The Iraq Inquiry

[bascule]

I'm curious what some of the folks across the pond (or rather, this side of the pond for the time being as I'm presently in Switzerland) think about the British government's Iraq Inquiry.

 

http://mystateline.com/content/fulltext/?cid=130382

 

The latest news is that Blair will soon testify.

 

While there are a number of people would like to see something similar in the US, my reaction to the UK in regard to Iraq is that the war was even less popular there and generally agitated the population more. At a time when US citizens were almost evenly polarized on the issue it seems Britons were adamantly opposed.

 

It will be interesting to see how this turns out.

[CaptainPanic]

It is a good idea to do this inquiry. The widespread belief is that the people were being lied to. And this inquiry will restore (some of) the trust people must have in their government in order for it to function.

 

For too long have governments been taking unpopular decisions. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are just two bad decisions. Europe is also suffering from a number of other issues. People are grumbling. More radical political parties are gaining popularity in many countries.

 

The Dutch government also created a committee to investigate the way the decisions were taken. The conclusion was that our government has made some rather serious mistakes (such as grossly exaggerating and extrapolating the threat of the weapons of mass destruction of Saddam).

Edited January 26, 2010 by CaptainPanic

[npts2020]

Why is it that the only time unpopular decisions are made is when it involves going to war? If Democrats in America had an ounce of intestinal fortitude, health care reform should have been a "slam dunk" compared to going to war in Iraq. Unfortunately we are unlikely to ever see anything like this inquiry in the U.S.

[Dave]

The latest news is that Blair will soon testify.

 

Unfortunately, Blair's testimonial was completely overshadowed by the news that the head of the English football team had been a bit naughty. Which pretty much sums up the amount of political apathy currently present in this country.

 

While there are a number of people would like to see something similar in the US, my reaction to the UK in regard to Iraq is that the war was even less popular there and generally agitated the population more. At a time when US citizens were almost evenly polarized on the issue it seems Britons were adamantly opposed.

 

Oh yes. At the time, there were marches consisting of millions throughout the country. Everybody I know was, and still is, opposed to the war. Even with all of the "evidence" presented by Blair et al., there were extremely few people that wanted to get involved.

 

When the decision was made to go to war, I think the British people decided to pull it together for the troops. But when it became apparent that we weren't supplying them the correct equipment, and the original motivation for going to war was not in fact the case, public favour turned unanimously against it.

 

It is a good idea to do this inquiry. The widespread belief is that the people were being lied to. And this inquiry will restore (some of) the trust people must have in their government in order for it to function.

 

I don't think it will - it certainly won't restore my trust. Remember that this government set the remit for the inquiry and chose the members of the board. It feels like this is a political manoeuvre to try and clear the air before the general election to give Labour the best chance of being re-elected.

 

In any case, I was actually at the filming of Question Time yesterday, which had Tony's best friend on there. Just the smarmyness, the complete lack of any regrets at all, was enough to make my blood boil. And he essentially stated that even if something does come out of this inquiry, in all likelihood no criminal prosecutions would be made.

 

So I think the best I can hope for is that we get rid of this lot at the next general election.