GORDON BROWN made a statement earlier this afternoon on the scope and nature of the Iraq inquiry. The PM said the inquiry will be held in private and will not report until July/August of next year. Convenient that isn't it? Brown said that the independent members of the council will have a wide terms of reference and will look at all the documents available, including foreign documents, as well as witnesses, both foreign and domestic. Gordon kept harping on about learning lessons. Has he learnt one lesson, not to sign a big fat war cheque so quickly, which leads to people dying? Afterall, he was Chancellor for ten years, wasn't he? The reason it is held in private, was because the PM said there were issues of national security.
David Cameron naturally attacked the Prime minister for a restrictive terms of reference. Although Gordon said that the terms of reference were wide, they will look at the period from 2001 to 2008. Before, during and after the conflict (the that began in the summer of 2003. Cameron was not his bouncy self in his response. Nick Clegg came out better on this one.
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg urged the prime minister to do the decent thing and change his decision to hold the meetings in public.
A Labour MP for Pendle, Gordon Prentice, attacked the PM asking why didn't he consult with the other parties on the terms of reference and the membership of the committee? He also implied Gordon had not changed his ways over openness and engaging in a new style of politics. Can a Leopard really change its spots? So far, Gordon's spots are still a dark grey....
What have the government got to hide?
Submitted by chris on Mon, 06/15/2009 - 18:18
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