
Hutton and Butler
Lifting the Lid on the Workings of Power
W. G. Runciman(Editor)
Oxford University Press
Published on 21. October 2004
Book
Paperback/Softback
142 pages
978-0-19-726329-7 (ISBN)
Description
These essays offer penetrating insights into the events and controversies that have dominated the news agenda for the last two years.
Never has the path to a British war been mapped so fully and swiftly as the road to Baghdad in 2002-3. Between them, the Hutton and Butler reports lifted the lid on the most intimate workings of Government and those who strive to convert information into a weapon - whether they be a Prime Minister in Downing Street, an MI6 agent in the field, an intelligence analyst in Whitehall, or a journalist attempting to fuse fragments into hard copy.
Within days of Lord Butler reporting on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, on British intelligence assessments of their quantity and lethality and on the ingredients of the Blair Cabinet's decision to go to war, the British Academy brought together a distinguished group of scholars and practitioners to probe the deeper themes at play in the rush of events and inquests. The essays examine: the legal issues raised by the manner and content of Lord Hutton's inquiry; the light both Hutton and Butler shed on the Blair style of Government; and the matter of trust between Government, the governed and the news media.
This volume will be compulsory reading for anyone interested in current affairs and the realities of decision-making at the highest levels of Government.
Never has the path to a British war been mapped so fully and swiftly as the road to Baghdad in 2002-3. Between them, the Hutton and Butler reports lifted the lid on the most intimate workings of Government and those who strive to convert information into a weapon - whether they be a Prime Minister in Downing Street, an MI6 agent in the field, an intelligence analyst in Whitehall, or a journalist attempting to fuse fragments into hard copy.
Within days of Lord Butler reporting on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, on British intelligence assessments of their quantity and lethality and on the ingredients of the Blair Cabinet's decision to go to war, the British Academy brought together a distinguished group of scholars and practitioners to probe the deeper themes at play in the rush of events and inquests. The essays examine: the legal issues raised by the manner and content of Lord Hutton's inquiry; the light both Hutton and Butler shed on the Blair style of Government; and the matter of trust between Government, the governed and the news media.
This volume will be compulsory reading for anyone interested in current affairs and the realities of decision-making at the highest levels of Government.
Reviews / Votes
A thoughtful and dispassionate analysis of the issues most in question. * Philip Ziegler, The Spectator * A succinct volume of essays. * Peter Riddell, The Times *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Politicians, civil servants, lawyers, journalists and all others interested in current events
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 9 mm
Weight
255 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-726329-7 (9780197263297)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge; and President of the British Academy
Content
Notes on Contributors
Editor's Preface
1: W. G. RUNCIMAN: What We Know Now
2: WILLIAM TWINING: The Hutton Inquiry: Some Wider Legal Aspects
Discussion
3: PETER HENNESSY: The Lightning Flash on the Road to Baghdad: Issues of Evidence
Discussion
4: ONORA O'NEILL: Accuracy, Independence, and Trust
Discussion
5: MICHAEL QUINLAN: Lessons for Governmental Process
Editor's Preface
1: W. G. RUNCIMAN: What We Know Now
2: WILLIAM TWINING: The Hutton Inquiry: Some Wider Legal Aspects
Discussion
3: PETER HENNESSY: The Lightning Flash on the Road to Baghdad: Issues of Evidence
Discussion
4: ONORA O'NEILL: Accuracy, Independence, and Trust
Discussion
5: MICHAEL QUINLAN: Lessons for Governmental Process