In spite of being repeatedly vindicated of any wrongdoing with respect to the Iraqi Oil for Food Program and successfully suing the London Daily Telegraph for defaming him, a parliamentary committee filled with those who supported the Iraq war have decided that George Galloway has brought the British Parliament into disrepute.
This is the same British Parliament that gave Tony Blair a standing ovation as he left his position.
The great irony is that no one has been brought to account for the decision to go to war with Iraq, nor has a single public inquiry been made into the conduct of those who made the case for going to war.
The Parliamentary inquiry into Galloway’s conduct found that Galloway was not guilty of personally benefiting in anyway from the OFF program or any source connected to Iraq. Nonetheless, the parliamentary standards watchdog (which doesn’t meet until Tuesday) will rule this week that Galloway failed properly to declare his links to a charitable appeal partially funded from money made by selling Iraqi oil under Saddam Hussein, according to a source close to the inquiry.
Even more farcical is that this takes place against the backdrop of the BAE scandal, along with billions in bribes paid to former Saudi Ambassador, Prince Bandar, which Blair argued was necessary for the economic benefits it would bring Britain. In Galloway’s own words, this amounts to being told to sit up straight by the Hunchback of Notre Dame.
It should be mentioned that Parliament is about to break for a month over the summer period, so this suspension amounts to a sideshow. Given the Galloway’s affairs have been under the microscope for 4 years, it will be interesting to see what evidence the committee has come up with to support its case.