Reconciliation, Democracy, Prosperity, Security

The Glorious Successor has said that there will be a full-scale public inquiry into the mistakes (sic) surrounding Operation Iraqi Liberation. Fortunately, he has no intention of holding it now. Nor has he any intention of holding it at any time in the foreseeable future. "Despite the progress made on the security, economic and political fronts in Iraq, the situation remains fragile and could easily be reversed," he said. "At this critical time it is therefore vital that the Government does not divert attention from supporting Iraq's development as a secure and stable country." Clearly a public inquiry would distract our boys a whole lot more than inadequate equipment, bad healthcare, post-traumatic stress disorder and lousy prospects. Still, the Vicar of Downing Street's Verger, Jonathan Powell, has noted that it could take decades to "bring calm to Iraq"; and it is possible that not even Gordon knows how long our boys will take to restore the country to the level of peace, tranquility and material comfort it enjoyed under the rule of Saddam Hussein. Presumably, then, the public inquiry will occur at approximately the same time as the Government starts to wonder whether it might not be getting on for time to start thinking about doing something about the environment at some point; say 2045 or thereabouts. It's unlikely even Gordon plans to remain in office for quite as long as that.