Man Of Straw Blocks Iraq's Dirty Secrets

Dirty secrets behind Blair's lies and deceit over the illegal Iraq War could be covered-up behind a wall of secrecy for years to come if justice secretary puppet, Jack Straw, gets his way, after blocking publication of minutes of key cabinet meetings held in the 2003 run-up to the war.

The cabinet meetings expose one of the most shameful episodes of Blair's premiership and now look set to be confined to the 30 years cabinet rule, despite the Information Tribunal stressing that disclosure of the Iraq material would not necessarily set a precedent.

Straw claims the release of the information would do "serious damage" to cabinet government and outweighed public interest needs. The only interest it serves is for those round the cabinet table at the time, including the now prime minister.

The government has built up a wall of secrecy over the release of the cabinet meeting minutes which centre on the attorney general's legal advice on whether the invasion was allowed under international law.  

Tories have backed the cabinet cover-up despite repeatedly calling for a full-scale inquiry into the Iraq war with many people still angry about the deceits and cover-ups. 

But the release of the cabinet minutes would reopen controversy over the then attorney general Lord Goldsmith's legal advice.

On March 17 on the eve of war, Lord Goldsmith's opinion, unequivocally saying military action was legal, was presented to cabinet, MPs and the military and published.

But, after reports that he had changed his mind as the planned invasion approached, the initial lengthy advice given to Blair earlier on 7 March was leaked and published.

That advice raised a number of questions and concerns about the possible legality of military action against Iraq without a second UN resolution and was never shown to the cabinet.

The Orange Party has no doubt. The cabinet minutes should be released as a matter of utmost public interest even if it does mean hanging out some dirty washing in public. Those around the cabinet table who took these decisions should be held to account. 

But it is the dirty secrets of the 'sexed up' dodgy dossier which would prove most damaging and that's still well under wraps. 

At the end of the day everyone knows Blair was lying through his polished political teeth. And if he could get away with one porky, then Saddam's elusive Weapons of Mass Destruction would be a piece of cake. 

The "sexed-up" dossier, with its now de-bunked '45 minutes weapons of mass destruction' claim, was published in 2002 as parliament returned and Blair needed the dossier to boost his case for the Iraq invasion. 

Intelligence chief, John Scarlett, who was in charge of the dossier, allowed changes to be inserted by Downing Street spin doctor, Alastair Campbell. 

Campbell's Diaries reveal how he reacted furiously to a report by Andrew Gilligan on the BBC Today programme, implying that he had inserted a key claim in the dossier stating weapons could be launched in 45 minutes. 

Ministry of Defence weapons expert, Dr David Kelly, who met Gilligan to discuss the dossier, was found dead in Oxfordshire, following a witch hunt by the government for Gilligan's source.

The Hutton Inquiry whitewash into Kelly's death found that Campbell proposed a number of changes to the dossier before its publication, some of which were accepted.

The cabinet office has yet to lift the lid on that Iraq "sexed-up" dodgy dossier, after the information commissioner's request to release the documents. But after today's cabinet minutes veto by Straw, don't hold your breath.