The Chilcot Report

[Bushes of Love]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-36712735

So after many years of investigation, the Chilcot report into the British invasion of Iraq in 2003 has been published. It turns out that Tony Blair wasn't entirely justified in allowing the UK to join the Iraq war and he hadn't exhausted all the peaceful options. As someone who marched in protest of the war, it's really disheartening to see that our protests were right and we weren't listened to. I'm normally a poster who likes to make pithy, witty comments but not this time....I'm bloody furious.

[Glasgowghirl]

I feel the same I was only 15/16 at the time of the invasion and felt at the time we were being lied to and the invasion was not a good idea. Blair and Bush have a lot of blood on their hands. 

[Bushes of Love]

I was only 18 when the invasion happened. I think it's what started my anger and disillusionment with 'the system'. I know politicians not listening to the masses and deciding to work in their own interests is nothing new, but it was the first time in my (and yours, as you are only a couple of years younger than me) generation that it happened to us. That anger has never left me.

I know it'll never happen, but I'd like to see Blair and Bush be put on trial for war crimes. However, the Chilcot report has no real legal standing.

[Gemini]

20 hours ago, Bushes of Love said:

 

I know it'll never happen, but I'd like to see Blair and Bush be put on trial for war crimes. However, the Chilcot report has no real legal standing.

This!

i was listening to the radio on the way to work this morning and they were having a discussion about this. Most callers were in agreement that he should be prosecuted, however there were a number who suggested that the Iraqi people needed him to save them from Saddam. Well as someone who has family living there, I can say that the common feeling in Iraq is not 'thank you'. On top of the great number of British soldiers who lost their lives, Thousands of innocent men, women and children died because Blair and Bush wouldn't wait for peaceful options to be exhausted. 

Yes Saddam was an evil man, (my family know this more than most being Kurd  descendants).however, in my opinion what Blair did was just as evil. 

[Glasgowghirl]

What saddens me even more is that people who opposed the war such as, Robin Cook and Charles Kennedy are not here to see that they have been proven right. They stood up for what they believed was right and what the public at the time were thinking and all they got was slated for it. My cousin served in Iraq and I'm thankful he wasn't killed or injured but too many families lost loved ones. The war on terror they stated has only made things worse.

[CoveredInBees]

Spoiler

 

Ignore the spoiler box, I clicked the wrong button and can't get rid  

13 hours ago, Glasgowghirl said:

What saddens me even more is that people who opposed the war such as, Robin Cook and Charles Kennedy are not here to see that they have been proven right. They stood up for what they believed was right and what the public at the time were thinking and all they got was slated for it.

I was never in favour of going in without UN agreement, Blair was so desperate to be Bush's special little friend that he would've done anything for him at that point. There was a lot of feeling at the time that we were finally finishing what we started with the first gulf war but there was no real justification for it.

Maybe we will learn from this, but I doubt it.

 

[Gemini]

9 minutes ago, CoveredInBees said:

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Blair was so desperate to be Bush's special little friend that he would've done anything for him at that point.

 

To me that sums up the entire basis of Blair's reasoning!

To top it off, the fact that he sent in troops with the knowledge that they didn't have enough supplies, equipment or man power for the job, shows how little regard that man had for life. Our troops were no more than expendables to him, and his recent, appalling statement, in which he states he'd do it again, shows him for the despicable little shit he is. 

[CoveredInBees]

I do wonder if the US will ever have a similar enquiry (somehow I doubt it). Whether or not Blair will ever truly apologise (pah!) we can at least now say the truth has been documented here in the UK.

It would also be nice (and I say this as a massive pacifist) if the government would properly care for veterans. I really hate the fact that charities such as Help for Heroes are necessary (which they are, and they do brilliant work) as the government will not sufficiently provide rehabilitation and adequate disability benefits/pensions.

And yes, equip the troops for the job at hand. That was unforgivable.