Inquiries just leave us with questions (From Bournemouth Echo)

Inquiries just leave us with questions

8:00am Monday 8th February 2010 in

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Just what is the point of engaging in very expensive, time-consuming exercises such as the Chilcot and Hutton inquiries?

In the case of the Hutton inquiry, we learned absolutely nothing about the death of Dr David Kelly and the government has sealed much of the evidence for 70 years.

The Chilcot inquiry too has uncovered very little that we did not already know – and only served to confirm that Britain was taken to war based on, at best, half-truths and at worst, downright lies.

As is ever the case, the only people to benefit (and hansomely so) from these costly fiascoes are those conducting them and the small army of lawyers and advisors acting on behalf of witnesses.

The fact is that – despite all the promises made by Blair, Brown et al to co-operate fully with the inquiries – we are only ever permitted to know what the government wants us to know.

Official inquiries are almost invariably exercises in futility.

If they are ever to achieve anything they need to be given some teeth.

Robert Readman, Norwich Avenue West, Bournemouth