Bob Piper has been a Labour Councillor for the Abbey
Ward in Sandwell, West Midlands, for 10 years. He is a lifelong supporter of Aston Villa Football Club and a follower of Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
The views expressed here are mine in a personal capacity, not those of the Labour Party, Sandwell MBC, Aston Villa or Yorkshire County Cricket Club. Get it! Mine... just mine!
Promoted by Bob Piper of 115 Barclay Rd, B67 5JZ on behalf of the Labour Party, care of 39 Victoria Street London, SW1H 0HA . Hosted (printed) by Swaithe Internet Solutions who are not responsible for any of the contents of these posts.
Please note however, that The Labour Party is not responsible for the content of this website or individual posts as, unless specifically stated, I am writing solely in a personal and individual capacity.
Promoted by Bob Piper of 115 Barclay Rd, B67 5JZ on behalf of the Labour Party, care of 39 Victoria Street London, SW1H 0HA . Hosted (printed) by Swaithe Internet Solutions who are not responsible for any of the contents of these posts.
Please note however, that The Labour Party is not responsible for the content of this website or individual posts as, unless specifically stated, I am writing solely in a personal and individual capacity.
The Conservatives, William Hague in particular, have made much of the fact that the Prime Minister, in establishing an Inquiry into the Iraq War behind closed doors, was doing so to conceal the facts in some way. But in 2006, in a Conservative motion calling for an Inquiry into the Iraq War, William Hague said in response to an intervention by a Labour MP calling for a public Inquiry...
A formal public inquiry would be likely to be a much lengthier process. A Committee of this House, which I believe was proposed by the nationalist parties, would find it harder to benefit from external expertise. A Privy Council inquiry on the model of the Franks commission therefore rapidly recommends itself for this particular subject.
Then John Redwood intervened in an attempt to be helpful to Hague...
Mr. John Redwood (Wokingham) (Con): Is one of my right hon. Friend’s arguments for having a Privy Council inquiry the fact that much of the material is very sensitive and intelligence based, investigating why we went to war and how we handled the intelligence? What would be my right hon. Friend’s advice to such an inquiry on the publication of its findings, given the sensitivity of the intelligence work?
To which Hague explained his reluctance for a public inquiry...
Mr. Hague: That is one of the arguments for having a Privy Council inquiry. It would have to make its own judgment, as would any inquiry at any stage, about how much of the information could be published. All the conclusions would certainly have to be published.
Blimey Bob, that was 3 years ago. Gordon Brown said one thing on Monday and had changed his mind by this morning!
The sooner politicians and councillors realise that the public are sick of petty tribal point scoring and just want honesty and transparency from you lot (all parties - major and minor) the better.
Except it wasn't just 3 years ago. Hague has consistently called for an Inquiry "along the lines of the Franks Inquiry"... and then when Brown sets one up based on the Franks Inquiry, he shifts ground and tries to out-Clegg Clegg by demanding a different sort of Inquiry. Well, Brown has done that... heaven knows what Hague will suggest now.
You're right... that behaviour is just the sort of petty tribal point scoring that turns people off. I have argued for years that there should be a full public Inquiry... (even when Hague was trying to keep it secret).
June 18, 2009 5:13 PM | permalink
Blimey Bob, that was 3 years ago. Gordon Brown said one thing on Monday and had changed his mind by this morning!
The sooner politicians and councillors realise that the public are sick of petty tribal point scoring and just want honesty and transparency from you lot (all parties - major and minor) the better.
Grow up man!