Splinters

Douglas Hurd, a Thatcher Foreign Secretary - though never a Thatcherite (he was too refined for that) - reviews another ex-Foreign Secretary's book Point of Departure by Robin Cook.

Cook is also apparently against the prevailing political grain and Hurd finds he agrees with much of what is said, the heart of which is: "the real reason Tony Blair took us to war was that he found it easier to resist the public opinion of Britain than the request of the US President."

He concludes: "It is increasingly hard to argue that the Anglo-American attack on Iraq was wise or just."

One might see here the common sense and decency hovering below the surface of the British government. Two eminent men dispatched to the wilderness of book deals by less scrupulous types, namely Thatcher and Blair. But Cook was part of the government that sold attack aircraft to Indonesia (that led to many deaths) and the unjust war in Kosovo, while Hurd, back in the 80s, travelled to Baghdad to represent Her Majesty's Government (and the rest of us) at the celebrations of the 15th anniversary of Saddam's coming to power. This was after the invasion of Iran, the gas attacks, and the kind of atrocities seen in the link from last Saturday. Thanks Dug.

No wonder, in that carefully judged statement, "wise" comes before "just".