Chilcot should be Exhibit A in Tony Blair’s trial

I can barely contain the anger I feel towards Tony Blair over the war in Iraq. It’s a rage which has simmered for more than a decade and a rage from which there is no apparent closure. So if I, as a mere observer, am feeling like this today, it is hard to imagine how the families of the British servicemen killed and the people of Iraq will ever be able to come to terms with the complete waste of life sacrificed on the altar of one man’s ambition.

In truth, the Chilcot Inquiry Report will not satisfy the need for justice, although it is a damning indictment of Blair and those around him who raced to wage an illegal war in Iraq. Justice will only come about through an open and public trial with Blair and others responsible being held to account. This is a view shared by Scotland’s former First Minister Alex Salmond, who says that legal action against Tony Blair must be considered following the publication of Chilcot.

“In the days, weeks and months ahead,” said the SNP Member of Parliament, the intimate detail of this report will only implicate further a former Prime Minister who recklessly committed the country to war without collective judgement, and personally failed to ensure there was a plan for delivering a future for the people of Iraq.” According to Salmond, after such carnage, people will ask inevitable questions about whether the conflict was inevitable and worthwhile. “The answer from Chilcot is undoubtedly no. And who is responsible? The answer is undoubtedly Tony Blair. There must now be a consideration of what political or legal consequences are appropriate for those responsible.”

While the report vindicates the anti-war movement and all those politicians who marched alongside and supported the peace activists, it does not go far enough; only an open trial by jury will do that.

In fact, Chilcot didn’t really tell us anything new. We were already aware, for example, that Blair used lies and deception to make sure that Britain would go charging into an illegal war alongside the US. I knew this back in September 2002 when I was in Iraq with a group of other Fleet Street journalists. We were told that the then Prime Minister of Britain was going to reveal the exact locations of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) hidden in Saddam’s bunkers. Amazingly, the regime in Baghdad promised us full access to search and see for ourselves any sites identified by Blair. This was ahead of Blair’s announcement and we waited patiently, with government helicopters on standby, to take us where we wanted to go.

We sat and waited until Blair made his announcement (click here to view)in the House of Commons and then1 set off in search of WMD. We found nothing and came to the same conclusion as former UN chief weapons inspector Hans Blix: Saddam Hussain had no WMD.

I remember going into a government laboratory and looking inside a deep freeze and a fridge examining all the lotions and potions stored there; some of us journalists searched inside bunkers while others scrutinised paperwork and files. At no time were we hindered or stopped by the Iraqi regime in our determination to leave no stone unturned.

However, when we returned our verdict on Blair’s claims, some Fleet Street colleagues accused us of being useful idiots for the Iraqi regime and Saddam’s stooges. They had chosen to follow Blair and his spin doctors blindly and continued to push out stories based on government allegations which were clearly fabricated.

Although the physical victims of Blair’s war are the Iraqis — who have suffered and died in their millions — and British soldiers who were killed and injured, we should also remember how Blair managed to lie to the people of Britain and manipulate the House of Commons and media to get his own way. The net effect can be seen today, with British voters disillusioned with the democratic process in Westminster.
The leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, has apologised to the people of Iraq in the wake of the Chilcot Report, which is something that arrogant Blair still refuses to do. Such sincere words from Corbyn will be appreciated, but do not go anywhere near what is really needed; his genuine sorrow and compassion over Iraq is no substitute for justice.

Blair and his cohorts need to be put on trial. Too many innocent lives have been lost and the blood of the innocents continues to flow today. Back in September 2003, Blair told the Labour Party conference, “I can only go one way, I’ve not got a reverse gear.” As far as most people are concerned, the one way that he should go now is into the dock to answer for his crimes. The Chilcot Report has to be Exhibit A in Blair’s trial. Anything less and we will be doing a huge disservice to the victims of his criminal war in Iraq.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.