Addendum to submission of Miriam Stevenson to the Attorney General Dominic Grieve QC

Addendum to letter dated 12^th February 2011 from Miriam Stevenson

Date of addendum:  20^th February 2011

To: Rt Hon Dominic Grieve QC MP, Attorney General, UK

Dear Mr Grieve,

Since writing my letter to you (dated 12^th February, 2011) I would like to highlight some views on how British Justice should proceed as expressed in the words of the Rt Hon Sir John Major, Former Prime Minister and current Chairman of the Ditchley Foundation.

I was impressed by a most eloquent article by Sir John Major in the Times, dated June 6^th 2008.[1] In discussing the advancing ‘war on terror’ and 42 day pre-charge detention for suspected terrorists proposed by New Labour, Sir John candidly challenged the government’s position:

...the case for war was embellished by linking the Iraqi regime to the 9/11 attacks on New York - for which there is not one shred of evidence. As we moved towards war, that misinformation was compounded by the implication that Saddam's Iraq was a clear and present danger to the United Kingdom, which plainly it was not (My emphasis)

Later he adds:

I don't believe that sacrifice of due process can be justified. If we are seen to defend our own values in a manner that does violence to them, then we run the risk of losing those values. Even worse, if our own standards fall, it will serve to recruit terrorists more effectively than their own propaganda could ever hope to. [2] (My emphasis)

I further applaud Sir John Major when he unequivocally called (in June 2009) for the Chilcot Inquiry to be held ‘predominantly in public’ with witnesses giving evidence ‘under oath’.[3] He also expressed concerns regarding the considerable delay in setting up the Inquiry.[4]

Mr Grieve, I hope that you will remember Sir John Major’s above consistent and coherent arguments for the sharing of accurate, evidence based information, due process, transparency, timeliness and truth under oath. These are indeed hallmarks of a high quality justice system and are exactly what British Citizens need in response to ongoing unanswered questions about the death of Dr David Kelly.

Miriam Stevenson.

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[1] http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article4075503.ece

[2] http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article4075503.ece

[3] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8106456.stm

[4] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8106456.stm