Thursday, September 25, 2003

Henderson: Blair more spinned against than spinner: "Tony Blair: more spinned against than spinner - with respect to Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, at least? On the evidence taken so far, this is a possible finding from Lord Hutton's investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragic death (apparently by suicide) of the British scientist Dr David Kelly."

So says Gerard Henderson, who is proving to be a faithful and comical servant of neo-conservatism, or whatever other ideology of the powerful is current. The report by Andrew Gilligan, was brief, insignificant and apparently displayed poor journalistic methods. Blair, however, next to the Bush administration, has played the leading role in what has been described as "state-sponsored lies pursued with a determination characteristic of the worst regimes of the 20th Century."

As far as Gilligan's actual report goes, Henderson summarises it as follows: "The BBC's leading current affairs radio program was alleging - on the basis of one anonymous source - that Blair and his colleagues had taken the nation to war on the basis of a lie, supported by an essentially fabricated document."

Looking back on what we know now, this, a reasonable assumption at the time, was a pretty accurate description of events, despite any errors by Gilligan's. Gilligan's errors presumably explain why Blair attacked him so violently - these could become the subject of debate while the serious issue of the fabricated case for war was marginalised. Thus we have had the Hutton inquiry into the death of David Kelly rather than an inquiry into the fabricated case for a war which has cost thousands of lives.

Henderson also describes the BBC as 'leftist' journalism but others have demonstrated that it was essentially pro-war and a mouthpiece of government.

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