Iraq Inquiry: A farce in teh making

The Enquiry into the War in Iraq has officially started today. What a waste of time, money and effort this could end up being.

There is no way that the government will have put itself in a position where it could be held accountable for breaking international law by violating the territorial sovereignty of a fully recognised UN member state.

There is no way that it will allow itself to be held accountable for war crimes including the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians, the use of white phosphorous on civilian targets, torture, detention without trial etc.

Those who have directly caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilian and military lives and £billions in damage to property and infrastructure not to mention commerce and cultural heritage will not suffer for their abuse of power and lies told to initiate an unnecessary act of aggressive war and regime change without international and UN backing or agreement.

The present government will not even be in power when the enquiry concludes and those who do come under its scrutiny for any wrong doing will presumably be protected from any of its findings against them because they enjoy the privilege of constitutionally enshrined ministerial immunity.

Sir John Chilcot made a statement that sounds like the committee is going to be thorough, all encompassing and all appeasing yet tough and direct but I wonder how realistic that will be to actually achieve. He has also confirmed that some of the hearing will be in private for the sake of national security or the need for candour and one has to wonder how much of this will include any evidence from notorious Tony Blair.

If Blair is allowed to give all, most or any of his evidence behind closed doors then the enquiry in my opinion will fail in everything it hopes to achieve. Given the cost alone of this exercise this possibility cannot be allowed to happen and I hope that Sir John is not too ensconced within in the establishment to allow a travesty of this magnitude to happen in his name.