INQUIRIES, INQUIRIES..

Here we go again.  Looks like we`re going to get some kind of Inquiry into the alleged misdeeds of the banking industry and although Cameron has said it will be a joint Commons/Lords Inquiry calling witnesses under oath, there are growing calls for a full blown judge-led Public Inquiry.   Seems possible, especially now that the Chairman of the Commons Treasury Select Committee, Andrew Tyrie, has raised fears that anything less will be overshadowed by political bias.   

In the meantime, the Leveson Inquiry into the relationship between politicians and the media is still going on with Elvis Costello still in full flight.   Well, it`s a professional career.   Chilcot and his chums are still deep in consultation as we await the publication of their report following their Public Inquiry into events leading up to the Iraq war.

Over the years, there have been loads of Inquiries covering such diverse subjects as the Dunblane shootings, children`s heart surgery at Bristol Royal Infirmary, the death of Victoria Climbie, the overspend on the Scottish Parliament building, the death of Dr. David Kelly, the E.coli infection in South Wales, mass murderer Harold Shipman, the Paddington Rail crash and the explosion at the ICL plastics factory in Glasgow.  Now, some of these have been whitewashes, some have dealt soberly with serious issues of public concern and others have been little more than political conveniences.   

But they`re all expensive, time consuming - the Saville Inquiry for example - and have a tendency to gather a mass of evidence that very often leads to little or no real action or change. So maybe it`s time we had a Public Inquiry into the establishment and effectiveness of Public Inquiries?   I rest my case.