In my last post I had flagged up the Desmond Tutu story on the Guardian website wherein he had called for Bush and Blair to be arrested and tried at The Hague. A commenter using the name "ChanceyGardener" had stated that Blair should also be tried over the death of Dr Kelly. In America the Huffington Post is also making a splash with what Desmond Tutu has been saying http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/02/desmond-tutu-bush-blair-trial-iraq_n_1850079.html?&ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009
I've added my own comment (10.07 US time):
'If Mr Blair was tried at The
Hague it would be the first time that he would give evidence under oath
about Iraq. He has yet to do this at a British inquiry, including (as
with all the other witnesses) the Hutton Inquiry looking into the
circumstances surrounding the death of Dr David Kelly. So far as I am
aware Dr Kelly's suspicious death is the only one where evidence hasn't
been given under oath'.
King Charles I tried to rule as an autocrat and ended up losing his head. Since then we have taken many steps towards democracy but still have far to go. The royal prerogative hasn't been abolished - the only change is that it is now exercised by the Prime Minister rather than the monarch. Is that real progress?
ReplyDeleteWhere are the checks and balances to the use of such powers? Few in parliament are willing to question the Prime Minister on such matters. This is perhaps not surprising since we now have many career politicians in the House of Commons, whose careers depend on the Prime Minister's patronage.
Incidentally, has anyone heard from Norman Baker on the subject of "The Strange Death of David Kelly" since he became a minister?
Perhaps most worrying of all is that the courts seem unable (or unwilling) to intervene in what ministers are doing - even when they subvert the due process of law.