26-08-2015, 04:06 PM
Former Cabinet Minister who criticised Blair over the Iraq war heaps shame on Chilcott and predicts the Inquiry to be a whitewash (her words about the report are: "it's as big as War and Peace" and will find that "everyone's to blame [and] no one's to blame".
From The Telegraph:
From The Telegraph:
Quote:Clare Short mounts furious attack on Chilcot Inquiry
Sir John Chilcot's inquiry into the Iraq War is as big as 'War and Peace' and will not offer any lessons about what went wrong in Iraq, Clare Short says
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Clare Short at BBC Studios for the Andrew Marr Show in London in March 2014 Photo: Rex Features
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By Steven Swinford, Deputy Political Editor
2:44PM BST 26 Aug 2015
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Clare Short, the former Labour minister, has condemned the Chilcot inquiry as a "very, very poor" piece of work which will fail to uncover what went wrong during the Iraq War.
Ms Short, who has been subject to criticism by the inquiry, said that the report is "as big as War and Peace" and will find that "everyone's to blame [and] no one's to blame".
She accused Sir John's inquiry of "New Labour-type spin" after it emerged that he report will cast blame for Britain's role in the Iraq War far more widely than Tony Blair and his inner team.
It came as Sir John broke his silence and issued a public statement saying that he understands the "anguish" of the families of soldiers killed in Iraq.
Tony Blair during his appearance before the Iraq inquiry Photo: Rex (File)
However, he refused to meet their demands to set a timetable for the publication which means that they are likely to lodge a legal challengewithin weeks.
Ms Short's comments represent the first ime that someone who has been criticised by the review has spoken out.
She told BBC Radio 4's World at One: "I think what might be true is the draft is very poor. It's as big as War and Peace I understand. Lots of people have made serious responses and they are having to redraft. The hope of it being a good piece of work that Britain learns what went wrong and we don't do it again looks very, very poor to me.
"It's not just politicians. The criticisms go right across Whitehall - senior permanent secretaries, everybody. I fear and think this means everyone's to blame, no one's to blame, we won't get a proper diagnosis and it won't be helpful in finding out what went wrong."
The disclosure comes as it emerged on Tuesday night that the report will criticise a far broader range of individuals than previously thought.
Former intelligence chiefs, secretaries of state and senior civil servants will all be singled out for censure when the document is finally released. It had been assumed that Tony Blair and his closest associates would bear the brunt of criticism.
Former head of MI6 Sir Richard Dearlove, defence secretary Geoff Hoon and senior Foreign Office officials are thought to be among a larger group who will be blamed for failings in the UK's prosecution of the Iraq war.
The delay has prompted fury among families, who have mounted a legal challenge and gave Sir John until Wednesday to set out a timetable.
Sir John says in his statement that the Maxwellisation process, under which those criticised will be given a chance to respond, will be completed 'shortly'.
The process has been heavily criticised for giving those criticised too much time to reply while families are left waiting for the final report.
Sir John said that the process is an "essential part" of the inquiry and will help ensure that any conclusions are "soundly based, fair and reasonable".
He also appeared to criticise the government for failing to provide access to "all relevent documents". He said that some "have been received only this year", while others are still being declassified.
Reg Keys, whose son Lance Corporal Tom Keys was killed in Iraq in 2003, said: "If he is not forthcoming today then legal action will follow. The Maxwellisation process needs to be brought to an end, that's final.
"He doesn't grasp the range of emotions and feelings he is dealing with here from bereaved families. The families want to knock on his door and demand an explanation from him directly. He hasn't communicated with me at any stage of this. The least the man can do is speak to the families."
Reg Keys, the father of Lance Corporal Tom Keys who was killed in Iraq Photo: Chris Radburn/PA
Sir John has also written to the lawyers of bereaved soldiers to express his sympathy and to say he understands their frustrations.
The shadow is a moral problem that challenges the whole ego-personality, for no one can become conscious of the shadow without considerable moral effort. To become conscious of it involves recognizing the dark aspects of the personality as present and real. This act is the essential condition for any kind of self-knowledge.
Carl Jung - Aion (1951). CW 9, Part II: P.14