The remarkable attack today by Clare Short on Blair and Brown over Iraq at the Chilcot Inquiry may have the power to produce headlines but it doesn't throw much light on her own role. She spoke with an incredible degree of bitterness and a considerable amount of hindsight. Her claim that the Cabinet was misled by legal officers claiming the war was legal is all very well but there were clear doubts being expressed at the time, not just about the legality, but also about the moral case for war and about the evidence. Frank Cook, her Cabinet colleague, did resign before the war. She resigned after the invasion. And I wonder whether her allegations of being marginalised by Blair are more to do with the possibility Blair was likely to find her a waste of space rather than a troublesome minister with a mind of her own.
Don't get me wrong, I opposed the war as I thought at the time the evidence was shallow and unbelievable. Clare Short however looks like someone rewriting history to obscure the fact she didn't take a stand until it was far too late.
---
Sent via BlackBerry
3 comments:
I have to agree with you.
It was Robin Cook who resigned.
Thanks to Anonymous. It was Robin Cook and that was precisely who I meant. Frank Cook is Labour MP for Stockton North and an otherwise unnoticable figure. I was just getting my Cooks mixd up. Too many Cooks spoilt the blog post!
Post a Comment