Alex Massie Alex Massie

Phoney Blair? On the contrary, Iraq was his most honest moment.

Tony Blair’s reappearance at the pointless Chilcot Inquiry – pointless because it won’t change anyone’s mind about anything or have any meaningful impact upon future policy – has at least permitted an interesting revision of the historical record. Rod Liddle sums this up in his typical pithy style:

The more you read, the more you discover that it was Blair – entirely alone in the country – who wished to invade Iraq in 2003. The cabinet didn’t want to, even Blair’s cabal didn’t want to. Even Alastair Campbell had grave reservations. Everyone around him thought it wrong, or illegal, or both.

I assume we may ascribe that “entirely alone” to Rod’s hyperbolic style since, after all, parliament endorsed the idea of military action and opinion polls at the time suggested the country was evenly split on the wisdom, or need, to go to war. I’m pretty sure this magazine supported the war too.

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