#john chilcot

Iraq Inquiry: Does Chilcot go far enough on Tony Blair? – UpFront (Arena)

The long-awaited Chilcot Report, released earlier this week, found that the British decision to invade Iraq in 2003 was based on “flawed intelligence” and the invasion went “badly wrong”. While the report stopped short of calling Blair a liar, John Chilcot, who led the inquiry, said that claims about Weapons of Mass Destruction were…

Should Tony Blair be punished for the Iraq War? – UpFront

More than a decade after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the country continues to become increasingly unstable. On Sunday, nearly 300 people were killed in the worst bombing since the invasion began. Led by the United States with the support of the British, the war paved the way for a violent insurgency and a sectarian conflict that…

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZXo2ci-Fgc)

Chastened, haunted, defensive but defiant

The Chilcot Inquiry has delivered on its promise. It has been uncompromising in its criticism of process and individuals. At a press conference this afternoon Tony Blair appeared chastened, haunted and defensive, but nevertheless defiant. I believe he made a disastrous and arrogant error, taking the country to war ‘in good faith’, without full discussion in cabinet, but it was brave of him to…

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EJK8K0ypl4)

Politics

Families line up legal challenge over delays to Chilcot's Iraq war report

Sir John Chilcot is facing legal action from bereaved families after again defying calls to set a timetable for publication of the Iraq Inquiry report. The move comes after Sir John said he understood the relatives' anguish but said delays were unavoidable because he wanted his long-awaited report to allow those he has criticised a right to reply - what he called the Maxwellisation process. However, Matthew Jury, of McCue & Partners, a law firm representing some of the families, said: "Sir John has refused the families' legal request to impose an effective timetable on the Maxwellisation Process, thereby preventing any deadline being set for publication of the report. In the circumstances, the families' legal team... will be taking further legal steps as are considered necessary and appropriate."

All he has stated is that witnesses 'have not been given an open-ended timescale' to respond to criticisms. By itself this is meaningless

Lawyer Matthew Jury accuses Sir John Chilcot

Politics

Chilcot defends delay to Iraq war report delay but insists it has 'to be fair'

Sir John Chilcot today defended the long delay to his Iraq war report insisting it was "critically important" that it should be fair. He spoke out in the wake of sustained criticism in recent weeks over the hold-up with families of soldiers killed in Iraq threatening legal action. In a statement, Sir John said: "I should like firstly to reiterate that my colleagues and I understand the anguish of the families of those who lost their lives in the conflict. We take the responsibility we were given as an independent inquiry extremely seriously, and understand the need for government, parliament and the public to see our report as soon as possible."

I'm not sure he is able to understand our anguish

Roger Bacon, whose son, Major Matthew Bacon, was killed in Iraq in 2005

His remarks follow reports that the delay was because he had spread the blame for the mishandling of Britain's involvement in the 2003 invasion much farther than expected. Sir John was said to have written to everyone criticised in the report, which had been expected just to single out then-prime minister Tony Blair and his inner circle, giving them the right of reply. Today, he called that "the Maxwellisation" of the process but insisted his inquiry had stuck to its deadlines. He said: "Individuals have not been given an open-ended timescale and Maxwellisation is not a process of negotiation. We expect to receive the last responses to our Maxwellisation letters shortly." The inquiry was set up in 2009 by Mr Blair's successor, Gordon Brown, who said it would take at least a year.

The inquiry has remained in control of its deadlines throughout the process. In some cases, the response sent to us required detailed and complex analysis which has taken time.