Blair faces Commons defeat on Iraq inquiry

[SoftUnderbelly]

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/iraq/story/0,,1935857,00.html

"Tony Blair faces a possible defeat today as he tries to face down calls for an inquiry into the handling of the Iraq war.

MPs are to debate a motion tabled by Scottish and Welsh nationalists that demands an immediate investigation of the war by a committee of senior MPs.

The Tories want any inquiry to take place once control of the country is handed back to Iraqi authorities. But the shadow foreign secretary indicated today that if their preferred option is not accepted, they will join the SNP, Plaid Cymru, the Liberal Democrats and Labour rebels in backing the calls for an immediate inquiry."

with public opinion turning more and more against blair and the war, perhaps this inquiry will have more teeth than the ones from hutton and butler? i would like to hope so, but i wont be getting my hopes up after those previous whitewashes.

blair obviously doesnt want this inquiry to happen before he leaves office (instead he uses the outrageous claim that its the inquiry that will put troops lives at risk! the nerve of the man) but then again would brown want this to take place when he is pm?

either way i shall probably be watching the house of commons debate in two hours time.

[Demeter]

1. Britain Show Us The Way!

Our mother land leading us out of the BushWorld wilderness.....

[SoftUnderbelly]

4. dont get too excited

the hutton inquiry and butler reports were a disgrace. the only hope this time is that if we get the inquiry (which means the tories dont weasle out of it by getting an agreement to an inquiry 'some time in the future') that it is done my senior, independent MPs with some sense of right and wrong (who may also be looking at retaining their own seats come the next election - they may not wish to be seen as going too easy on the government)

i think you can watch the debate on the bbc news website btw.

[acmavm]

2. I hope your leaders show more integrity than the lying whiney

ass kissers we have on this side of the Atlantic.

[Greeby]

3. the debate starts at 15:30GMT

:popcorn:

[SoftUnderbelly]

5. the debate

can be seen here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsa/n5ctrl/live/bb/wm/video/parliament/parliament_16x9_bb.asx

[Jack Rabbit]

6. Questions for British DUers

Would the scope of any investigation of Prime Minister Blair's handling of the war against Iraq concern his meetings with Mr. Bush prior to the war? Will that possible shed any more light on the manipulation of intelligence by the neoconservatives in order to get public support for the war?

[SoftUnderbelly]

8. it could do

check this link
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6103196.stm

the person who is proposing it said

A "proper inquiry into what went wrong" could rebuild public mistrust. It must focus on "false claims" leading to war, why the war happened and why planning for the war had failed, he added.

cant find a link to the actual motion tabled so i have no idea what the remit would be. i wouldnt get too excited about it though, especially after what happened in the lord hutton farce.

[Jack Rabbit]

9. Thank you

This will be big, especially if investigations are also taking place on this side of the Pond.

[SoftUnderbelly]

10. the wording of the motion

"That this House believes that there should be a select committee of seven honourable Members, being members of Her Majesty’s Privy Council, to review the way in which the responsibilities of Government were discharged in relation to Iraq and all matters relevant thereto, in the period leading up to military action in that country in March 2003 and in its aftermath."

another link to the debate, which will be going on all evening

http://www.parliamentlive.tv

select 'house of commons watch now' or watch from the beginning but that includes some house business before the debate starts.

[oasis]

7. Tony Blair kick.

:kick: Boot Blair.

[Megahurtz]

15. Lol! n/t

[Jack Rabbit]

11. Way to go, mates. We on this side of the Pond salute you.

We toast the British people.

[SoftUnderbelly]

12. vote in progress

result in 15-20 minutes. the correspondent on channel 4 news thinks its likely the government will just about win.

[SoftUnderbelly]

13. The Result

For: 273
Against: 298

motion defeated by a majority of 25 (labour has a working majority of 67 so some labour MPs did rebel - maybe around 15 according to the correspondent on channel 4 news)

another exciting day in parliament...

[LeftishBrit]

14. As I expected, really

Close enough to embarrass the government (I hope); but still not enough to win.

One day! - and I hope sooner rather than later.