Traditions Upheld

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Despite the jokes about Ken Clarke’s normal attire, I for one was pleased to see him process into the Royal Courts of Justice yesterday dressed in ceremonial robes of wig, gown, stockings and silver-buckled shoes. It was good to see also that the new Solicitor General and Attorney General wore court wigs and gowns.

Now perhaps someone could could persuade the Speaker to follow suit (no pun intended) and restore the traditional ceremonial dress into the House of Commons.
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Short Not Short On Honesty

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The Iraq War Inquiry trundles on and, since the panel has no barristers on it, the questioning is hardly likely to be forensic as witness the masterful and anodyne way in which ‘Teflon’ Blair dealt with it last week.

However, now and again a light switches on to uncover the mist swirling around some of the things that have been said so far. One such example was the evidence given by the Head of the Armed Forces on Monday. Another occurred yesterday when Clare Short, the former International Development Secretary, delivered a blistering attack on Blair and shed light on some of the events leading up to the war.

Ms Short made it clear that, in her view, the Attorney General had been leant on to agree the war with Iraq was legal and that he had misled the Cabinet over this. She confirmed what many of us had already thought, that the Cabinet had not been a decision-making body. The Inquiry was also told that Blair’s evidence to it was ‘historically inaccurate’ and that ‘We could have gone more slowly and carefully and not have had a totally destabilised and angry Iraq.’

Ms Short, who quit the government two months after the war commenced, said much else and after a three hour session was given a round of applause.

By jingo, Ms Short doesn’t mince her words and you have to applaud her for it for she not only livened up yesterday’s session of the Inquiry and, maybe, introduced some honesty into proceedings which at times seem more like a discussion in a gentlemen’s club.
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Topsy-Turvy

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It’s often a topsy-turvy world we live in.

A County Court Judge who has twice been arrested on suspicion of driving while under the influence of alcohol recently has resigned his position. His Honour has, it could be said, done the honourable thing.

On the other hand, the Attorney General, the government's chief law officer, who has been fined £5,000 for employing a housekeeper who was not legally allowed to work in the UK, remains in post.

Very odd!
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