The attorney general’s legal opinion before the invasion of Iraq in 2003 resulted from a failure to understand the American attitude to law in general, and international law in particular, and a confusion between advice and advocacy.The American legal mind regards law not as a thing that gets applied but as a process that never [...]
Bereft of lawyers, the Iraq war inquiry has suffered total forensic failure. This was a cakewalk for BlairNone of the members of the Chilcot inquiry have training in either legal principles or forensic skills. They have no permanent appointed legal experts or advisers and no appointed counsel to represent the tribunal and to cross-examine witnesses. [...]
Former PM gives no substantial ground on why he sent troops to Iraq to disarm Saddam of weapons he did not possessTony Blair ended an epic six-hour inquisition by the Chilcot inquiry last night by insisting he had “no regrets” over toppling Saddam Hussein, arguing that the world was more secure and that Iraq has [...]
Today and for the next six weeks Michael Landy is inviting artists and members of the public to submit their own works for acceptance into this 600 cubic metre art binGallery: Works lined up for the bin at South London GalleryWearing a neat pair of white gloves – the uniform of the curator at work [...]
Boris Johnson made a commitment to chair the MPA – his failure to fulfil it hints at the wider difficulties he faces as London mayorThe mayor made a clear commitment to Londoners in his election manifesto to personally take charge of the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA). Those of us with experience of the MPA knew [...]
• Be frank on degree of uncertainty, but as such it is no excuse for inaction• John Beddington responds to scepticism after melting glaciers mistake A failure by some scientists to be candid on the uncertainty of predicting the rate of climate change is to blame for fuelling scepticism about such predictions, according the government’s [...]
There is “growing disenchantment” among British Muslims at the government’s failure to tackle anti-Islamic hostility, a religious group says.
I was astonished to read Lord Myners’s assertion that banks use our deposits to lend out to businesses and homebuyers. (Comment, 25 January). This is simply not the case, and has not been the case since 1694 when the British banking system was established, and intangible bank money began the process of creating deposits in [...]
The SNP’s failure to publish a referendum bill on independence hints at a possible realignment of Scottish politicsThe SNP are driven by one overriding factor, the restoration of Scottish statehood and independence. More than left v right, this is what matters in the party. The SNP government has undertaken a “national conversation” and published a [...]
Gordon Brown and Brian Cowen fly to Northern Ireland to resolve differences between Sinn Féin and Democratic UnionistsGordon Brown and his Irish counterpart Brian Cowen are in Northern Ireland this evening trying to rescue power-sharing in the province.The two prime ministers arrived in Belfast late this afternoon as fears mount that the devolved power-sharing institutions [...]