Today Gordon Brown will appear before the Chilcott inquiry at 10.ooam.
A former chief of the defence staff, General Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank, said that soldiers lives were lost in Iraq and Afghanistan because Gordon Brown failed to fund the Army properly when he was Chancellor.
"Not fully funding the Army in the way they had asked... undoubtedly cost the lives of soldiers. He should be asked why he was so unsympathetic towards defence and so sympathetic to other departments," said Lord Guthrie.
The Chilcot inquiry has heard that defence chiefs threatened to resign after Mr Brown ordered defence cuts six years ago while troops were fighting in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
For the first time the Ministry of Defence allowed a photographer into the C17 transport plane as the bodies of four British servicemen were brought home from Afghanistan. The above coffin contains the body of Sergeant Paul Fox who was repatriated to RAF Lyneham this week. I wonder how many politicians feel uncomfortable looking at photographs such as these. They managed to deter our dead being repatriated with dignity from Iraq giving various excuses. Let me say there was no dignity for our dead from the Iraq war coming home. Our political leaders wanted the whole issue to be swept under the floorboards of all media outlets. Fortunately, with pressure from many, at least our dead are now given a solemn and honourable return home.
We fight, according to our political leaders, to protect the security of these islands, but so few of us believe this because we know the reasons are nothing to do with securing the safety of the people of these islands.
Gordon Brown has been central to the mire we have found ourselves in and has used our armed forces for his own ends, not for ours. I will be watching this morning.
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27 comments:
Rosie,
I blatantly stole this and reposted.
Hope you are Ok with that.
Every combination of every possible question or allegation will have been posed and answers rehearsed and evaluated. Getting truth as likely as blood from a stone. This is where lack of criminal law QCs means that well drilled witnesses get away with lies and contrite-appearing weasel words
When I was a lad, we fought to protect these islands against oppression in the name of freedom.
Not "protect the security of these islands".
I say they're talking bollocks. We gave these islands to the Belgians.
Shame, your majesty.
"I wonder how many politicians feel uncomfortable looking at photographs such as these."
An oxymoron, Subrosa. They are only ever uncomfortable when their expense claims are checked.
SR,
I will watch later today.
Prediction: An election will be called early next week, perhaps as soon as monday.
If it is, I will tell you the reason why.
Brown, like Blair, is a War Criminal. I could go on but that's all that needs to be said.
Time we became Independent and then Scotland tries both her former PMs for being culpable for the deaths of several members of the Armed Forces and innocent Civilians.
Watch this space!
CD
LotF, you're always welcome. Hope you're keeping well.
Brown has spent the past half hour avoiding questions and giving history lessons.
Morning John. Exactly, but we can tell quite a bit from body language and as someone just said to me "you can tell he's lying because his mouth is open."
As I am at work I can't listen to the live broadcast. If anyone could post updates I'd be grateful.
He looks calm. And carrying on.
That's what I thought our military was for too Marvo. The latest 'protecting our streets from terrorists' never mentions freedom.
Morning OR. Hope you're managing to listen to at least a bit of Brown this morning.
Morning CD, that wouldn't surprise me. Brown is just waffling and won't answer a straight question. It's as if he's a ghost writer rather than a particpant.
I see from the Beeb thingy:
"Sir Roderic asks whether there was a "current threat" of aggression from Iraq in March 2003. Mr Brown doesn't answer that directly, but repeats his previous point that some countries were not prepared to take action under any circumstances. Sir Roderic asks again - but again the PM answers in a different way, choosing to focus on the obligation he felt the international community had to "deal with problems of rogue states". Sir Roderic even asks the question a third time, but the answer is the same."
I presume there is something that makes them stop at three, is there?
I'd ask again. And again. And again, ad infinitum.
So would I Marvo. I do hope they note the question was asked 3 times and not answered.
He launches into answers which have no relevance to the questions much of the time.
Where's Paxman?
He never gets a chance to have a go at these folk. They're feart of him.
The whole affair is an exercise in semantics.
Were Brown to wear a crown of thorns, flog the flesh from his bones, prostrate himself and hail on every name ever known to be uttered by humanity, he and his lying apostles still wouldn't be believed.
The judges may still be considering but the jury has already reached its decision.
When does he start weeping for all the Iraqi chidren killed since 2003?
Blimey, there's an olde-fashioned Scottish word.
wv:liebag
Were Brown to wear a crown of thorns, flog the flesh from his bones, prostrate himself and hail on every name ever known to be uttered by humanity, I'd buy a round.
I'll have a double Lagavullin Marvo.
Actually Andrew that was said to me this morning. "He'll burst into tears shortly."
You haven't missed much Marvo. As CF says he's possibly rattling with chemicals to keep him calm and he's played well to the gallery about the fact that he gave money whenever it was requested.
Strange that. When so many military and senior civil servants have said exactly the opposite.
Ah a peaty lover RA. You've just reminded me I require a bottle of the Macallan which I will purchase later today.
Gone off Macallan, must be all that Leapfrog! Now settling on a 15 yo Ardbeg!
Must be getting paid too much, still nowhere near an MPs wage!
Hic!
CD
Just heard the recession doesn't apply to Westminster - they're getting another £1k in salary?
CD the Macallan wasn't on offer so it's Glenlivet tonight. (£8 off in Somerfield).
My critic told me that earlier RA. Astonishing really.
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