Hello and welcome to The Midge, the e-bulletin that takes a bite out of politics in Scotland and elsewhere.
Today
- Blair officials hit back at criticism
- Tory MPs whittle leadership contenders down to two
- Scots students struggling to get into Scots universities
- PM to intervene in Ebola nurse cash row
06.00 BBC Today headlines
Blair administration figures respond to Chilcot by blaming US … US State Department “no intention” of re-examining past decisions … Tory MPs to decide final two leadership contenders … Vigil in Louisiana after black man shot dead by police officers … Two children die in Argyll loch crash.
07.00 BBC Good Morning Scotland headlines
Blair ... Argyll crash ... Tory MPs vote ... Deputy FM to meet abuse survivors after inquiry resignations ... Louisiana shooting ... British man denies attempting to grab gun to shoot Donald Trump ... Audit Scotland outlines further education fears ... Argyll wind tower manufacturer to expand output ... T in the Park opens its doors.
Front pages
Chilcot dominates. In The Herald, Kate Devlin and Michael Settle set out Tony Blair’s defiant defence of his actions, despite the inquiry’s damning verdict.
The National and the Guardian spotlight a quote from a Blair memo to Bush: “I’ll be with you whatever.”
The Mail calls Tony Blair “a monster of delusion” for saying he would do the same again.
The Times describes the conflict as “Blair’s private war”, setting out a secret 2002 pledge to back Bush.
The FT says Tony Blair committed to an invasion almost eight months before receiving parliamentary and legal backing.
The Telegraph’s headline is: “I’d take the same decision”.
“Weapons of mass deception” is the Sun’s summation, while the Record goes with “Lions sent by donkeys”.
The Scotsman says: “Mournful Blair admits Iraq War shortcomings.”
The Evening Times hears the verdict of Rose Gentle, whose 19-year son Gordon was killed in Iraq. “He got his comeuppance,” says Mrs Gentle of Tony Blair.
Camley’s Cartoon
Camley gets to the heart of the Iraq matter.
Ten in ten seconds: Dear George, yours ever, Tony
Their declassification was closely fought over, but Chilcot did secure and publish 29 letters between George W Bush and Tony Blair. Here are ten excerpts, all from Blair to Bush. Correspondence the other way, being from a foreign government, was not disclosed. To read the documents in full, visit www.iraqinquiry.org.uk
1. “There will be many who ask: what is the next stage of this evil? What of (the terrorists') capacity to get hold of WMD? We know there are countries and individuals trading in WMD. We need a range of sanctions and pressures to stop this. Some of this will require action that some will baulk at. But we are better to act now... than let the day be put off until some further, perhaps even worse catastrophe occurs. I believe this is a real possibility.’ 12 September 2001
2. “I will be with you whatever.” July 2002
3. “In Britain, right now I couldn’t be sure of support from parliament. Party, public or even some of Cabinet. And this is Britain.” July 2002
4. “A strike date could be Jan/Feb next year (2003). But the crucial issue is not when, but how.” July 2002
5. ”This is the moment when you can define international politics for the next generation: the true post-cold war world order.” March 2003, after bombing begins.
6. “The problem is we’re not communicating with the rest of the world in a way they understand. They get wholly warped views of the so-called right in American politics, played back through their media; until we end up with the fatuous irony of millions of liberal minded people taking to the streets, effectively to defend the most illiberal regime on earth.” March 2003.
7. ”My sense is: we're going to get there but not quickly enough. And if it falls apart, everything falls apart in the region.” June 2003.
8. “I don’t know about you. But my political position is very clear. I won’t win re-election on Iraq alone. But if Iraq is wrong or people don’t get the security threat it will be a major problem. On the other hand, if Iraq comes right and people do get the threat my opponents will have a lot of explaining to do. And by this time next year it better be going right, not wrong. For us and for the world! October 2003
9. “We know Saddam had WMD. We know the Iraq Survey Group [weapons inspectors] has not yet found weapons, though it has found evidence of programmes. The truth is that we anticipated finding the weapons during or shortly after the conflict. So to say we are surprised at the ISG's findings is no less than the truth. The issue of US/UK good faith can be laid to rest. We received the intelligence. We honestly believed it.’ February 2004
10. "We have an opportunity to pull this back round. I remain, in the end, optimistic." June 2004.
Afore Ye Go
“If I was back in the same place with the same information, I would take the same decision."
Tony Blair
TB's defence is a squid's ink of minutiae, hypotheticals, counter-factuals, nit-picking, non-sequiturs & post-hoc rationalisations
— Robert Harris (@Robert___Harris) July 6, 2016
"There is one terrorist in this world that the world needs to be aware of, and his name is Tony Blair - the world's worst terrorist."
Sarah O'Connor, whose brother Bob died when a military plane was shot down near Baghdad in 2005. Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images
Blair talked to press in Admiralty House (government building) behind three security checks and at 10min notice to avoid protest. Odd life.
— Jim Waterson (@jimwaterson) July 6, 2016
From Jim Waterson of BuzzFeed News
PRISON UPDATE
— HaveIGotNewsForYou (@haveigotnews) July 6, 2016
Messi tax fraud - 21 mths
Pistorius murder - 6 yrs
Blair illegitimate war - lucrative consultancy & after-dinner speaking work
"I now apologise sincerely on behalf of my party for the disastrous decision to go to war in Iraq.”
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, speaking after his Commons statement.
Jeremy Corbyn signing the Mirror's 'No War' petition back in 2003. He was right about Iraq.
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) July 6, 2016
(via @SanchezAlexis45) pic.twitter.com/J00JKVzc9e
"After such carnage, people will ask inevitable questions of was conflict inevitable and worthwhile? The answer from Chilcot is undoubtedly no. And who is responsible? The answer is undoubtedly Tony Blair. There must now be a consideration of what political or legal consequences are appropriate for those responsible.”
Alex Salmond. Jack Taylor/Getty Images
One of those top SIS sources based his reporting on Saddam's WMD on Sean Connery movie The Rock. #Chilcot pic.twitter.com/THyv0B6tfL
— David Blair (@davidblairdt) July 6, 2016
From the Daily Telegraph's David Blair
"The party and the country deserve an open, honest, robust debate - and the next leader needs to have won a mandate to lead. So there should be no deals, no tactical voting, and no coronation.”
Home Secretary and Tory leadership Theresa May, who is today expected to be named as one of the final two candidates to be voted on by the party membership. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images.
“Normally it's 'pick up the kids, make sure you've got the right key for the car' and so on. I'm just amazingly lucky to have the best wife in the world. She's my best friend as well as my wife, and best friends give each other advice.”
Michael Gove on that leaked email from his wife, Sarah Vine. The Spectator. Jack Taylor/Getty Images.
"Saddam Hussein was a bad guy, right? ... But you know what he did well? He killed terrorists. He did that so good.”
Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump. Sarah D Davis/Getty Images.
“I'm so confused, one minute it is like the eagle is going to swoop and the next minute it is Eddie the Eagle at the top of the ski jump not knowing whether to go or not.”
David Cameron teases Labour about a possible leadership contest which Angela Eagle, above, may or may not be standing in. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
Thank you for reading. See you tomorrow.
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