British Iraq War Report: Integrity of British Democracy

‘Establishment stitch-up’: Concern mounts over Iraq war inquiry report

October 30, 2014 - Ministers have come under increasing pressure to name the date when the findings of Sir John Chilcot’s inquiry into the 2003 Iraq war will be published. A debate on the cost of the probe was held in Westminster Hall on Wednesday.

Prime Minister David Cameron claimed earlier this year that the results would surface before the end of 2014. Last week, former Foreign Secretary and Commons leader William Hague said he is hopeful that Chilcot’s report will arrive ahead of the 2015 general election.

Senior Whitehall officials, however, are concerned the report could be used for political gain if published in the immediate run-up to the election.

Impatience is mounting in Westminster, with MPs demanding to know whether the inquiry’s findings will be shelved for an unacceptable period of time. Frustrations at the delay have also been expressed by the relatives of those killed and wounded in Iraq. read more>>>

* * * The British Iraq War Inquiry * * * Released will carry private communications between GWBush and TBlair, like this already released: TB said there was a danger the Tories would see this as their chance to get rid of him … Bush said they would make it clear to the Tories that if they moved to get rid of TB "we will get rid of them".

* * * Iraq War Promoted Terrorism Rather Than Reducing It * * *

24 April 2014 - Britain’s involvement in the Iraq War promoted terrorism rather than reducing it and was a “strategic failure”, according to a major new report which estimated the cost of all UK conflicts since the end of the Cold War.
The Royal United Services Institute said the UK could face a bill of nearly £65bn, once the cost of long-term care for injured veterans was factored in, with most of the money was spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The study, called Wars in Peace, said both conflicts were largely “strategic failures” for the UK, The Guardian reported."

Facts: Matthew Hoh {former Marine and foreign service officer in Afghanistan}: "We spend a trillion dollars a year on national security in this country."
"And when you add up to the Department of Defense, Department of State, CIA, Veterans Affairs, interest on debt, the number that strikes me the most about how much we're committed financially to these wars and to our current policies is we have spent $250 billion already just on interest payments on the debt we've incurred for the Iraq and Afghan wars." 26 September 2014

Bob Herbert "Losing Our Way" : "And then the staggering costs of these wars, which are borne by the taxpayers. I mean, one of the things that was insane was that, as we're at war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Bush administration cut taxes. This has never been done in American history. The idea of cutting taxes while you're going to war is just crazy. I mean, it's madness." Bill 'Moyers and Company': Restoring an America That Has Lost its Way 10 Oct. 2014