Hutton report live

http://news.bbc.co.uk/ ^ | 28 Jan 2004 | BBC

[pau1f0rd]

Live Video of Lord Hutton delivering his report on http://news.bbc.co.uk/ now

[leadpenny]

Thanks, it's on C-SPAN2 also.

[leadpenny]

Could you explain the Royal Courts of Justice? Who is the audience in the room?

[OXENinFLA]

Thanks, I just heard what the judge ruled.

[McGruff]

A couple of highlights from Fox News Channel reporter:

1: Tony Blair cleared of any involvement.

2: No evidence to back BBC story of deception used to justify the war.

[OXENinFLA]

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&edition=us&q=BBC&btnG=Search+News

[Elkiejg]

Congratulations BBC - you've risen to the questionable level of the NYSLIMES!!

[jla]

Amercian liberals love the BBC because of it's 'no nonsense', taut-faced, badly dressed anchors & reporters.
The libs mistake this for 'seriousness, sobriety & intellectualness'.

The libs are very easily fooled...as if that's any surprise.

[babaloo]

Tony Blair on C-Span 2 now. He is blasting the BBC.

[pau1f0rd]

Funnily enough, the fact that the enquiry was held in the Royal Courts of Justice was simply because there was a room available there. This isn't a 'trial', but its chance location does give it greater gravity. I would guess that the audience is of Lord Hutton's choice, and will include the family of Kelly, representatives of the BBC and the Government and the Press.

This is really great news so far, and must surely have a positive impact for Bush too.

[pau1f0rd]

Tony enjoying every minute.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Wow. Blair is giving it to them hard. They need it.

[roses of sharon]

Months ago a Brit panel investigated the "Niger" claim that the Brit intell agency made about Saddam trying to buy nuke stuff from Africa. You know, the quote Bush had in his SOTU.

They had a 2 hour press conference on C-span, with an extremely hostile press.

The results were: Brit Intell was correct in its assesments.
The panel viewed the intell and came to the same conclusion.

Of course, did you ever hear about it from our media? No way.

[pau1f0rd]

If you have a day to spare, the entire report is here

[pau1f0rd]

HUTTON: THE KEY POINTS (http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-1121038,00.html)

Lord Hutton is satisfied that Dr David Kelly took his own life by cutting his wrist and that no third party was involved in the death.

The report into "the circumstances preceding and leading up to the death of Dr David Kelly" is 328 pages long plus appendices.


Here are some other key points from Lord Hutton's statement, preceding the publication of his report:

:: Andrew Gilligan's BBC radio report was a "grave allegation which attacked the integrity of the Government".

Gilligan's 'unfounded' allegation

:: Any intelligence contained in the Government's controversial Iraq dossier "is a separate issue" to the Hutton Report.

:: But Lord Hutton said Mr Gilligan's allegation that the Government probably knew the 45-minute claim was not true before it included it in its dossier, was "unfounded".

BBC's 'failure'

:: The BBC "failed to make an examination of Mr Gilligan's notes to see if they supported the allegations".

:: When BBC bosses did look at the notes, they "failed to appreciate the note failed to support the most serious allegation".

:: The meaning of the term "sexed up" lacks clarity and could have meant one of two things.

:: "Sexed up" could mean the Government's dossier was embellished with false intelligence.

:: Or, "sexed up" could mean that information already in the dossier was presented in such a way that would make the case against Saddam Hussein as strong as the intelligence would allow.

Dr Kelly 'breached the rules'

:: Dr Kelly accepted he had breached the rules by meeting with reporter Mr Gilligan at the Charing Cross hotel in London.

:: He then appreciated that his name would become public knowledge.

:: There was "no... underhand strategy" by the Government to leak Dr Kelly's name to the media.

'Better to be frank with journalists'

:: The Government acted "reasonably" in releasing a statement saying an unnamed civil servant had come forward to admit meeting Mr Gilligan. It did not have a "dishonourable, underhanded or duplicitous" strategy.

:: The Government was right in thinking that Dr Kelly's name was bound to become public and it was "unrealistic to think the name could have been kept secret".

:: There was "no deliberate plan" to name him with a question and answer procedure and it was "better to be frank" with reporters and confirm Dr Kelly's name if they guessed it.

:: The purpose of the Prime Minister and his officials was to "protect the Government from the charge of a cover up".

MoD mitigation

:: The MoD "was at fault and to be criticised" for failing to inform Dr Kelly that the press office was going to confirm his name to journalists if it was guessed.

:: In mitigation for the MoD, the naming of Dr Kelly in the press was not the only "factor placing him under great stress" as he was also an intensly private man and "not an easy man to help or to give advice" to.

'Pressures and strains'

:: Lord Hutton is "satisfied that no one realised or should have realised" that Dr Kelly was feeling certain "pressures and strains".

:: Those involved could not have foreseen, nor are at fault for not foreseeing, that he would take his own life.

:: When he admitted to his wife, Janice Kelly, that he was the source of the BBC story, her reaction was one of "dismay".

:: The idea that Dr Kelly could lose his job altogether would have given him a "feeling of hoplessness" that his life's work would have been "totally undermind".

:: Dr Kelly died of a haemorrhage caused by cuts to his wrist, hitherto "silent" heart trouble and Co-proxamol tablets.

:: He was "not suffering from any significant mental illness".

:: Lord Hutton added that he "deplores" the leaking of his report in The Sun newspaper and he will be investigating the potential for legal action against the paper and its source.

[leadpenny]

Things seem backwards now. I would think the Conservatives would be supporting the report and the war.

Michael Martin was looking at his party members when he threatened expulsion from the chamber. Gotta love it.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

This is something else. PM Blair asked those who made false accusations to retract them. Those who made or supported them are mad.

This report is a huge loss for the left. they're trying to spin their way out now.

[pau1f0rd]

I would think the Conservatives would be supporting the report and the war

I don't understand it. They should be grabbing the chance to smash the BBC, which will still be there (and back supporting Labour!) when the Tories finally get back into power.

[expatpat]

It's interesting that Gilligan conveniently 'lost' his notes when the sh1te hit the fan, and he realized that they didn't back up his lying claims.

[leadpenny]

One thing is certain - this is great theater. Thanks for your insight. Gotta go to work and will read the thread later.