Tony Blair and the Iraq war enquiry

Everybody I worked with at the time (In the MoD, DoD) knew we were going in to finish the job and kill off the idiot. We couldn’t understand the need for the spin on the 45 mins etc. apart from the fact that we don’t like to be seen as over-throwers. So, lies were made up in order to sell to a delicate and PC brainwashed public. If we had Churchill standing up and demanding the head of Sad Huss then it would have been fine.

I don’t think you are far off the mark with that blunt assessment. Churchill would have struggled with and been frustrated by late 20th century obfuscation.

I suspect that there were a number of the military, diplomats and politicians on both sides of the Atlantic determined to find a way of finishing the unfinished job of the First Gulf War.

WMD became a tool to do the the job and then a red herring. Extinguishing Saddam was always the key objective but because this could never be overtly discussed neither could the post-overthrow plan be discussed.

The venture was doomed from the start and the aftermath inevitable. Having said that those deep seated critics never believed that Iraq in 2010 would be the nation that it is. It is imperfect but the lives of its people improve by the month and it is no worse a democracy than dozens of other democracies.

A fair judgment can be made on Iraq in another 10 years.

Everybody I worked with at the time (In the MoD, DoD) knew we were going in to finish the job and kill off the idiot. We couldn’t understand the need for the spin on the 45 mins etc. apart from the fact that we don’t like to be seen as over-throwers. So, lies were made up in order to sell to a delicate and PC brainwashed public. If we had Churchill standing up and demanding the head of Sad Huss then it would have been fine.

Disagree that the War in Iraq at that time and for the stated aims was right.

If however the stated aims had been we’re going to go in and remove this guy because we should have done it back in ’91, then i would have agreed and supported the action.
As it stands the government at the time took Britain into a war for supurious reasons and very murky, unclear aims. At least that’s what i expect the enquiry to conclude! 😉

Edit:
Should also add that many many people stated at the time that the “intelligence” was pure hockum, a guy also died because he said the “intelligence” was wrong.

I suspect that there were a number of the military, diplomats and politicians on both sides of the Atlantic determined to find a way of finishing the unfinished job of the First Gulf War.

WMD became a tool to do the the job and then a red herring. Extinguishing Saddam was always the key objective but because this could never be overtly discussed neither could the post-overthrow plan be discussed.

The venture was doomed from the start and the aftermath inevitable. Having said that those deep seated critics never believed that Iraq in 2010 would be the nation that it is. It is imperfect but the lives of its people improve by the month and it is no worse a democracy than dozens of other democracies.

A fair judgment can be made on Iraq in another 10 years.

Whichever Government was in at the time would have chosen the same path. The War was right, it’s the mismanagement of the peace that has killed the troops. Thatcher, and all her likkle yuppie offsprings would have gone in sooner and harder. The other party doesn’t count as they will never rule so their opinion is an also-ran.
We should have walked away and said F you, we’ve killed the idiot now make a real country for yourselves. But……

We need to recover money spent on the war, LGB’s are not cheap. So, we need to be in charge of the country and bleed the oil. Irag gov’t thinks it’s in charge LoL.

Disagree that the War in Iraq at that time and for the stated aims was right.

If however the stated aims had been we’re going to go in and remove this guy because we should have done it back in ’91, then i would have agreed and supported the action.
As it stands the government at the time took Britain into a war for supurious reasons and very murky, unclear aims. At least that’s what i expect the enquiry to conclude! 😉

Edit:
Should also add that many many people stated at the time that the “intelligence” was pure hockum, a guy also died because he said the “intelligence” was wrong.

I also agree, it is not a question of political point scoring. It was a pitty to see The United Kingdom and other countries being dragged into this war. It does appear to be a fact that the intelligence was wrong on Iraq. It saddens me to think of the lives that have been affected due to a war the UK did not need to be in.

Whichever Government was in at the time would have chosen the same path. The War was right, it’s the mismanagement of the peace that has killed the troops. Thatcher, and all her likkle yuppie offsprings would have gone in sooner and harder. The other party doesn’t count as they will never rule so their opinion is an also-ran.
We should have walked away and said F you, we’ve killed the idiot now make a real country for yourselves. But……

We need to recover money spent on the war, LGB’s are not cheap. So, we need to be in charge of the country and bleed the oil. Irag gov’t thinks it’s in charge LoL.

This is not an issue for party political point-scoring.

It’s a matter of Right and Wrong, not Right and Left.

I agree, it is not a question of political point scoring. Decisions were made by the government of the day, which is a Labour government, based on its assessment of intelligence and other information available to them. The way the decisions were made is extremely germane to the debate. The enquiry is not briefed to conclude what was wrong and what was right, only what happened and how it happened.

My second point was entirely separate expressing my personal opinion of the relative importance of this enquiry to another I consider more important. My second point is, I agree, not directly relevant to this thread.

If it exposes the then Cabinet as a bunch of spineless sycophants it will have achieved something. No, no one will be hung drawn and quartered, but perhaps it will reveal, as no other enquiry has, just how toxic Labour’s methods of running this country were and still are. To my mind Blair and Brown have far more to answer for in their appalling conduct of this nation’s affairs both home and abroad for the last 12 years, than solely for the war in Iraq.

This is not an issue for party political point-scoring.

It’s a matter of Right and Wrong, not Right and Left.

What is the point of this fiasco as nothing is going to happen to tony blair, whatever the outcome he wont be imprisoned or penalised financially,plus the cost of said enqury will be horrendous probably running into millions ,i appreciate those who have lost family as a result of the iraq war want justice ,but this will not hurt tony blair in any way , its sickening to see all his former cabinet members jumping ship like the cowards they all are.

If it exposes the then Cabinet as a bunch of spineless sycophants it will have achieved something. No, no one will be hung drawn and quartered, but perhaps it will reveal, as no other enquiry has, just how toxic Labour’s methods of running this country were and still are. To my mind Blair and Brown have far more to answer for in their appalling conduct of this nation’s affairs both home and abroad for the last 12 years, than solely for the war in Iraq.