Religions > Atheism > OT: Orwell Right; Murdoch speaks with Blair just before Iraq War
| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"Brian E. Clark" |
| Date: |
19 Jul 2007 11:37:21 AM |
| Object: |
OT: Orwell Right; Murdoch speaks with Blair just before Iraq War |
Recall how war apologists such as Fred
Stone deride accusations that Bush and his
British lapdog have run an Orwellian propaganda
campaign to push his war. Fred himself glibly
pushes aside such claims and makes it a priority
to point out that Orwell's _1984_ depicts a
fictional state. ("I called a defeatist
scenario a defeatist scenario. That makes me part
of the whole *fictional* construct of a novel by
George Orwell?") Never mind that Orwell employed
real-life examples as the basis for many of the
features of Oceania.
Well, as usual the apologists got it wrong:
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article
2782514.ece
How Murdoch had a hotline to the PM in the
run-up to Iraq war
By Andrew Grice, Political Editor
Published: 19 July 2007
Tony Blair had three conversations with
the media magnate Rupert Murdoch in the
nine days before the start of the Iraq war,
the Government has disclosed.
Details of the former prime minister's
contacts with Mr Murdoch have been released
under the Freedom of Information Act. After
trying to block disclosure for four years, the
Government backed down in a surprise change of
heart the day after Mr Blair resigned last
month.
Requests for information under the Act were
submitted by the Liberal Democrat peer Lord
Avebury and The Independent journalist James
Macintyre. An appeal was pending and evidence
was about to be served in a case before an
Information Tribunal.
Yesterday the Cabinet Office said there were
six telephone discussions between Mr Blair and
Mr Murdoch in 20 months, all at crucial moments
of his premiership. The subject of their calls
was not revealed.
In 2003, Mr Blair phoned the owner of The
Times and The Sun on 11 and 13 March, and
on 19 March, the day before Britain and the
United States invaded Iraq. The war was
strongly supported by Murdoch-owned newspapers
around the world. The day after two of the
calls, The Sun launched vitriolic attacks on
the French President Jacques Chirac. The
Government quoted him as saying he would
"never" support military action against Saddam
Hussein, a claim hotly disputed by France
... [more at link]
And to head off Canned Excuse #112, I remind
critics that whining about The Independent's
trustworthiness as source is not rebuttal but
fallacy, and that in any case the Independent is
reporting information released by the Cabinet
Office.
--
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Brian E. Clark
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