At last, we know the truth. The Iraq debacle was dreamt up by two crazy men on a sofa

Over the years, I have written a fair number of pieces about Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair's spin doctor.

I'm not his greatest fan. I believe he was a malign influence on British public life, particularly in relation to the Iraq war.

But until now I had assumed that Mr Campbell was essentially a rough-and-tumble former red-top tabloid journalist and bully who had a loose relationship with the truth.

Alastair Campbell
Tony Blair

Former spin doctor Alastair Campbell, left, refuses to accept any blame for himself or then Prime Minister Tony Blair for Britain's entry into the Iraq War

How often I have quoted the words of Mr Justice Drake, who in a 1996 court case questioned the veracity of the future Torquemada of No 10.

What happened on Tuesday altered my perception.

I don't doubt that, as in previous inquiries into the war, he twisted the truth a good deal in his 'evidence'.

But it dawned on me that he is no mere casual liar who calculatingly and cynically tells fibs.

He passionately believes in one cause - Tony Blair and the Iraq war - and, just as he was prepared to refashion reality when he and his master made the case for war, so he is happy to do so again nearly seven years later.

Anyone who disagrees with him is vilified: previous witnesses at the Chilcot Inquiry, such as Sir Christopher Meyer, former Ambassador to Washington, described as 'not accurate,' 'churlish' and 'glib'; the
French, attacked several times because they had 'pulled the plug' on a
UN resolution authorising force; the BBC, which had the temerity to
allege he had 'sexed up' the case for war; and, of course, nearly all
journalists, a group he thinks are mendacious, superficial or both.

During a break on Tuesday, he wrote on his Twitter page: 'Watching lunchtime news. God these hacks do talk some drivel.'

He wrote in his blog that he would give the next day's newspapers 'a miss'. I suppose they might challenge his version of reality.

It is Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair and a diminishing band of like-minded souls against the rest of the world, which is peopled by charlatans, liars and fools.

He even represents himself in his blog as a kind of virtuous Old Testament prophet entering a den of iniquity - the inquiry - and, though an avowed atheist, quotes from Psalm 56: 'What can mortal man do to me?

'All day long they twist my words, they are always plotting to harm me. They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps, eager to take my life.'

This portentous self-dramatisation is very odd. A psychiatrist might discern symptoms of a persecution complex.

It is striking that Mr Campbell accuses his critics of the very faults with which he himself is so lavishly endowed.

What is true of his blog applies to his performance on Tuesday. On the face of it, he held up well during nearly five hours of questioning. (His blog makes clear the incredibly elaborate preparations he undertook.)

Throughout it all, he remained suave, self-controlled and apparently reasonable. Many commentators complimented him.

Few remarked that under this polished veneer there ran a persistent undercurrent of self-delusion that can only be described as barking.

At one point, when discussing the Government's September 2002 dossier - which alleged that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction (WMD) - Mr Campbell said: 'I defend every single word of the dossier. I defend every single word of the process.'

How can this be? The dossier was utterly mistaken in supposing that Iraq had WMD.

Mr Campbell might have said there were some sound reasons then for thinking that it did, but now he accepted he had been wrong. Instead he stands by every word of a discredited document.

This is a perfect example of Mr Campbell's amazing propensity to disregard reality - as pronounced now as it was in September 2002.

Equally, he could not get his head around the idea that Mr Blair went considerably further than the intelligence justified when he wrote in the introduction to the same dossier that it was 'beyond doubt' that Iraq possessed WMD.

'Denial' is the word usually employed to describe a person's reluctance or inability to face facts. Mr Campbell has it in spades.

So he can toss off the disclosure that Tony Blair sent President George W. Bush a number of letters in 2002 in which he made it clear that, if it came to it, Britain would be ready to stand by the U.S. militarily.

Only he and Jack Straw, the then Foreign Secretary, were aware of what Mr Blair was doing.

Without reference to the Cabinet, let alone Parliament - and at a time when the Attorney General was advising that 'regime change' would not offer a legal pretext for invasion - Tony Blair was giving private assurances of military action to the U.S. President.

Perhaps because Mr Campbell himself was so unfazed by his revelation, many of the commentators have not woken up to how shocking it is.

It is a constitutional outrage, a case of 'sofa government' gone mad, that Blair, Campbell and Straw should have put the Armed Forces of this country secretly at the disposal of a foreign power.

It is a sign of how far removed Mr Campbell is from reality - which, in this case, means the proper observance of constitutional conventions - that he should have made this disclosure so lightly and without any sense of the gross impropriety involved.

Even he subsequently appears to have thought he might have gone too far.

In his blog, he claims that on page 684 of his autobiography he had already referred to Mr Blair's notes to Mr Bush.

A close reading shows this is another characteristic exaggeration since his book does not mention any military undertaking to the U.S. President.

Interestingly, Mr Campbell was also asked on Tuesday about the February 2003 dossier, which was a farrago of invention and plagiarism, though this did not prevent it being cited admiringly by Colin Powell, the then U.S. Secretary of State.

Even Mr Campbell could not sanitise this abomination, but brushed it aside as a 'mistake'. For this deception alone the man should have been drummed out of British public life.

Tony Blair will give evidence to the Chilcot Inquiry at the end of the month.

Doubtless, the former leader of what resembles a tiny and discredited cult will give a performance as polished and, on the surface, as sane as his former sidekick.

He, too, will be treated with respect. But will he show any greater apprehension

Views: 30

Comment

You need to be a member of 12160 Social Network to add comments!

Join 12160 Social Network

"Destroying the New World Order"

TOP CONTENT THIS WEEK

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE SITE!

mobile page

12160.info/m

12160 Administrators

 

Latest Activity

Burbia commented on rlionhearted_3's photo
Thumbnail

Another incredibly Stupid!! What, no mirrors?

"This movie portrayed plastic surgery as absurd. I guess the numbers in the real world are growing."
6 hours ago
Burbia commented on tjdavis's photo
Thumbnail

Redux

"Ah yes, General Jussitri Smolletkov. Good tongzhi. Good tongzhi."
6 hours ago
Doc Vega posted a blog post

Unusual Discoveries and Headlines

Archaeologists have discovered an ancient tool dated to be 6,000 years old, but even more…See More
17 hours ago
tjdavis posted a video

Inside Texas HOMELESS HELL – Even Cops Don't Dare Step In! - Documentary

In this powerful documentary, we explore the escalating Texas homeless crisis 2025, where cities and rural areas alike are witnessing a disturbing rise in th...
22 hours ago
tjdavis posted a photo
yesterday
John Miller replied to MAC's discussion BREAKING! UFO whistleblowers drop BOMBSHELL on D.C. | Redacted with Natali and Clayton Morris
"Crazy how these whistleblower stories are finally making it into bigger conversations. Makes you…"
yesterday
Burbia favorited tjdavis's blog post The Dems Love Their Demons
Sunday
John Miller commented on tjdavis's photo
Thumbnail

Comprehensive Coverage

"That car needs an exorcism, not an oil change."
Saturday
John Miller commented on tjdavis's blog post The Dems Love Their Demons
"If the Dems are dating demons, then that AI romance shoot was basically engagement photos."
Saturday
John Miller replied to cheeki kea's discussion Would-Be Trump Assassin Ryan Routh Gave Many Interviews with Mainstream Media
"Wouldn't be surprised if there's a whole lot more buried under the surface here."
Saturday
Less Prone favorited rlionhearted_3's photo
Saturday
Less Prone left a comment for John Miller
"Welcome John."
Saturday
Doc Vega posted a blog post

The Saga of Ape Canyon Revisited

 In the years that I’d written for the Plano Star Courier I got several invitations to go on…See More
Saturday
John Miller is now a member of 12160 Social Network
Saturday
Less Prone favorited tjdavis's photo
Saturday
tjdavis posted a photo
Saturday
Burbia posted a video

The lIIumlnatl Stallions: MethyIene Bluecifer & Mind-Control Horses [ FULL DOCUMENTARY ]

🐴🦄🐸 Get the NEW "lIIumlnatl Animal Coloring Book!" 🐴🦄🐸NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON - CLICK HERE: https://amzn.to/3SYgAkC🔑 Get MORE Access to the Secret Vid...
Saturday
Doc Vega commented on Doc Vega's blog post Memorial Weekend Getaway Horror Story
"Less Prone thanks for your support Buddy! "
Friday
Doc Vega replied to cheeki kea's discussion Would-Be Trump Assassin Ryan Routh Gave Many Interviews with Mainstream Media
"cheeki kea, I really appreciate the reporting of Sky News. I think they've done a great…"
Friday
Doc Vega posted a blog post

When

 Sad blue eyed poet rehearses his craftJust took a salvo in the compartment aftHis chances of…See More
Friday

© 2025   Created by truth.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service

content and site copyright 12160.info 2007-2019 - all rights reserved. unless otherwise noted