ON Sunday when Gordon Brown launched his book in Edinburgh ("Brown claims ‘Granita deal’ with Blair was already done", The Herald, November 6) I asked him why he had believed the Americans on weapons of mass destruction when millions of us around the world knew it was a lie. He claimed he hadn’t seen the evidence and after all, he was only the Chancellor and not centrally involved.
However another Scottish politician, who had been centrally involved – Robin Cook, who had been Foreign Secretary – didn’t believe the Americans and resigned. There is no doubt in my mind that if Mr Brown had backed Mr Cook and told Mr Blair he would not support the war he could have stopped Britain going to war and maybe even stopped the Americans going ahead. Instead he famously chose to back the war and said we would spend "whatever it takes" to finance the war.
On Sunday Mr Brown said that Mr Blair’s prime ministerial reign would always be marked by his mistake on the war. I can’t help but conclude the same is true of Mr Brown. He could have stopped the war, but for him his succession to Mr Blair as Prime Minister was more important. Ironically, when he did become prime minister he was generally regarded as a failure by the British people and rejected in the 2010 election.
On Sunday Mr Brown said that “all political careers end in failure”. On the day of the publication of his book (November 7), which talks of the many good things he did as Chancellor and Prime Minister, I suspect the majority of people will agree with him about his political career.
Hugh Kerr (Labour MEP 1994-98),
Wharton Square, Edinburgh.
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