[Peace-discuss] Venice & misleaders

[C. G. Estabrook]

["...one of the—maybe the most—elementary of moral principles is that of 
universality, that is, If something’s right for me, it’s right for you; if it’s 
wrong for you, it’s wrong for me. Any moral code that is even worth looking at 
has that at its core somehow. But that principle is overwhelmingly disregarded 
all the time. If you want to run through examples we can easily do it. Take, 
say, George W. Bush ... If you apply the standards that we applied to Nazi war 
criminals at Nuremberg, he’d be hanged. Is it an even conceivable possibility? 
It’s not even discussable. Because we don’t apply to ourselves the principles we 
apply to others." --Noam Chomsky]

They used to behead men like Tony Blair
As former PM goes back before the Iraq Inquiry,
Crispin Black shares his thoughts on retribution
By Crispin Black
LAST UPDATED 7:49 AM, JANUARY 21, 2011

Go to Venice to see how a vigorous state, proud of its democratic system of 
government, dealt with a ruler who sought illegally to concentrate supreme 
decision-making power to himself alone. To be precise, go to the hall of the 
Maggior Consiglio in the Doge's Palace.
Drag your eyes away from Tintoretto's astonishing Paradise, which covers the end 
wall, and look up to your left at the frieze of portraits showing the first 76 
Doges.
Where there should be a representation of Marino Faliero (Doge 1354-55) there is 
instead a painted black veil bearing the words: 'Hic est locus Marini Faletro 
decapitati pro criminibus' - 'This is the place of Marino Faliero, beheaded for 
his crimes'.
The whole device was designed as a powerful and permanent warning, not to 
Venice's people - they were not allowed in the chamber - but to Venice's ruling 
elite.
Faliero was a distinguished military leader, elected Doge when 75 years old, but 
with a solipsistic contempt for the petty laws, customs and state offices the 
Venetian Republic had evolved in its first 500 years to limit the power of its 
elected head of state.
He judged that Venice would be better ruled by him alone as Prince, maybe with 
the help of one or two chums. The plot was uncovered by the Council of Ten 
(roughly equivalent to the modern cabinet) who in alliance with Venice's 
magistrates and its chiefs of police (the evocatively named Signori di Notte) 
moved with extraordinary speed and confidence.

The conspirators, including Faliero, were arrested, tried and sentenced within 
48 hours. In addition to the penalty for treason customary in the less 
politically correct 14th Century, the Republic saw fit to confiscate all of 
Faliero's considerable wealth, except for a small legacy of 2,000 ducats to his 
widow.
Fast forward 650 years to a United Kingdom trying to hold a political leader to 
account for deciding apparently by himself to prosecute a probably illegal war.
Along the way this leader concluded what amounted to a secret treaty with a 
foreign power to allow them unrestricted use of our armed forces - without the 
authority of either Cabinet or Parliament - but because, in his judgment, it was 
a good idea.
Where are the Signori di Notte when we need them? Instead we have the Iraq 
Inquiry - a group of establishment worthies who give 'soft cop' interrogations a 
bad name, backed by terms of reference so flaccid that it seeks only to 'learn 
lessons' not to 'apportion blame'.
It has no power even to order the publication of key documents, such as Tony 
Blair's letters to President Bush, let alone recommend prosecutions. Even if Sir 
Roderick Lyne, the only member of the panel with any forensic skill, manages to 
drive a stake through Blair's multiple evasions today, it won't amount to a hill 
of beans.
Blair will leave the Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre at the end of the 
session, rejoin a security detail that would be over the top even in a banana 
republic, and be Range-Rovered off into the sunset to spend more time on his 
perma-tan and his millions.
And unless the current government is prepared to take things further, there is 
nothing anyone can do. Cameron and Clegg won't, of course, act against a fellow 
member of a political class more closed even than Venice's 14th Century elite.
But perhaps tonight, as David Cameron climbs the stairs at Number 10 past the 
photographs of his predecessors - our modern version of the frieze of the Doges 
- he will pause in front of the photograph of Tony Blair and contemplate the 
reckless damage he caused our country.
We can't expect a black veil over the photograph. But what about a small Post-It 
note, even if it just obscures Tony's self-satisfied grin?
For the rest of us - if you are anywhere near Manchester Square today, you might 
pop into the Wallace Collection and draw comfort from Delacroix's great painting 
of ex-Doge Faliero learning his lesson.

Read more: 
http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/74017,news-comment,news-politics,they-used-to-behead-men-like-tony-blair-iraq-inquiry#ixzz1BncJyRkW