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[keasy]

On the issue of whether or not military action would be legal, Mr Blair said Mr Bush decided the UN Security Council's support "wasn't necessary". He said it was "correct" to say that he shared that view, although it would have been "preferable politically".

But he told the inquiry he would not have backed military action if Attorney General Lord Goldsmith had said it "could not be justified legally".

BBC News - Iraq inquiry hears defiant Blair say: I'd do it again   <------------ clicky

So it's okay to go to war without legal consent of the security council but not okay  if it can not be justified legally ? So going to war comes down to whatever reason or excuse you can come up with and find enough legal definitions in the law to suit your excuse Tony ? Pffft and pfffft again.

I was all for the war in Iraq initially, I still would have been if it was not for the huge vested interests of Halliburton opening my eyes to it being an oil grab and (no offence Americans) billions of dollars worth of contracts to rebuild the infrastructure going mainly to American companies and the scraps being left over for the UK and any other bum chum who was involved. It then was just an illegal war about making money imo.
Don't get me wrong I think despite all I just said the removal of one crazy mutha is a good thing, but the way it was done politically and legally was just out of order and Blair should admit it. Then he should be let go without prosecution because whether it be right or wrong, prosecuting the last elected premier of the UK is not a good message to send out to the a world full of terrorist and fundamental anti western governments who hate us looking for any way to disjoint us they can.



I don't know if this has even made the news elsewhere in the world but it's big political news here, given that an ex premier is defending himself to an enquiry.

 

[Hallcat]

It made the news here.  From what I remember the reporter was describing how tenacious Blair was by standing by his assertion that going into Iraq was a good and right thing to do.  He went on to say how much the British people where so put out by him.  I wondered if it was true that he is that unpopular over there.  I guess it is.  No worries for Blair though, if he gets booted from Great Britain he'll be welcome here with open arms by Rush and Bush and their cohorts.   It'll be a new kind of political assylum. 

[keasy]

GW Bush Asylum for the politically insane and mentally insane.

Yeah, it has a certain ring to it 

[Wooster]

The big issue is the Parliamentary failure that led to four people taking us into a war that was legally questionable.

Between them it all boiled down to the actions of Blair, Straw, Campbell and Goldsmith.
The dissenters far outnumbered them (for good reason), yet they still managed to drag us into it.

Regardless of how things will pan out in Iraq, the UK has lost any moral high ground it might still have had in international affairs (as someone pointed out, who are we now to criticise the Russians actions in Chechnya?), Iran is now the major power in the region and badly needed resources were diverted from Afghanistan.
All Blair is interested in is how history will view him (probably pretty badly as it happens).

[Wooster]

Claire Short gave a good account of herself today and laid right into Blair and his cronies.


Where Blair left to cries of 'Liar' and 'Murderer', Short left to applause.

[papa_lazarou]

Just watched Claire Short at the inquiry. Don't see why this wasn't in the main bbc news at any point  its where I catch up on the news basicly daily and never mentioned her.

Anyway good on her, I actually wouldn't mind voting for her. She comes across as honest and there is no spin or twisting of her words. First politician that hasn't made me squirm inside, like if you were talking to a really sleazy. oily sales man.