Archive for 'Coverage' Category
Growing dissatisfaction over delays
By Chris Ames The BBC reports that: Peers have called for a speedy conclusion to the Iraq Inquiry amid growing dissatisfaction with the length of time it is taking to report. Former Conservative Foreign Secretary Lord Hurd called on ministers to “inject some urgency” into proceedings. Labour peer Lord Morris called for a “time limit” [...]
Iraq, Libya and Syria and the responsibility to protect
by Chris Ames On the Oxford University Press’s Law and Politics blog, Nigel D. White, Professor of Public International Law at the University of Nottingham, has a piece entitled “Lessons from Iraq 10 years on“, which looks at the implications for international law, diplomacy and intervention of both the Iraq was and the Western intervention [...]
Old evidence prompts new story
by Chris Ames The story in today’s Independent on Sunday, Tony Blair and Iraq: The damning evidence is another one of those where it’s very difficult to know what is new and what isn’t. The main gist of the story, that Hitherto unseen evidence given to the Chilcot Inquiry by British intelligence has revealed that [...]
Commons debate blocked by dark forces, MP claims
by Chris Ames The BBC reports that: A Labour backbencher has accused “dark forces” in Westminster of blocking a Commons debate marking the 10th anniversary of the Iraq war. Paul Flynn suggested that party whips had prevented MPs discussing the “wisdom” of the war, despite strong cross-party support from backbench MPs. [...] Labour’s Mr Flynn [...]
War planning wholly irresponsible, say senior military figures
by Chris Ames The Guardian again steps into the vacuum left be the absence of a report from the Inquiry as the 10th anniversary approaches. As part of the paper’s Iraq war: 10 years on strand, my collegue Richard Norton-Taylor reports that: The way Britain was led into war with Iraq 10 years ago was [...]
Prescott – it was about regime change after all
by Chris Ames In the Sunday Mirror, former deputy prime minister John Prescott expands on his recent statement that he can no longer justify the invasion of Iraq. He goes further, making clear that he now realises that it was about regime change after all: My support for action in Iraq was justified by certain [...]
Government accused of blocking Iraq debate
by Chris Ames The Huffington Post reports that: The government has infuriated MPs by appearing to block a Commons debate on the anniversary of the Iraq War. The group has written a strongly-worded letter to parliamentary authorities, saying the public has a right to hear from MPs on the controversial decision to invade in March [...]
Inquiry to challenge official line, Independent claims
by Chris Ames The Independent is reporting that: The inquiry into how Tony Blair committed Britain to war in Iraq is set to challenge the official version of events when it reports later this year, The Independent understands. The team led by Sir John Chilcot, which is examining Britain’s part in the US-led invasion, will [...]
More on Dossier radio drama
by Chris Ames The BBC has put out some more information about tomorrow’s Radio 4 drama on the September 2002 dossier, which is largely based on the story of former Digest contributor the late Brian Jones. Here’s what the media centre are saying: Saturday Drama: The Iraq Resolution A dramatization of the inside story of [...]
Prescott: war cannot be justified
by Chris Ames The BBC reports this morning that The invasion of Iraq in 2003 “cannot be justified”, Lord Prescott – who was then deputy prime minister – has said. He told BBC One’s This Week he had backed the Iraq War because he believed George Bush had a plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. [...]