Thursday 27 August 2015

Chilcot delaying tactics

The Iraq Inquiry, chaired by Sir John Chilcot, is entangled in the endless process of “Maxwellisation”, as politicians and civil servants named in the draft report battle to protect their reputations.

Chilcot and his team dare not cut short the process until every objection from every lawyer representing any of the named individuals from Tony Blair to some middle-ranking intelligence officer has been answered, but the longer this process goes on, the more it attracts suspicion and ridicule.

Yesterday he posted a statement that will probably allow him another year to take the piss.

www.iraqinquiry.org.uk/media/55777/2015-08-26%20Statement%20by%20Sir%20John%20Chilcot.pdf

Chilcot, suggests that the government and Whitehall were partly to blame, citing delays in requests for classified documents including records of discussions between Tony Blair and George Bush. This also hints at the possibility that Chilcot & the establishment have organised the delays from the beginning. It is not beyond possibility that this report is never published.

The Prime Minister David Cameron said only last month that he and his government were frustrated by the delays but did not constructive to move the process along.

As a career civil servant Sir John Chilcot has lived by several articles of civil service doctrine:-

it takes longer to do things quickly
never look into a problem you do not have too
it is more expensive to do things cheaply
never set up an enquiry unless you know what it's findings will be
it is more democratic to do things in secret

Are we really surprised that this fiasco will drag on forever.

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