Tony Blair got the OK to invade Iraq after the Attorney General was told by US lawyers that he was wrong to oppose the war.
Peter Goldsmith told the Chilcott Inquiry that he changed his advice a few weeks before war broke out after meetings with American legal advisors. He had previously warned that UN resolution 1441 did not provide a legal basis for overthrowing Saddam Hussein.
He changed his mind in February 2003 after evidence from American officials including Condoleezza Rice. Goldsmith said their description of the negotiations that lead to the Security Council resolution helped convince him that a second resolution was not required.
In his initial draft opinion, which he gave to Blair on January 14, Goldsmith warned that he thought a further resolution authorising the use of force was necessary. He said the change of decision rested on the interpretation of “two or three” words in resolution 1441.
Goldsmith gave his “provisional advice” to Jonathan Powell, the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, on February 27 which said there was a “reasonable case that a second resolution was not necessary.”
So says The Times in its coverage of the Chilcot inquiry.
It occurs to me that the reason that there is an Attorney General is that he is available to give legal advice on matters pertaining to English legal matters to the cabinet. My question would be, why it was necessary for him to be told that he was wrong by the Americans, and if we are going to listen to American interpretation of law, why do the English/Welsh/Northern Irish pay for their own Attorney General? In these hard times would it not be a good idea to ditch the post, save the millions that running his department costs and let the Americans tell them what to do?
The next point is that Mr Goldsmith was Attorney General for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. As Scottish soldiers were involved in going to war and Scottish people in funding it, would it not have been good to have some advice from a Scottish equivalent (Advocate General for Scotland)? Or were we not important enough?
But my real conculsion is that old Peter is telling porkies here, and that the truth is that, after having given advice that Tony Blair did not want to hear, Mr Goldsmith was ambushed in the corridor by Alistair Campbell and that big fat bruiser Charlie Falconer, and told that it would be in his best interests (wink wink) if he rethought his advice.... After all, reading the stuff in the picture above, he doesn't sound like a very honourable sort of bloke does he?
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Peter Goldsmith told the Chilcott Inquiry that he changed his advice a few weeks before war broke out after meetings with American legal advisors. He had previously warned that UN resolution 1441 did not provide a legal basis for overthrowing Saddam Hussein.
He changed his mind in February 2003 after evidence from American officials including Condoleezza Rice. Goldsmith said their description of the negotiations that lead to the Security Council resolution helped convince him that a second resolution was not required.
In his initial draft opinion, which he gave to Blair on January 14, Goldsmith warned that he thought a further resolution authorising the use of force was necessary. He said the change of decision rested on the interpretation of “two or three” words in resolution 1441.
Goldsmith gave his “provisional advice” to Jonathan Powell, the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, on February 27 which said there was a “reasonable case that a second resolution was not necessary.”
So says The Times in its coverage of the Chilcot inquiry.
It occurs to me that the reason that there is an Attorney General is that he is available to give legal advice on matters pertaining to English legal matters to the cabinet. My question would be, why it was necessary for him to be told that he was wrong by the Americans, and if we are going to listen to American interpretation of law, why do the English/Welsh/Northern Irish pay for their own Attorney General? In these hard times would it not be a good idea to ditch the post, save the millions that running his department costs and let the Americans tell them what to do?
The next point is that Mr Goldsmith was Attorney General for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. As Scottish soldiers were involved in going to war and Scottish people in funding it, would it not have been good to have some advice from a Scottish equivalent (Advocate General for Scotland)? Or were we not important enough?
But my real conculsion is that old Peter is telling porkies here, and that the truth is that, after having given advice that Tony Blair did not want to hear, Mr Goldsmith was ambushed in the corridor by Alistair Campbell and that big fat bruiser Charlie Falconer, and told that it would be in his best interests (wink wink) if he rethought his advice.... After all, reading the stuff in the picture above, he doesn't sound like a very honourable sort of bloke does he?
........
