Tony Blair dug his own hole at the Chilcot inquiry

Tony Blair leaves after giving evidence for the second time to the Chilcot inquiry. Photograph: Stefan Wermuth/Reuters

Tony Blair came to the Iraq inquiry with last year’s game plan. Answer questions on his terms. Talk about the big picture, keep it subjective and off the specifics. He may think he did this well. Until he put his foot in his mouth.

We should remember that the panel did not need to pin Blair down on anything. It has the evidence and can draw its own conclusions. Blair had a “final opportunity” to answer their questions and disprove their implications. If he did not do so that was his choice.

The specifics and the evidence, including new evidence published today, are against Blair. The evidence makes clear that he was seeking regime change from an early stage.

Opening questions sought to establish when Blair took the decision to pursue a policy that was likely to lead to war and what part the cabinet played. Martin Gilbert asked exactly when Blair took this decision. Blair waffled and evaded the question.

When it came to the way that Blair kept most of his cabinet out of the loop, the tables were turned. Had the cabinet seen the march 2002 leaked but still officially unpublished, which set out the plan that led to war? Could Blair point to a cabinet discussion of the paper? He could not. So how did Blair expect the cabinet to take an informed view? Blair waffled further, disputing “the notion that people weren’t debating and discussing the issue”. The cabinet knew what the policy was.

But Blair later acknowledged that he had come down against the paper’s option of “toughening containment”, ie on the side of regime change. Strangely, the way toughening containment is described, it looks very much like the option Blair said he was pursuing. The man who co-
on Wednesday that the government pursued this policy for many months afterwards. No wonder people are confused.

After the cabinet secretary – at Blair’s request – blocked disclosure of what Blair told George Bush in the run up to war, chairman John Chilcot put the ball in Blair’s court. Would he discuss what he had said in his discussions with Bush? “I am very content to discuss the basis of them.”

That’s a “no”, then.

When Roderick Lyne asked what Blair had said to Bush in late 2001, Blair could choose his own words. He said, he claimed, that he was “up for the policy … of dealing with this issue”.

ordinated the paper, Tom McKane told the inquiery

Hope you won’t wear black on April 29, Kate… and a few hearty meals might fill out your wedding dress

If Prince William and Kate Middleton wanted a dress rehearsal for their wedding, yesterday was the perfect opportunity.

The couple attended the nuptials of friends Harry Aubrey-Fletcher and Louise Stourton – and, unusually for a wedding, Kate was dressed in black.

Beneath a tailored velvet dress coat, she wore an elegant above-the-knee dress with a sheer neckline tapering to a silver clasp, an outfit completed by a black pillbox hat with an intricate fascinator, plum-coloured shoes and matching clutch bag.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1345449/Royal-wedding-Hope-wont-wear-black-April-29-Kate–hearty-meals-wedding-dress.html#ixzz1AV8yuRGSKate Middleton was dressed in black and looking thinner than usual as she attended the nuptials of friends at a church in Boroughbridge, West Yorkshire yesterday
She also looked thinner than usual; like most brides-to-be, she is no doubt keen to look slim for the wedding photos – especially when those images will be seen by billions.

The stress of planning a wedding on such a huge scale as her April 29 affair may also have had an effect.

William, who was an usher, arrived at Aldborough Parish Church in Boroughbridge, West Yorkshire, at 1pm.

Prince Harry arrived at 3pm, chatting with pals about England’s Ashes victory. Princess Beatrice was also there.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1345449/Royal-wedding-Hope-wont-wear-black-April-29-Kate–hearty-meals-wedding-dress.html#ixzz1AV9FlKseKate was accompanied by Prince William, who was an usher for the wedding of the couple’s friends Harry Aubrey-Fletcher and Louise Stourton
The main wedding party arrived in a vintage bus, but Kate came in a chauffeur-driven Range Rover, with more security than the two female personal protection officers who normally accompany her.

While most of the 200 guests had mulled wine at the church before the service, William took Harry, the groom and ushers to the village pub.

Brian Rey, landlord of The Ship Inn, said: ‘Both of the Princes came in. William had cottage pie of all things. I can’t remember what Harry ate but he had a pint of cider.’

After the ceremony Kate and Bea took the bus to the reception at Castle Allerton.

Both Princes left in Audi A5s

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1345449/Royal-wedding-Hope-wont-wear-black-April-29-Kate–hearty-meals-wedding-dress.html#ixzz1AV9eTy31

Symonds, Harbhajan team up in IPL

Bitter rivals Andrew Symonds and Harbhajan Singh are set to share the same dressing room after the Indian Premier League auction on Saturday.

The Australian was bought for $850,000 by Mumbai Indians, who have already retained off spinner Harbhajan for the fourth edition of the Twenty20 tournament, set to kick off on April 8.

Saturday’s signing will see two of the most volatile players in world cricket don the same team colours, which is bound to catch the eye of fans.

Harbhajan and Symonds were involved in a scandal three years ago that threatened to divide the cricketing world.

Symonds, dubbed the bad boy of Australian cricket for his drinking binges, accused the Indian spinner of calling him a “monkey” during the fractious second Test in Sydney in 2008.

Harbhajan, himself no stranger to controversies, was then banned for three matches by the International Cricket Council (ICC), the game’s governing body.

But his ban was overturned on appeal, leading to much acrimony among players of both teams.

Symonds played for the Deccan Chargers in the first three editions of the IPL and was part of the team that won the 2009 crown.

Mumbai Indians, owned by business tycoon Mukesh Ambani, are yet to win the IPL despite having record-breaking batsman Sachin Tendulkar in their ranks.

Golden-voiced’ homeless man lands dream job, house

An Internet video of a homeless man showing off his self-described “God-given gift of a great voice” has landed him a spot on a local radio show, a dream job with the Cleveland Cavaliers and a house.

“The Cleveland Cavaliers just offered me a full-time job and a house! A house! A house!” Ted Williams said while appearing on a morning radio show in Columbus,Williams was flying to New York Wednesday night for a reunion with his 92-year-old mother, who lives in Bedford-Stuyvesant, and an appearance on the “TODAY Show,” NBC confirmed. Earlier, the website TMZ reported that airport officials would not let him board a plane because.

The roadside interview with Williams that appears on YouTube shows that he isn’t exaggerating: His delivery is as smooth as that of announcers heard on radio or television. The popularity of the “the voice” video has soared on the Web, attracting coverage in the Post and on television news.

Williams said he grew up in Brooklyn, and at 14 took a field trip to a radio station. While there, he was struck by the fact that one of the on-air announcers looked nothing like he sounded. “Radio is defined ‘theater of mind,’ ” the announcer told him.

Williams was hooked. He said it took years to develop his voice, and he also went to school for training.

“Alcohol and drugs — and a few other things — became my life,” Williams admitted, but added that he has “been two years clean.”

Liverpool legends back Hodgson

Liverpool legends Kevin Keegan, John Barnes and Steve McManaman today insisted Roy Hodgson could survive as Liverpool manager, despite him appearing on the brink of the sack.

Last night’s 3-1 Barclays Premier League defeat at Blackburn could spell the end of Hodgson’s short tenure, with reports last week suggesting new owners NESV were actively pursuing a replacement.

But Keegan, Barnes and McManaman are adamant the 63-year-old still has time to turn it round, starting with Sunday’s FA Cup third-round tie at Manchester United.

Keegan said: ‘In one word, yes, of course he can. The opportunity comes at Manchester United to get back on track.

‘It’s a tough one. Liverpool are a big club, big expectation, underperformed over a number of years – way before Roy Hodgson went in there.

‘The decline at Liverpool has not just happened in the past three to six months. It’s been going on for a period of time.

‘They’ve got to give him time but it’s the one thing you don’t get, as we all know. The clock ticks on the wall and managers don’t get time.

‘They thought he was right four months ago and he did a great job at Fulham, so they’ve got to back him.

‘They chose him – they’ve got to back him.’

Barnes added: ‘You know what football’s like. It’s results driven and pick up some results and the tide changes.

‘As much as Liverpool aren’t doing well now, if they put some results together, beat Manchester United in the FA Cup, hopefully, and then do well, things change.

‘But in football, generally speaking, if you lose, you’re going to be under pressure, particularly at a big club.’

McManaman said: ‘The Chelsea manager, who did the double last year, he’s under pressure. They’re talking about him getting the sack this morning.

‘Beat Man United, win the next league game, beat Everton, and everything’s rosy again.

‘Lose, lose, and lose and he’ll struggle again.’

The trio all agreed Hodgson should be backed by his bosses.

Barnes said: ‘I believe that all managers should be given support and I think that the biggest testament to that is Manchester United.

‘They haven’t been playing well but they have a manager who everybody respects, everybody supports.’

Keegan added: ‘If you go back to when Sir Alex Ferguson took over at Man United, he had a tough start. He wasn’t in too dissimilar a situation.’

Hodgson appeared to alienate some of his own club’s fans last week when he accused them of failing to give him adequate support.

Barnes said: ‘We know that things haven’t gone particularly well and there may be people who are against Roy.

‘All of the Liverpool fans that may be against Roy now, I’m sure that if they start winning matches, they will support him – because they love their club.

‘That’s what football fans want. They want success for their club.

Could Charles and Camilla have been better protected?

The image of the Duchess of Cornwall open-mouthed in shock as her car came under attack has already come to define the tuition fees protests.

It has also raised questions about the way the Royal Family are protected and whether the right route and right car were chosen.

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall were travelling to the Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium on Thursday evening.

On Regent Street, their car was surrounded by as many as 20 demonstrators, chanting “Off with their heads” and “Tory scum”. One of the windows was smashed and paint was thrown at the vehicle.

Former royal protection officer Ken Wharfe told the BBC the royals’ “shiny brown limousine” was “a challenge” the crowd couldn’t resist – and once it became a target, escape was very difficult.

“From my own experience, it is a vehicle that is very difficult to manoeuvre in any area, let alone a congested street at Christmas time,” he said.

“I do think this was the classic example where the Prince of Wales should have been using his armoured Bentley – it’s far less conspicuous.

Home Business Model

We can show you how to

Work smarter with a simple 3-step system. Self employment without the stress of staff.

Generate income right out of the gate with generous upfront profits and low start-up costs. Minimal overhead, no inventory to stock.

Choose your own hours and set a desirable income target. Receive personal coaching and training – no special skills required

Portable online business with flexibility – make money while you travel

.