U-turn on Iraq (UK) war inquiry (some details may be made public)

Source: UK Channel 4

After defending a decision to hold the Iraq war inquiry behind closed doors, Gordon Brown says that some details could now be gathered in public.

It appears to be another embarrassing U-turn by a government which just days ago staunchly defended a decision to hold an inquiry into the Iraq war behind closed doors.

Now Gordon Brown has written to the inquiry chairman, Sir John Chilcot, saying it will be up to him to decide how much of it is open to the public.

During a debate in the Lords this afternoon, the terms of the inquiry were denounced as unacceptable and inappropriate.

Read more: http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/politics/domestic_politics/uturn+on+iraq+war+inquiry/3219262

Iraq probe 'may be partly public'

Source: BBC

=snip=

Former Conservative prime minister Sir John Major said the findings risked being denounced as a "whitewash" and said the decision to hold it in private was "inexplicable".

General Sir Michael Jackson, who was head of the Army during the 2003 Iraq invasion, told the BBC it "must be open wherever possible".

And in a report published on Thursday, the Commons public administration committee said: "Inquiry proceedings should as a rule be held in public, with only very limited exceptions to consider the most sensitive evidence.

"Decisions to conduct particular proceedings in private should be made by members of the inquiry itself, not by the government."

Lord Butler, a former cabinet secretary, told peers: "I reluctantly conclude that the form of the inquiry proposed by the government has been dictated more by the government's political interest than the national interest and it cannot achieve the purpose of purging mistrust."

He said the way it had been arranged would ensure "that we will hear no more about it until after the general election" and it must both allow lessons to be learned but also enact a "truth and reconciliation process" for those who felt misled.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8106456.stm

The Petition

Dear Gordon Brown,

You've on many occasions promised that there will be a proper inquiry in the decision to go to war in Iraq, and more “transparency” across government.

Yet the inquiry you announced on 15th June is to be conducted by hand-picked establishment figures, to be held in secret and instructed not to apportion blame. This is not a proper inquiry.

We call on you to honour your previous commitments to transparency in government and allow a genuine inquiry into the Iraq War, to be held in public and free to draw whatever conclusions it sees fit.

http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/IraqInquiry

If the Brits can unravel what actually went on, who knows what this could lead to...

Call me an unrealistic optimist if you like, but I've got a feeling this is eventually going to lead to Blair, Bush, Cheney et all getting indicted.

Why isn't this getting any traction...?

:kick:

I very much doubt this would go public with anything strong enough to affect any member of the Bush regime. At most, it may tarnish the reputations of Blair and a few of his lot (because it'll report after the next election, not before). It's not going to be under oath, and few people are saying all of the evidence must be in public - the stuff about intelligence is still likely to be behind closed doors. The army is pushing for someone to take the blame of why they were stopped from ordering extra equipment in advance - they were told that would make it look too obvious the decision to invade had already been taken. Thus Blair may get blamed for the deaths of some of the military.

That would make him an accessory to murder or could he be charged with manslaughter?

Judging by the Observer article that's just been posted, the pressure for a public enquiry is growing even stronger...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3932586

People have been lead to believe that in the aftermath of the expenses scandals politicians would start cleaning up their act and be a lot more open and transparent. Instead we get the official publication of MP's expenses (very heavily censored) and an Iraq war inquiry that will not be in public. Hence people are very cynical about politics in the UK.