09-02-2010, 11:33 AM
Tony Blair says the quest for a 'conspiracy' is behind Iraq Inquiry
Nico Hines
Tony Blair has dismissed the Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war as part of Britain’s obsession with conspiracy and scandal.
Speaking for the first time since his controversial appearance as a witness, the former Prime Minister said people should accept that it is possible to have different opinions on the legitimacy of the invasion without any underlying deceit.
Mr Blair said in an interview on American television: “There’s always got to be a scandal. . . there’s got to be some conspiracy behind it.”
The interview, broadcast last night, came as Jack Straw, the former Foreign Secretary, prepared to give a second round of evidence before the inquiry this afternoon.
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Mr Straw is expected to come under fire from the panel because some of the evidence he gave during an earlier appearance has been apparently contradicted by subsequent witnesses.
The Justice Minister told the panel that he had repeatedly warned Mr Blair about the legality of the conflict and agonised over whether to support it.
Other witnesses have since suggested that he had disregarded unanimous legal opinion within the Foreign Office and told Cabinet and the House of Commons that there was a clear legal case for war.
The Liberal Democrats have accused Mr Straw of “hoodwinking” the British public and misleading Parliament.
Mr Blair called for an end to this kind of speculation over ulterior motives during an interview on Fox with Mike Huckabee, the former Governor of Arkansas who ran against John McCain to be the Republican nominee for President in 2008.
Mr Huckabee asked: “I don’t pretend for a moment to understand American politics very well and I certainly don’t understand British politics but why so many of these [Iraq] inquiries? There’s been four and they’ve all been relentless – they haven’t really mined any new ground.”
Mr Blair laughed and smiled. “Erm. . .” he began. “I think it’s partly because we have this curious habit, I don’t think it’s confined to Britain actually, where people find it hard to come to the point where they say we disagree – you’re a reasonable person, I’m a reasonable person but we disagree.
“There’s always got to be a scandal as to why you hold your view. There’s got to be some conspiracy behind it. Some great, you know, deceit that’s gone on, and people just find it hard to understand that it’s possible for people to have different points of view and hold them reasonably for genuine reasons.
“So I think there’s continual desire to sort of uncover some great conspiracy when actually there’s a decision at the heart of it – but there it is.”
Mr Blair could be asked to reappear before the panel in the coming months.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/wo...019088.ece
Nico Hines
Tony Blair has dismissed the Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war as part of Britain’s obsession with conspiracy and scandal.
Speaking for the first time since his controversial appearance as a witness, the former Prime Minister said people should accept that it is possible to have different opinions on the legitimacy of the invasion without any underlying deceit.
Mr Blair said in an interview on American television: “There’s always got to be a scandal. . . there’s got to be some conspiracy behind it.”
The interview, broadcast last night, came as Jack Straw, the former Foreign Secretary, prepared to give a second round of evidence before the inquiry this afternoon.
Related Links
Multimedia
Mr Straw is expected to come under fire from the panel because some of the evidence he gave during an earlier appearance has been apparently contradicted by subsequent witnesses.
The Justice Minister told the panel that he had repeatedly warned Mr Blair about the legality of the conflict and agonised over whether to support it.
Other witnesses have since suggested that he had disregarded unanimous legal opinion within the Foreign Office and told Cabinet and the House of Commons that there was a clear legal case for war.
The Liberal Democrats have accused Mr Straw of “hoodwinking” the British public and misleading Parliament.
Mr Blair called for an end to this kind of speculation over ulterior motives during an interview on Fox with Mike Huckabee, the former Governor of Arkansas who ran against John McCain to be the Republican nominee for President in 2008.
Mr Huckabee asked: “I don’t pretend for a moment to understand American politics very well and I certainly don’t understand British politics but why so many of these [Iraq] inquiries? There’s been four and they’ve all been relentless – they haven’t really mined any new ground.”
Mr Blair laughed and smiled. “Erm. . .” he began. “I think it’s partly because we have this curious habit, I don’t think it’s confined to Britain actually, where people find it hard to come to the point where they say we disagree – you’re a reasonable person, I’m a reasonable person but we disagree.
“There’s always got to be a scandal as to why you hold your view. There’s got to be some conspiracy behind it. Some great, you know, deceit that’s gone on, and people just find it hard to understand that it’s possible for people to have different points of view and hold them reasonably for genuine reasons.
“So I think there’s continual desire to sort of uncover some great conspiracy when actually there’s a decision at the heart of it – but there it is.”
Mr Blair could be asked to reappear before the panel in the coming months.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/wo...019088.ece
"The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways. The point, however, is to change it." Karl Marx
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"He would, wouldn't he?" Mandy Rice-Davies. When asked in court whether she knew that Lord Astor had denied having sex with her.
“I think it would be a good idea” Ghandi, when asked about Western Civilisation.