inquiry team so far is any guide, lightly poached – over six hours, with a break for lunch, so the seats will be allocated separately for the matinee and post-prandial performances.As with some raves, while the location is known – the Queen Elizabeth II conference centre, opposite Westminster Abbey – the date is not. The best the inquiry has come up with is that it...

[This is the headline over a report recently published on the Telegraph website. It reads in part:]UK Families Flight 103, the relatives' campaign group, will use human rights laws in a bid to uncover the truth about the terrorist attack, which claimed 270 lives in December 1988.The group has hired Gareth Peirce, the prominent human rights solicitor better known for her work representing terror suspects, to devise a legal strategy to secure the inquiry for which families have long campaigned.It is the first time the families have formally hired lawyers to pursue an inquiry.The development comes after Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, rejected the group's latest demands for an independent review of the bombing. He informed them of his decision in a letter, dated Christmas Eve, which was...

Hopes have never been high that Sir John Chilcott’s inquiry into the Iraq war would provide a real sense of closure: it’s come too late, and opinions are fixed. Opponents of Tony Blair’s decision will forever believe that he knowingly mislead Parliament into voting for a war he believed was essential; those who defend his actions will forever believe it was right to topple Saddam Hussein with or without the UN’s sanction. But those initial hopes for Sir John’s inquiry are receding still further thanks to his decision to excuse Gordon Brown, David Miliband and Douglas Alexander from appearing before the inquiry until after the general election. As the Lib Dems’ shadow foreign secretary Ed Davey comments: Giving special treatment to Labour ministers not...

[This is the headline over a report by Lucy Adams in today's edition of The Herald. It reads in part:]Gareth Peirce, one of the UK’s most high-profile lawyers, has described the Lockerbie case as a shocking “wrongful conviction”.Ms Peirce, who is famous for her involvement with cases such as those of the Birmingham Six, the Guildford Four and the Tipton Three, is now working with relatives of some of the victims of the tragedy.The Herald revealed yesterday that Dr Jim Swire, whose daughter Flora was among 270 people who died in the 1988 tragedy, and relatives of 10 other British victims were working with Ms Peirce to use human rights legislation to force the UK Government to allow a public inquiry.Speaking to The Herald yesterday, Ms Peirce said she believed the relatives had been...

[The following are excerpts from a report by Lucy Adams in today's edition of The Herald.]The British relatives of the victims of the Lockerbie bombing have signed up one of the UK’s most high-profile human rights lawyers in a bid to bring about a full public inquiry into the disaster.Dr Jim Swire and other relatives are working with Gareth Peirce to compel the UK Government under human rights legislation to allow an inquiry into the tragedy that killed 270 people 21 years ago.Ms Peirce’s clients include the Birmingham Six, the Guildford Four and the family of Jean Charles de Menezes.Dr Swire, whose daughter Flora died in the bombing, said he was still waiting to hear from Gordon Brown after he and 10 other relatives delivered a letter to 10 Downing Street in October calling for a...

Sir Jeremy Greenstock's evidence on political mistakes after invasion is interruptedSir John Chilcot, chairman of the Iraq inquiry, cut the live video of today's hearings, raising fears that he is suppressing evidence on grounds of embarrassment rather that any damage to national security."I interrupted the broadcast because of a mention of sensitive information," he said after hearing evidence from Sir Jeremy Greenstock, Britain's UN ambassador before the invasion and special envoy in Baghdad afterwards.The broadcast was stopped as Greenstock was speaking about how the US drew up plans on the basis of a "best-case scenario" in Iraq. Immediately before being cut off he said: "When I talked to other members of the American team, when I talked informally to the military, to the intelligence...

[This is the headline over a report on the BBC News website. It reads in part:]A Scottish Parliament committee could [today] decide to close its inquiry into the release of the Lockerbie bomber.The justice committee has been investigating the decision to release Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, who has terminal cancer, on compassionate grounds.It is due to decide whether the move by Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill has been adequately scrutinised.The committee has already been told that medical advice on Megrahi's health was "quite clear".MSPs must now decide whether there are further issues to pursue surrounding the release of the Libyan in August this year.Last week the committee heard from Mr MacAskill, who insisted medical advice had been clear. (...)Megrahi's release angered many US families...

Original Home Page Latest Post All Contents of Site – Index “Ban Blair-Baiting” petition – please sign here Comment at end 8th December, 2009 WHAT’S THE ‘IRAQ INQUIRY DIGEST’ ALL ABOUT?  THE TRUTH? There’s a website called the ‘Iraq Inquiry Digest’, edited by Chris Ames, and set up to keep us informed about the Iraq Inquiry. Necessary or unnecessary? Given that the Iraq Inquiry official website itself links to all their (unedited) videos of evidence, all their transcripts and all their timetables for witness appearances as well as a lot more, I’m not completely convinced that sites such as the importantly named “Iraq Inquiry Digest” are not superfluous to requirements. But there we go. It’s a free country and people...

Lord Steyn says it would be a mistake for issue of legality to be kicked into the long grass until after the electionThe Iraq inquiry should publish an interim report before the general election declaring the war illegal, a former law lord said today.Writing in the Financial Times, Lord Steyn said that it would be a mistake for the issue of the legality of the war to be "kicked into the long grass for party political reasons until after the election".Steyn also criticised the prime minister for not putting a lawyer or a military figure on the inquiry.Sir John Chilcot, the chairman of the inquiry, has the right to issue an interim report before he publishes his final conclusions towards the end of 2010 or in 2011 but he has said that he is unlikely to do so. He has also said that the...

Ah, the joy of PMQs – Nick asks Gordon a question, Gordon fails to answer a totally different question to the one Nick asks. It’s a regular pattern, but today it was clear to everyone that the Lib Dem leader had floored the Prime Minister over the issue of Sir John Chilcott’s inquiry into the events leading up to the invasion of Iraq. Nick laid the trap neatly, asking the simple and straightforward question: It is vital that the Iraq inquiry, which started its work this week, is able to reveal the full truth about the decisions leading up to the invasion of Iraq. Will the Prime Minister therefore confirm that when Sir John Chilcot and his colleagues come to publish their final report, they will able to publish all information available to them, with the sole exception...

Sir Menzies Campbell MP has highlighted the serious questions that the “long awaited” Iraq Inquiry needs to answer as it gets under way in London today. Sir Menzies said: “This long awaited inquiry has a number of serious questions to answer. Why was it that Tony Blair felt it necessary for Great Britain to align so closely with George W Bush? Was the intention always to remove Saddam Hussein and bring about regime change? “Why did the Cabinet, with the notable exception of Robin Cook, not display greater independence? Why were there no proper preparations for the restructuring of Iraq after Saddam was toppled? What persuaded the Attorney General to abandon his original reservations about the legality of military action? “Liberal Democrats were the only party who...

The Government’s Iraq Inquiry conducted to identify lessons that can be learned from the Iraq conflict officially opens today. Professor Gareth Stansfield, the Exeter University’s Director of Research in Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, was one of a few academic experts who was asked to provide a briefing to the inquiry. With Professor Tim Dunne, Head of Humanities and Social Sciences at Exeter University, Professor Stansfield attended two expert seminars and presented a research paper on The Causes and Consequences of Iraq’s Descent into Violence. Professor Stansfield told the PRSD: ‘I am very pleased to have been given the opportunity to present my thoughts to the inquiry. With UK forces now in Afghanistan, it is imperative that the lessons of Iraq are not forgotten....

Original Home Page All Contents of Site – Index “Ban Blair-Baiting” petition - please sign Comment at end Tuesday, 24th November, 2009 [To be updated as and when the Iraq Inquiry proceeds. Please bookmark this page.] DAY 1, Iraq Inquiry Iraq Inquiry streaming video – watch here Transcripts by date – Week 1, 24th November, 2009 1. Iraq no-fly zones 2. UN SC resolutions on Iraq 1990 – 2001 Oral evidence by date – videos will be uploaded as they become available. Public access to the hearings REPORT At the Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre in London, only around a few dozen people turned up. BBC report WITNESSES ON TUESDAY Sir Michael Wood: Legal Adviser to the Foreign Office (1999-2006) Sir Peter Ricketts: Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee...

Donald Payne says lieutenant threatened to set prisoner alight and that abuse of detainees in Basra was widespreadA former army corporal who was the first British soldier convicted of a war crime has accused his former colleagues of abusing prisoners.Donald Payne today told an inquiry into the Iraqi's hotel worker Baha Mousa's death that he saw his unit's commanding officer, Lieutenant Craig Rodgers, threaten to set alight a young detainee with a can of petrol.He said: "I observed Lieutenant Rodgers place a jerry can of petrol in front of the young boy. He poured water over him and then lit a match."Payne, a former provost corporal who served with a unit of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment, told the inquiry he had previously covered up the extent of abuse by British troops out of misguided...

Former government adviser fears full facts will not come outA former senior government adviser on Iraq today accuses ministers of ignoring a series of opportunities to avert war in the months leading up to the conflict.But Carne Ross, the UK's former Iraq expert on the UN security council, has said he fears the forthcoming official inquiry into the 2003 invasion would fail to establish a true account of how and why the UK opted to join the US in taking military action.Writing in today's Observer, Ross says he believes the inquiry, which will open next week, will produce little in the way of illumination because it suffers from "an insidious intent" to establish that "our democracy, parliament and government function as they should".The inquiry will be chaired by Sir John Chilcot, a former...

Original Home Page All Contents of Site – Index Is ‘President Blair’ a shoo-in? Yes and No “Ban Blair-Baiting” petition - please sign Why Iraq is NO reason to reject President Blair Comment at end 13th November, 2009 THE TORY PAPERS ARE BENDING THE TRUTH AGAIN ON BLAIR NO!? WELL, FANCY THAT! The Mail and other Tory papers are desperate to get a rope, at least figuratively, around this famous neck. They are likely to VERY disappointed. So, will Tony Blair appear at the Iraq Inquiry within the next 3 months? MAYBE, MAYBE NOT. The news has appeared in at least two papers tonight. Two Tory-supporting papers. Unless they have heard from another qurter, they are simply LYING. The Telegraph and the inevitable and scurrilous Daily Mail. But at the Iraq Inquiry website it does NOT...

[This is the headline over an article on the website of the Scottish lawyers' magazine The Firm. It reads as follows:]Patrick Haseldine, a former diplomat under John Major's Westminster administration, has pressed Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill to take active steps to initiate an international inquiry into the Lockerbie debacle, pointing out that MacAskill pledged to support such an inquiry should it convene.Haseldine is amont the signatories of an open letter addressed to the President of the UN General Assembly asking the United Nations to 'institute a full public inquiry."I'm very pleased to note from your statement that you have committed the Scottish Government to 'fully co-operate in such an inquiry'. However, a UN member state must first table a resolution at the General...