AS we wait and wait for the publication of the Chilcot Report, yet another nail is hammered into the coffin of Tony Blair's credibility with the revelation that in 2002 American Secretary of State Colin Powell recorded in a secret document that Mr Blair “will be with us should military operations be necessary” (“Chilcot is urged to examine Blair memo claims”, The Herald, October 19). Baldly put, the decision to go to war was in reality cut and dried a year before Iraq was bombed and invaded by the US and Britain, and the desperate pleas of the hundreds of thousands of us who marched, demonstrated and pleaded with Mr Blair not to attack Iraq fell on the deaf ears of Labour's Prime Minister.
Twelve years on, and Jeremy Corbyn pledged before becoming Labour's new leader that he would make an early apology for the Iraq war. So far as I am aware, no apology from Mr Corbyn has been forthcoming, although an apology would probably not be heard above the noise of the terrorist bombings which are almost everyday happenings in Iraq. In any case, no apology can even begin to make up for the horrors which have been endured by the people of Iraq since 2003.
However, there is one symbolic action of good faith which Mr Corbyn could undertake if he was so minded without having to wait for the result of the Chilcot Report. Mr Corbyn could put in motion the procedure to expel Tony Blair from membership of the Labour Party. Mr Blair and his illegal war brought disaster on his party and the UK. But worst of all he brought disaster on Iraq, and helped destabilise the Middle East and the rest of the world, perhaps for ever.
Ruth Marr,
99 Grampian Road,
Stirling.
THE recent publication of emails squirrelled away by Hillary Clinton contain information which is irreconcilable with the evidence Tony Blair presented to the Chilcot Iraq inquiry. These emails open up a can of worms that the establishment will struggle to close again since some have already escaped. I will however confidently predict what will happen.
Sir Jeremy Heywood and Sir John Chilcot, while accepting new evidence has surfaced, will insist that the current inquiry can only report on evidence it heard.
The Sirs will agree that the new evidence must be investigated but due to the time already spent by the current committee on the subject that it should stand down and be replaced by a new smaller committee. They will suggest that the publication of the Chilcot report is postponed till such times as this new committee is in a position to produce its own report.
A search will ensue for suitable candidates and the new committee will need to familiarise itself with all the existing and any new evidence. Changes of chairman and committee members will prolong the process.
The committee will meet in camera due to issues of national security
No former US statesmen will agree to attend to give evidence.
Tony Blair will refuse to answer questions on the grounds of national security and the right to not incriminate himself.
After a process of “Maxwellisation” lasting almost a decade a heavily redacted report will be published exonerating Tony Blair.
Some of the public will scream blue-murder but most will say: “Who is Tony Blair? That was years ago, before I was born, who cares.”
Nothing will happen.
David J Crawford,
Flat 3/3 131 Shuna Street, Glasgow.
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