ADVICE TO BLOG READER
I first started blogging in 2002 in order simply as a way of keeping material safe and accessible. I learned the technique in preparation for the day I would use it as a live way of recording diaries of our world travels on computer. It was not used as such until crossing China from Kashi (Kashgar) in the far west West to Beijing in 2006 via the Southern Silk Road. Blogs pre-dating 2002 are simply a way of safe keeping a transcription of my written travel diaries plus photographs.
After retiring and in one of the periods when Joan's knee replacements temporarily ruled out our intention of slowly back packing the world, I had ambitions about becoming published in Times T2 or Guardian G2. On the advice of Sam Wollaston, my G2 contact, I decided to tackle the 'big boys' in the Comment pages. The best three articles I ever submitted were written in three weeks about Iraq in Feb 2003, the middle being the week of the big march, they are all recorded in this blog. It was my final throw.
I suggest that following this 2016 posting you read the Preface written in 2012 then go immediately to the posts in 2003 and scroll down to pick up the earliest and best of them with the title Sally Clarke and Saddam Hussein 900 words. Reading them again today I am amazed by my own perception of the eventual out-turn in the region, but then a large proportion of the population, as confirmed by the size of the march, was trying to prevent the invasion.
Note as this blog was made primarily for my records it includes the submission letters and a record of the feedback from the publishers.
The posting 25 October 2002 was inspired by the Bali bombing includes travel comments about Sumatra (Indonesia) the country we visited immediately on retiring. The article submitted to G2 appears to be absent so I need to check my files.
COMMENTS ON CHILCOT INQUIRY which was finally published yesterday seven years in the making. I have become sceptical of the quality of the BBC News which seems over anxious to avoid questions about balance. Wife Joan and I a year ago transferred our loyalty to Jon Snow and Channel 4 News which has greater depth, is not troubled to state its views and with a full hour has the time to encompass BBC's News and Newsnight. However there is no doubting in my mind that last night's BBC Newsnight, presented by Evan Davies highlighting the evidence raised by the Chilcot Inquiry with discussion on related issues, was the BBC at its best.
Mark Urban emphasised Iraq was a 'War of choice' something the UK didn't have to do and that the decision followed from the meeting of Tony Blair and George Bush in Texas in April 2002. Blair was convinced that Iraq had to disarm or be disarmed and so started to plan for war. We requested the United Nations send inspectors into Iraq but as Hans Blix (UN inspector) stated in today's article they were never allowed to complete that task.
David Ormand of GCHQ admitted the British Intelligence brand was tarnished but according to Alister Campbell were never under political pressure to come up with evidence that didn't exist. Clare Short had expected, and the French insisted on, a second UN resolution which never came.
Mike Jackson thought initially we would be out of Iraq in 18 months.
As regards the war itself Basra was taken rapidly by British army who immediately reduced the number of their troops to just 25% of their original strength. Then found they could not deal with the looting and general disorder which ended with the militant militia (Shia) in control.
Paul Bremner (US diplomat in charge of Iraq 2002-4) pointed to the misguided de-Ba'athification policy leading to the destruction of Saddam Hussein state, which left a vacuum. It was filled by mayhem the infiltration of the police by the militant militia, leading to 100 people a day being murdered and the eventual formation of al-Qaida.
Sunni forces combined with the USA against the Shia militia and felt they had won after a US push to regain control led by General Petraeus in 2007.
Iraq's PM Malaki, supported by Iran, demanded USA withdrawal and got it in 2011.
DISCUSSION SESSION
This far the program highlighted important stages of the history but for me the best part was the final discussion by MP Rory Stewart (from 2000-2004 a senior United Nation official in Iraq), Roula Khalaf (deputy editor of the FT) and Will Self (novelist and academic).
Rory was convinced the lesson was the need to be much more serious in future , stressing the complexity of the crisis and the early rise after invasion in the number of Shia organisations and Shia political parties. Talking of his time in Iraq he said 'within a few months it was evident we should not have been there at all'. Then went on there should be a complete reform of the Foreign Office and the Military. It was a shame that the Chilcot report at 8000 pages was so big it would not be read and that it was not rigorous enough and needed to have been much more honest. He stressed the need for the political class to win the trust of the British people so that they regained 'confidence of having people in charge who know what they are doing'.
I wonder what he must have thought of the behaviour of his own Tory politicians in the recent EU referendum.
Roula Khalaf thought we should have had a plan before proceeding and would have needed total occupation to achieve our ends. She opposed the view of Rory in that the risk of over assessment was of paralysis such as seen since over Libya and Syria.
Will Self had been on the streets protesting in 2003. He agreed with Rory on the need to be serious. We should not attempt 'to punch above our weight' or we would again get knocked out. Stressing that Blair thought he had help invade to maintain special status with the USA.
In today's Guardian article Hans Blix stated ' I share the dominant view among international lawyers that the war was in breach of the UN Charter'. Al-Qaida were not eliminated by the war , they were not in Iraq at the time. Those alienated Sunni groups later formed the core of ISIS.
The program finished with a video recording of the resignation speech of Robin Cook, the Foreign Secretary who expressed his belief that the collective response of the British people was right. 'They know Saddam is a brutal dictator, but are not persuaded he is a present danger to Britain.' Robin said that he thought that 'Iraq probably has no weapons of mass destruction'. He opposed military action from the British Government and for this reason was resigning with a heavy heart. It was impossible for me to miss Jeremy Corbyn and Frank Dobson in the middle of small group of MPs surrounding Robin during his resignation speech.
NB Note that my articles were written a month before the resignation of Robin Cook on 17 March 2003, though it was knowing his doubts that convinced me I had it right.
I first started blogging in 2002 in order simply as a way of keeping material safe and accessible. I learned the technique in preparation for the day I would use it as a live way of recording diaries of our world travels on computer. It was not used as such until crossing China from Kashi (Kashgar) in the far west West to Beijing in 2006 via the Southern Silk Road. Blogs pre-dating 2002 are simply a way of safe keeping a transcription of my written travel diaries plus photographs.
After retiring and in one of the periods when Joan's knee replacements temporarily ruled out our intention of slowly back packing the world, I had ambitions about becoming published in Times T2 or Guardian G2. On the advice of Sam Wollaston, my G2 contact, I decided to tackle the 'big boys' in the Comment pages. The best three articles I ever submitted were written in three weeks about Iraq in Feb 2003, the middle being the week of the big march, they are all recorded in this blog. It was my final throw.
I suggest that following this 2016 posting you read the Preface written in 2012 then go immediately to the posts in 2003 and scroll down to pick up the earliest and best of them with the title Sally Clarke and Saddam Hussein 900 words. Reading them again today I am amazed by my own perception of the eventual out-turn in the region, but then a large proportion of the population, as confirmed by the size of the march, was trying to prevent the invasion.
Note as this blog was made primarily for my records it includes the submission letters and a record of the feedback from the publishers.
The posting 25 October 2002 was inspired by the Bali bombing includes travel comments about Sumatra (Indonesia) the country we visited immediately on retiring. The article submitted to G2 appears to be absent so I need to check my files.
COMMENTS ON CHILCOT INQUIRY which was finally published yesterday seven years in the making. I have become sceptical of the quality of the BBC News which seems over anxious to avoid questions about balance. Wife Joan and I a year ago transferred our loyalty to Jon Snow and Channel 4 News which has greater depth, is not troubled to state its views and with a full hour has the time to encompass BBC's News and Newsnight. However there is no doubting in my mind that last night's BBC Newsnight, presented by Evan Davies highlighting the evidence raised by the Chilcot Inquiry with discussion on related issues, was the BBC at its best.
Mark Urban emphasised Iraq was a 'War of choice' something the UK didn't have to do and that the decision followed from the meeting of Tony Blair and George Bush in Texas in April 2002. Blair was convinced that Iraq had to disarm or be disarmed and so started to plan for war. We requested the United Nations send inspectors into Iraq but as Hans Blix (UN inspector) stated in today's article they were never allowed to complete that task.
David Ormand of GCHQ admitted the British Intelligence brand was tarnished but according to Alister Campbell were never under political pressure to come up with evidence that didn't exist. Clare Short had expected, and the French insisted on, a second UN resolution which never came.
Mike Jackson thought initially we would be out of Iraq in 18 months.
As regards the war itself Basra was taken rapidly by British army who immediately reduced the number of their troops to just 25% of their original strength. Then found they could not deal with the looting and general disorder which ended with the militant militia (Shia) in control.
Paul Bremner (US diplomat in charge of Iraq 2002-4) pointed to the misguided de-Ba'athification policy leading to the destruction of Saddam Hussein state, which left a vacuum. It was filled by mayhem the infiltration of the police by the militant militia, leading to 100 people a day being murdered and the eventual formation of al-Qaida.
Sunni forces combined with the USA against the Shia militia and felt they had won after a US push to regain control led by General Petraeus in 2007.
Iraq's PM Malaki, supported by Iran, demanded USA withdrawal and got it in 2011.
DISCUSSION SESSION
This far the program highlighted important stages of the history but for me the best part was the final discussion by MP Rory Stewart (from 2000-2004 a senior United Nation official in Iraq), Roula Khalaf (deputy editor of the FT) and Will Self (novelist and academic).
Rory was convinced the lesson was the need to be much more serious in future , stressing the complexity of the crisis and the early rise after invasion in the number of Shia organisations and Shia political parties. Talking of his time in Iraq he said 'within a few months it was evident we should not have been there at all'. Then went on there should be a complete reform of the Foreign Office and the Military. It was a shame that the Chilcot report at 8000 pages was so big it would not be read and that it was not rigorous enough and needed to have been much more honest. He stressed the need for the political class to win the trust of the British people so that they regained 'confidence of having people in charge who know what they are doing'.
I wonder what he must have thought of the behaviour of his own Tory politicians in the recent EU referendum.
Roula Khalaf thought we should have had a plan before proceeding and would have needed total occupation to achieve our ends. She opposed the view of Rory in that the risk of over assessment was of paralysis such as seen since over Libya and Syria.
Will Self had been on the streets protesting in 2003. He agreed with Rory on the need to be serious. We should not attempt 'to punch above our weight' or we would again get knocked out. Stressing that Blair thought he had help invade to maintain special status with the USA.
In today's Guardian article Hans Blix stated ' I share the dominant view among international lawyers that the war was in breach of the UN Charter'. Al-Qaida were not eliminated by the war , they were not in Iraq at the time. Those alienated Sunni groups later formed the core of ISIS.
The program finished with a video recording of the resignation speech of Robin Cook, the Foreign Secretary who expressed his belief that the collective response of the British people was right. 'They know Saddam is a brutal dictator, but are not persuaded he is a present danger to Britain.' Robin said that he thought that 'Iraq probably has no weapons of mass destruction'. He opposed military action from the British Government and for this reason was resigning with a heavy heart. It was impossible for me to miss Jeremy Corbyn and Frank Dobson in the middle of small group of MPs surrounding Robin during his resignation speech.
NB Note that my articles were written a month before the resignation of Robin Cook on 17 March 2003, though it was knowing his doubts that convinced me I had it right.
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