With the news today that the Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, is to leave office next week the ship that was once HMS Blair is virtually without a crew. Poor Goldsmith will always be remembered for his advice to government over the Iraq war. His final view on the matter was that any conflict would be legal under international law, but rumours persist that his initial draft cast doubts on Blair’s desire to fight.
Not unused to controversy, Lord Goldsmith’s initial appointment drew furrowed brows; as a member of the Lords the tradition of the General coming from the Commons was not one that other MP’s wanted altered. Recently, his involvement in the BAE scandal has drawn less than complimentary attention.
With a new captain coming on board, the sweeping brush of Brown is clearly at play here. Did Goldsmith jump ship or was he made to walk the plank? Taken from Captain Gordon’s perspective, who would want Goldsmith as a member of the crew. As a close colleague of Tony, if his pals are going to be charged over the cash for honours scandal, the paperwork will have to land of the Attorney General’s desk to be signed off. Will he do it or not? There is also the issue of Iraq; if Brown wants to set a time table for withdrawal, but more importantly, distance himself from the whole sorry mess in case there is an enquiry, then would you still want in charge the Attorney General who ostensibly said that the war was legal? The same argument applies to BAE.
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