The Chilcot report and Tony Blair - Panorama 29th June 2016 - THE FINAL JUDGEMENT

This has been already raised in another thread on EU but as this is about to break then it deserves it's own thread.

Here is the first story......


Blair 'misrepresented facts' over Iraq chemical weapons, claims Hans Blix

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-3665035/Blair-misrepresented-facts-Iraq-chemical-weapons-claims-Hans-Blix.html


Tony Blair "misrepresented the facts" when he told MPs about Iraq's chemical weapon capabilities, former UN inspector Hans Blix has claimed.

The former prime minister is also accused of being "dishonest" in the lead up to the invasion in 2003, in a BBC Panorama programme to be aired on Wednesday night.

Iraq: The Final Judgement interviewed former weapons inspector Mr Blix and former Labour minister Claire Short - who stepped down as international development secretary in protest at the war in 2003.





The programme comes a week before the Chilcot Inquiry into the war, and the lead up to it, is due to release its findings.

Mr Blix told the programme that what Mr Blair told MPs "did not represent the reality", but that did not suggest he acted in bad faith, adding: "Many people bring themselves to believe something that they want to believe."

The Swedish diplomat and politician added: "I think Blair had a feeling that this was an evil regime and that it was a moral thing to do away with it.

"And I don't think that's an evil thought, but I think it was a presumptuous thought that the UK and the US alone should do that."

Sir John Chilcot's inquiry was set up in 2009 by then prime minister Gordon Brown after the withdrawal of the main body of British troops earlier that year.

The British presence in Iraq, named Operation Telic, resulted in the deaths of 179 service personnel.

The inquiry examined the lead up to the 2003 invasion, and the years up to the 2009 withdrawal.

The report's long-awaited publication follows 130 sessions of oral evidence, and the testimony of more than 150 witnesses.

The inquiry has analysed more than 150,000 government documents, as well as other material related to the invasion.

Giving evidence in 2010, Mr Blair said he was convinced by the intelligence reports he was receiving that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein did have weapons of mass destruction.

He acknowledged some of the reports he was given warned some of the intelligence was "sporadic and patchy", but said throughout the build-up to the invasion, advice from the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) - the UK's most senior intelligence body - was that Saddam was continuing his WMD programmes.

"It is hard to come to any other conclusion than that this person is continuing WMD programmes," he said at the time.

"When you are the prime minister and the Joint Intelligence Committee is giving you this information, you have got to rely on the people doing it, with the experience and with the commitment and integrity as they do.

"Of course now, with the benefit of hindsight, we look back on the situation differently.

He also strongly defended his claim in the Government's Iraq dossier, published in September 2002, that the intelligence had established "beyond doubt" that Iraq had WMD.

Ms Short, Labour MP for Birmingham Ladywood from 1983 to 2010, told Panorama that the invasion would be Mr Blair's "legacy".

She told the programme "what was known, which was very little indeed, was then exaggerated way beyond to give this imminent threat", adding; "I mean that's just dishonest. There's no question about it."

She went on: "I think he'd [Tony Blair] made up his mind to be with [George] Bush. And we were massaged and deceived to get us there when it was a manipulation of us - that is us, the parliament, the cabinet, British public opinion, American public opinion by people who were determined to take military action from the beginning."

:: Panorama - Iraq: The Final Judgement, is on BBC One at 9pm on Wednesday.













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The ICC say Blair will NOT face charges even if he is found to have duped Parliament into backing the invasion.

An alternative view...



If only!

candyfloss wrote:

Notice the juxtaposition of the woman stabbed 40 times.

[*]BREAKING NEWS: Chilcot report: Iraq war 'unnecessary' and 'not last resort', Saddam Hussein was 'no imminent threat'

That's a turn up for the books ,and clear as bell eh ?What many people felt about this was nofar wrong eh ? so good to hear that,still think T Blair will take no blame somehow ? joyce1938

Chilcot Report: Parents of major killed in Iraq say Tony Blair must face legal action
A leader who sends a country's soldiers to fight unnecessarily must face 'consequences ... because the consequences for the people they send is that some of them die,' father says

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/chilcot-report-iraq-war-tony-blair-relatives-parents-soldiers-a7122096.html

Hmmm.... I don't think so somehow.

http://news.sky.com/story/1722443/blair-ill-take-responsibility-for-mistakes

As much as I would like to, let's not forget Alisdair Campbell.

unreorganised wrote:As much as I would like to, let's not forget Alisdair Campbell.

He's been let off the hook.

unreorganised wrote:As much as I would like to, let's not forget Alisdair Campbell.

Yep - that slick creep was giving out all his manipulative clap trap on the radio at 1pm today backing Tony Blair`s actions.

At the root of all this is a weed of a man trying to get `in` with the big boys in the USA.  He was a toady, sucking up to and being sucked in by George Bush and his gang.  I bet George Bush thought Blair was a right twit or to put it frankly a right ****er as shown in the pic below.

And the Oscar goes to Tony Blair for his sorrowful apology...

Some comments from MSN story from Guardian..


Even after reading the watered down results of this 7 year, rediculously delayed and enormously expensive, indepth inquiry one must ask the question - Why is Blair not in prison awaiting trial on charges of knowingly and deliberately misleading Parliament, the world and most importantly, the British public to take us into an illegal war which directly cost the lives of 176 British service personnel and hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians. If such charges are not brought to bear on this traitor then this is the biggest and most infamous whitewash of all time.


Not just a whitewash but a miscarriage of justice!



Donald Maclure · Wigan

In other words ... Blair cunningly, knowingly, and deliberately conspired to wage an unlawful war resulting in the deaths of hundreds of UK & US military personnel, the multiple thousands killed in Iraq, the destruction of the civil infrastucture and untold miserty caused to millions of Iraqis. He is a disgrace to the citizens of the UK and indeed the World. He has then exascerbated the dire situation in the Middle East by meddling in THEIR affairs, usually with a hefty little bonus being directed into his trouser pockets.Now, in some deluded self appreciation society, the imbecile still has the effrontery and arrogance to suggest he should be involved in the EU/UK negotiations. He is that thick that he does not realise, having already been ditched as a failure by his erstwhile buddies in the US, that he is probably the most reviled and hated man in the country. He has absolutely no credibilty and is finished in every respect. He should do the honourable thing now. He will not be missed!!!




Albertto Michael

All those people died ( on both sides ) and the terror we see weekly stems from the lies and the pushing through of an unjust war.
didnt most of the labour cabinet who resigned recently put their names to this at the time?
they were shameful then and they are shameful now by their actions.
And Who was against it and voiced his objections at the time,ah yes the one they are all trying to bury ( both parties ) JC the only man with moral courage it appears.




Peter Wilson

Blair did NOT exaggerate anything.

He conspired with Bush and lied through his teeth and brought about the deaths of tens of thousands.

He is a war criminal.




Robin Lings

'Deliberately exaggerated' is lying isn't it? So charge him with perjury at least. Then charge him with betraying a position of trust, obtaining ill gotten gains by fraud and deceit and finally manslaughter.















Gary C Lord Kincavel · University of Life

So the great Socialist LIED!! Who would have ever thought it?? ONLY the poor common man in the street and those who had to pay with their LIVES for this mans vanity. TEFLON TONY. "Papers show he told Bush the pair must devise a 'clever plan' to depose Saddam and plotted to 'soften up' the public with propaganda" This must show clearly HIM AND BUSH were duplicitous














Stuart Davies

maybe going to war anyway would have been the result and maybe it has always been the least worst outcome.
However, the UK PM & his cabal (Straw, Campbell, Goldsmith) made the decision to go to war first then, extremely deliberately, used all words and actions to mislead and exagerate, subvert the due legal and democratic processes to achieve that aim.
The fact that the ensuing war was even more of a mess up showing no planning, care or consideration was made, is even more despicable to the soldiers and Iraqi people.
All I have seen today is a Psychopath.
TB broke the covenant between the politicians and military. This can never be rebuilt.
That Cameron says 'lessons will be learnt' is disgrace. Some things should never be allowed to be futted up in the first place, afterwards is too late to be wise.
As a PM is paid to get serious things right, first time, no mistakes.
RIP 179



Paul Buchanan · Glasgow, United Kingdom

Tony Blair hints at role as Brexit negotiator in EU talks that will require 'serious statesmanship really christ has the man no made enough mess disgraceful if he is sent to negotiate anything

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/687466/Tony-Blair-Chilcot-Report-Iraq-War-Prime-minister-British-politics-Messiah-God-make-up

I can certainly believe that Tony Blair thought he was a godlike figure. I would have some sympathy for him if he agreed to have psychiatric treatment.

I've always [not being British and never having lived in Great Britain] thought Blair to be as slimy as an eel in a bucket of mucus ...

You certainly don't have to be British to say that - but I think it's unfair on the eels.

I love eels BTW. Had two smoked ones for lunch ...

Mimi wrote:At the root of all this is a weed of a man trying to get `in` with the big boys in the USA.  He was a toady, sucking up to and being sucked in by George Bush and his gang.  I bet George Bush thought Blair was a right twit or to put it frankly a right ****er as shown in the pic below.

Agreed. A dangerous person to have so much power and he did not use it wisely.