The Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war has resumed, with the revelation that Tony Blair made daily phone calls to Sir William Patey (the British ambassador in Iraq 2005-2006) to give institutions as to what needed to be done to stabilise the country.
All very well, maybe.
However, as Sir William wryly pointed out, the instructions "weren't in my gift or solely in the gift of the British government".
It seems that there was a reality gap in expectations between what Blair (in London wanted), and what could actually be achieved on the ground in Iraq.
Quote:
"There was a tension between the desire for instant results and the realities on the ground. What you could achieve in the sort of timescales that London needed for political reasons; there was a disconnect."
Sir William's most scathing comment attacks the very style and "substance" (of which there is little) of Labour and its governing "style" itself:
"What could be delivered on PowerPoint could not necessarily be delivered on earth."
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