The Point of Departure; Why One of Britain's Leading Politicians Resigned over Tony Blair's Decision to Go to War in Iraq

by Robin Cook

• ISBN13: 9780743264235
• ISBN10: 0743264231
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-01-06
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Author Biography

Robin Cook first entered Parliament as MP for Edinburgh Central in 1974. He held a number of senior positions in Opposition -- Shadow Foreign Secretary, Shadow Trade and Industry Secretary, Shadow Health and Social Services Secretary -- before becoming Foreign Secretary in 1997. In 2001 he was appointed Leader of the House of Commons, he resigned in March 2003

Table of Contents

Prologue	1	(4)
`This is the job for you.' 8 June - 24 July 2001	5	(30)
Why Parliament must Modernise	23	(9)
Democracy and the House of Lords	32	(3)
The Siege of Derry 9 August 2001 - 22 January 2002	35	(54)
The US Neo-Con Battle Plan	49	(8)
Parliament and Press: A Vicious Cycle	57	(28)
Lords Reform: From Heredity to Patronage?	85	(4)
A Bridge Too Far 23 January - 14 May 2002	89	(66)
Britain and Washington	102	(14)
The West's Complicity with Saddam	116	(14)
Britain and Europe	130	(23)
Parliament and Parties	153	(2)
Putting Parliament First 15 May - 13 August 2002	155	(36)
The Euro: Collateral Damage of Iraq	168	(19)
Parliament's Right to Vote on War	187	(4)
We Did Good Work That Night 15 August - 29 October 2002	191	(48)
The UN: The First Casualty of War	205	(9)
The September Dossier: Intelligence or Propaganda?	214	(20)
Modernisation of Parliament: The Summing Up	234	(5)
Moving Apart 30 October 2002 - 4 February 2003	239	(44)
Containment: A Strategy that Worked	252	(17)
Misreading the Public Mood	269	(10)
Lords Reform: Lost Among the Options	279	(4)
The Final Break 5 February - 17 March 2003	283	(44)
Saddam and al-Qa'ida: The Missing Link	287	(7)
Humanitarian Intervention and the UN	294	(9)
The Second Term: A Missed Opportunity	303	(7)
How Real a Threat?	310	(17)
After the Battle Was Over	327	(12)
Where Do We Go From Here?	339	(20)
Epilogue	359	(2)
Appendix: Resignation Speech, 17 March 2003	361	(6)
Acknowledgements	367