Iraq inquiry update

I see that some generals have called for the recently announced in-private inquiry to be held at least partly in public. General Sir Mike Jackson has said that:

"I would have no problem at all in giving my evidence in public." He said Mr Brown's decision that the proceedings be held in private fed "the climate of suspicion and scepticism about government", adding that the Prime Minister ought to consider requiring witnesses to give evidence on oath.

"I do not see why it could not have gone for a halfway house with sessions in public and then having private hearings when it comes to intelligence," said General Jackson. "And they do have to look at the intelligence that Blair used in the run-up to the war... which at the end turned out to be fool's gold."

Also Air Marshal Sir John Walker, the former head of Defence Intelligence, said:

"There is only one reason that the inquiry is being heard in private and that is to protect past and present members of this Government. There are 179 reasons why the military want the truth to be out on what happened over Iraq."

In addition Major General Julian Thompson, who was highly decorated for his command of the Royal Marines in the Falklands, said:

"I do not see why this has been based on the Franks inquiry into the Falklands. At that time the Cold War was on and protecting Western secrets in things like communication was used as the reason to hold the inquiry in secret. That is certainly not the case now. Also, the Falklands was essentially a failure of intelligence.

"Here we are looking at something much more serious: the allegation that a British government manipulated intelligence to take part in an illegal war.

"There is no reason why the public should not be able to hear the witnesses and judge what they say for themselves. We should not have to depend on a group of people handpicked by the current Government. A report from a secret inquiry will look like a whitewash."

Secrecy, whitewash and cover-up would seem to explain Gordon Brown's inquiry.