OF course, the main protagonist in the Chilcot drama was not, elephant-like, in the room.
TB was some distance away, explaining himself, or at least trying to, in terms that were at times emotional. He even at one point looked on the verge of tears as he defended himself in front of the television cameras.
But as the former PM expressed sorrow, regret and apology for the mistakes made, MPs lined up in the Commons chamber to express indignation, hostility and sadness at the decision to go to war 13 years ago on a false premise.
The chief comrade, who was always a staunch placard-carrying opponent of the decision to invade, invoked the spirit of the late Robin Cook who famously resigned from the cabinet over the war. But, interestingly, he did not mention TB by name.
But as he railed against the “catastrophe” that was the Iraq war, Jezza was heckled by some of his own MPs, reminding us, if we needed reminding, that for many of the red army, the socialist from Islington is not their leader in name or in spirit even on serious occasions like this one.
At one point, Speaker Bercow had to intervene to rebuke Labour backbenchers, saying: “If people want to witter away, they should leave the chamber. It is boring and we do not need you.”
Alex Salmond mentioned that memo – “I will be with you whatever,” TB told GWB eight months before the invasion – and asked how could it be “in any way compatible with what was said to Parliament and people at the time”.
The ex-FM declared how those responsible ie TB had to be held to account; although the word “impeach” did not cross his lips. Perhaps that will come later.
Senior Tory David Davis suggested that in the same memo the former premier let slip that the real reason for getting rid of Saddam Hussein was not WMD, as we had been led to believe, but regime change – which, from memory, was GWB’s reason for invasion and not ours. This, concluded the Yorkshire MP, meant TB was a liar.
Dave coolly sought not to apportion any blame, noting, quite accurately that the Whitehall mandarin Sir John had not accused anyone of “deliberate, explicit deceit”.
But this did not appear good enough for the SDLP’s Mark Durkan, who swung out heavily against TB.
Saying he had come to the issue of the Iraq war “scandalised anew” at the “duplicity of presentation and the paucity of preparation,” he echoed the former PM’s infamous remark ahead of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.
To laughter, he told Dave: “This is not a day for soundbites but does the Prime Minister not agree that the hand of history should be feeling somebody’s collar.”
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