{"id":4259,"date":"2010-07-27T01:46:13","date_gmt":"2010-07-27T05:46:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/1boringoldman.com\/?p=4259"},"modified":"2010-07-27T08:09:56","modified_gmt":"2010-07-27T12:09:56","slug":"the-public-got-it-right","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1boringoldman.com\/index.php\/2010\/07\/27\/the-public-got-it-right\/","title":{"rendered":"the public got it right…"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
Iraq was always wrong. Now we have proof<\/strong><\/a>
The Chilcot inquiry confirms what most suspected – the reasons for war were bogus. <\/sup><\/div>\n
In future, such decisions must be transparent<\/sup>
The Independent UK<\/strong>
by Menzies Campbell
25 July 2010<\/div>\n

But slowly and with only occasional fanfare the whole sad, sorry story is being systematically laid out in evidence before the Chilcot inquiry. Chilcot has not been about surprises but rather about confirmation, less about revelation and more about corroboration of what we thought we knew.<\/p>\n

Sir John Chilcot has made it clear that his committee is not a court of law and that no findings of legality will be made but just by exposing to public scrutiny the process by which legal advice was tendered and disregarded, he has provided more than enough evidence in support of the proposition that military action against Iraq was illegal<\/font><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This was the central plank of the Liberal Democrat case against war as Nick Clegg reminded the House of Commons on Wednesday. In the aftermath, the attention was upon whether he made that statement as an individual or as a member of the Government. Much more telling was the lack of reaction of the Labour benches in the Commons, including the candidates for leadership, not one of whom will now endorse the decision to go to war in March 2003 which they then supported. Every one a denier, a Simon Peter.<\/p>\n

The illegality was then and is today easily stated. Article 2 [4] of the United Nations Charter prohibits regime change<\/font><\/strong>. It is hardly surprising that a treaty formed immediately after the Second World War should do so since the Axis powers ignored the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of those whom they sought to annex or conquer – just as the action against Iraq did…<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\n\n
UN Charter<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Article 2:  <\/strong>The Organization and its Members, in pursuit of the Purposes stated in Article 1, shall act in accordance with the following Principles…<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n