Gordon Brown Accused in WikiLeaks Cables

Cables obtained by WikiLeaks and published by Scotland on Sunday accuse the former Prime Minister Gordon Brown of pulling British troops out of Iraq to improve his chances of winning a general election, despite warnings from the UK's allies that withdrawal would represent a victory for terrorists.

Bush's Claims Backfire

Former President George Bush's claims that "waterboarding" garnered valuable intelligence that saved lives have been disputed in the UK.

Lord MacDonald, former Director of Public Prosecutions, said:

"These stories about waterboarding thwarting attacks on Canary Wharf and Heathrow - I've never seen anything to substantiate these claims.

These claims are to be treated with a great deal of scepticism."

Legal experts are also of the view that, having sanctioned the interrogation technique, Bush could be arrested for breaking international law if he travels abroad.

Brown "Misspoke"

I see that Gordon Brown "misspoke" during his recent appearance before the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war, when he claimed that defence spending had increased in "real terms" each year under Labour.

It transpires that it hasn't!

Brown has written to Chilcot to clarify his "error".

I wonder if he "misspoke" about other matters?

Brown Appears Before Chilcot

Gordon Brown is currently appearing before the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war.

Brown says that the war was right, but that he regrets he wasn't able to persuade the Americans to be more organised wrt the post invasion construction.

Spaced Out

Andrew Rawnsley's book, "The End of The Party", is published today. In it he claims that Tony Blair was so tormented by the failure in Iraq that he told Gordon Brown and John Prescott that he would resign in 2004.

The book alleges that he "spaced out" several times during Parliamentary appearances, and often woke up sweating in the night.

Blair was talked out of resigning by his wife and Lord Mandelson.

Ballot To See Brown

Those who want to watch Gordon Brown's appearance before the Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war will have to enter a ballot.

He will appear before the inquiry in early March.

Chilcot Does A Volte Face

Sir John Chilcot, had said that he would not call Gordon Brown to the inquiry into the Iraq war ahead of the general election, in order to avoid its hearings becoming caught up in party politics.

However, Brown has since written to Sir John advising him that he is prepared to attend pre election (if called next month).

Bowing to the inevitable, Sir John has asked Brown to attend in the next month and said that he had invited Gordon Brown to give evidence to the Iraq inquiry "as a matter of fairness".

Aside from blowing the schedule of the inquiry out of the water, this volte face (in the face of political pressure) also severely damages the credibility and authority of the inquiry.

Asking For Trouble

Sir David Omand, Blair's former security co-ordinator, told the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war that claiming Iraq had weapons of mass destruction which could be used within 45 minutes in a dossier was "asking for trouble".

He also stated that Blair and the government were warned that the proposed course of action in Iraq could draw "large numbers" to Islamic extremism.

So many people in government, at the time that these decisions were being made, seemed to know that the case for war was flawed.

Yet they still went ahead with it!

In other news, Gordon Brown has said that he will appear before the Chilcot Inquiry anytime they want him.

Let them take him at his word, and call him before the election.

The Truth Will Out

Geoff Hoon, ex defence minister and "expert" on regime change (both in Iraq and the Labour Party), has appeared before the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war.

He lost no opportunity in putting the boot into Gordon Brown, by noting that he had cut the budget for helicopters in 2003.

He also stated that the post invasion US planning was chaotic, indeed he admitted that he knew that before the war actually started.

He also noted that planning in the UK had started too late, and had written to Tony Blair complaining that no one had been identified to succeed Saddam Hussein.

Such a "pity" for the people of Iraq, and the troops who are dying out there, that these concerns were not made public at the time.

We Are Absolutely With You

Alastair Campbell (Tony Blair's ex spin doctor) is facing the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war.

He has told the inquiry that Blair wrote to the US president in 2002, assuring him of Britain's support. According to Campbell the essence of the message was:

"We share the analysis.

We share the concern.

We are absolutely with you in making sure that Saddam Hussein faces up to his obligations, and that Iraq is disarmed.

If that can't be done diplomatically, and it has to done militarily, we would definitely be there.

That is the tenor of his communications with the president."

He also denied claims made by Sir Christopher Meyer, Britain's then ambassador to the US, about Blair's meeting with George Bush at Crawford in April 2002.

"If you are saying to me 'Do I agree with Christopher Meyer's analysis that at Crawford the Prime Minister shifted his position from one of containment and disarmament through the UN to one of regime change?'

I don't.

I don't accept this analysis that at Crawford there was a fundamental shift in approach and policy by the Prime Minister."

For good measure he also made sure that Gordon Brown could not wriggle free of responsibility, by noting that Blair talked to Brown a lot about Iraq.

British Troops To Finally Come Home

Gordon Brown has stated that most of the 4,100 British troops would leave Iraq by the end of July 2009. However, he has ruled at an enquiry into this most misguided of wars.

Brown Announces Pullout

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, in an attempt to shore up his poll ratings, has announced that Britain will cut its forces in Iraq by half in the spring.

This will reduce the British presence in Iraq to around 2,500 troops. It is expected that there will be a total pullout before the next British general election (now expected to be in 2009).

Quite how well this announcement went down in Washington is unclear. However, some wise heads in the media (LA Times) note that the US Administration should follow suit:

"So the British will not leave behind a peaceful Basra, but they are nonetheless right to leave it. The United States should take note and recognize that it is a delusion to believe that any foreign occupier can stop Iraqi factions hellbent on fighting for power. We owe the Iraqis our best efforts at mediation, but to insist on stability as a prerequisite for withdrawal is to commit to indefinite and fruitless military occupation."