Seven years and one day ago.....

...history might have taken a very diferent direction.

Operation Manticore

Ta Justin

Amnesty's waterboarding video: warning - shocking

Amnesty International has today (22 April) launched a hard-hitting new film about “waterboarding”, the practice of torturing prisoners by partially drowning them.

Amnesty’s film, called “Stuff Of Life”, is set to be one of the strongest campaign films ever seen by cinema-goers when the film is shown from early May. What adds to the Stuff Of Life’s “shock value” is that it is effectively “disguised” as a bottled water or vodka advert, filmed in the “glossy” style usually seen in luxury consumer goods advertising.

The short film, which launches online today (at www.unsubscribe-me.org) and will be seen on some 50 UK cinema screens from 9 May, portrays a torture technique that is currently the subject of intense controversy in the United States, where CIA officials have recently admitted that their operatives have waterboarded “war on terror” prisoners in secret interrogations.

The waterboarding admissions, alongside revelations that videotapes of CIA interrogations have been destroyed, have fuelled intense debate about US treatment of prisoners in fighting terrorism. However, despite growing concern about waterboarding and other abusive practices, US President George Bush recently vetoed a bill that would have outlawed such so-called “enhanced interrogation” techniques.

Amnesty International UK Director Kate Allen said:

“Our film shows you what the CIA doesn’t want you to see - the disgusting reality of half-drowning a person then calling it ‘enhanced interrogation’.

“For a few seconds our film-makers did this for real - they poured water up the nose and into the mouth of someone who was pinned down with his head tilted back. Even for those few seconds, it’s horrifying to watch - the reality, in a secret prison with no-one to stop it, is much, much worse.

“Everyone who sees this terrifying film ought to take action to stop it happening in the real world - they should support our ‘Unsubscribe’ campaign.”

Malcolm Nance, a US security expert familiar with waterboarding as a counter-insurgency training technique, said:

“Having trained American operatives to withstand waterboarding, I can assure you that this truly scary film is right on the money - this is what it’s like.

“Let’s not mince words - waterboarding is out and out torture, and I’m deeply ashamed that President Bush has authorised its use and dragged the USA’s reputation into the mud.”

The film is part of the organisation’s “Unsubscribe” campaign, mobilising support for human rights in the “war on terror”. It comes after a similarly powerful film about “stress and duress” torture called “Waiting For The Guards”, released in October. Both films were the joint work of media agency Drugstore and acclaimed film-makers Marc Hawker and Ishbel Whitaker (DarkFibre films), and both feature the performance artist Jiva Parthipan.


Also see this post

An audience for Mr Blair

For many years I found myself barely able to restrain myself from emitting a high-pitched noise every time I heard the former PM speaking. Sometimes it was barely audible, a reflex squeak of distress, suppressed in polite company. Sometimes it was a proper howl of rage, directed at the TV screen.

Now the man who just can't say no and has already forgotten his ex-adviser's suggestion that he
'should leave the stage with the crowd wanting more, must be the star who won't do the last encore' is back in London for a special one off gig.

And he can be sure of a lively audience.

People pay good money for primal screaming therapy. This is free.

How mad was Tony Blair?

A few years ago, I wrote a piece called how mad is Tony Blair about narcissism and hubris
It is always gratifying to have your suspicions confirmed: thanks to reader Derek for emailing over this fascinating extract in today's Sunday Times from a forthcoming book In Sickness and in Power: Illness in Heads of Government During the Last 100 Years, by David Owen.Lord Owen was a doctor before he became foreign secretary.

A senior official recalls that when Blair was advised about the difficulties ahead, he would respond: “You are Neville Chamberlain, I am Winston Churchill and Saddam is Hitler.” It is difficult to conduct a serious dialogue with a leader thinking in this emotional and simplistic way.

A secret memorandum dated July 23, 2002, published in The Sunday Times, described a meeting on Iraq at which, inter alia, the chief of the defence staff, Admiral Sir Michael Boyce, told Blair that the military “were continuing to ask lots of questions”. Yet in conversation with me over dinner the day after this meeting, Blair was dismissive of any difficulties and trying to give me the impression that it was all being dealt with. This was not ordinary incompetence, it was hubristic incompetence. He was becoming immune to all arguments about the practical difficulties that might ensue.

more

He doesn't seem any better these days: today's Observer has Andrew Rawnsley on the post-PM's office still manic Blair, who by all accounts, just can't say no.

Liberal Conspiracy Liveblogging South Carolina Election

Always odd to have a headline longer than the piece.

UPDATE: New Statesman - Goodnight Mr President

Iraqi employees - the ongoing nightmare

The campaign to extend a hand to Iraqi men and women who have risked not only their lives but their families' lives to help British soldiers in Iraq continues, and your help is once again needed.

Bloggers of all persuasions and backgrounds have joined journalists in raising awareness of our duty of care towards people who are being picked off one by one by death squads, tortured, beaten, maimed and killed, because they, or a member of their family, tried to help us by providing, for example, translation services, to our soldiers. The blogger who has worked tirelessly to spear head this campaign is Dan Hardie.

Such is the mess and muddle, and such is the desperation of the situation that some of the frantic people in Iraq have now begun to contact Dan themselves, to beg him for help. The compromise agreement has not been well-publicised, and so when people search online for what to do, Dan's blog comes up . Here is part of an email conversation Dan had with one terrified man

'In 2006 I have threatened by militia that hated me because I work and help coalition forces in Iraq, I told my bosses about that but they said we can't do anything for you because we have nothing to do with civilian and we don't have any army rules or orders to help you, then I continued my daily work with British army, few days later the militia attacked my house trying to catch me but I was at the work at that time, they beaten my family and told them: we want your son or we will kill all of you!!!!

'Since that day I decided to leave my job and change my home place but until this moment the militia trying to find and kill me, I'm always changing my place trying to hidden from them, they know that I left my job but they don't care, they just want to kill me they called me collaborator and traitor and they asked everybody know me about my place, they told them: anyone know anything about (name) he should tell us immediately and also they said: we will never give up until we catch (name). They work for ministry of interior so they controlled most of government departments and they work under that cover.'

(Read more at Dan's blog)

This is where you come in again: please, can you help? Dan explains

· On October 9th David Miliband announced that the British Government would assist former employees in Iraq, so long as they had worked for it after 1st January 2005 and for 12 months or more. That abandons several hundred Iraqis who have been targeted for murder because they worked for the British before that date- and in 2004 fighting between the Mahdi Army and the British was at its peak- or because they worked for less than that period, often leaving their jobs at the end of a British battalion's six-month tour. The British Government must help Iraqi employees on the basis of the risk they face, not according to an arbitrary time stipulation. This only affects a few hundred Iraqis, whom we are well able to shelter, and for whom we have a direct moral responsibility.

· Even those Iraqi employees who qualify for assistance are not being properly assisted. Iraqis in Basra are not able to apply via the British Army in Basra Interational Airbase, since it is ringed with militia checkpoints. Iraqi ex-employees in Damascus are being screened by Syrian policemen guarding the British Embassy and delayed by lengthy bureaucratic procedures when they apply for asylum, although many of them are illegally overstaying their Syrian visas and face deportation back to Iraq.

· A blogger called Dan Hardie is directly in touch with a number of Iraqi employees via email and phone. He is willilng to brief MPs- as concisely as possible- either over the phone or via email. He can be reached at danhardie.blog@gmail.com

• You've heard this before, but it's now more important than ever. The last lot of letters and emails got the Government to announce a change in policy: an inadequate change,badly implemented. The next lot of letters and emails will force the Government to announce another change in policy, one that will be properly implemented and will not be based on leaving people to die.

• Your MP's address is The House of Commons, Westminster, London, SW1A 0AA. His or her email address is probably SURNAMEINITIAL@parliament.uk (eg BROWNG@parliament.uk ).
  

• Please use the talking points above to send an email and a print letter to your MP, and chase them for an answer. And be courteous: an insulted MP will not raise this matter with Ministers, and that will lead to more avoidable deaths.''

When this kicked off I used the excellent WRITETOTHEM service to contact my MP, Diane Abbot, and express my concern for the lives of these people. Diane replied promptly and supportively, and said she would chase for a response from the Minster of State for the Armed Forces from the M.O.D. She followed up with a copy of the letter from the Rt. Hon Bob Ainsworth MP which said that the review was underway.

Hundreds of similar emails and letters from the public, combined with media outrage pushed this issue to the foreground. As you can see though, by reading Dan Hardie's update, the system is still failing these people and we need another push.

I will be writing back to Diane again and asking if more can be done, more swiftly, more urgently to help these people. I ask you to spend five-ten minutes doing the same. If you get a response Dan Hardie would appreciate it if you could let him know what was said.

Thank you very much.
Linking bloggers: Ministry of Truth, Crooked Timber, Toblog, Nick Barlow, Tim Worstall

We can't turn them away: update

UPDATE: From Dan Hardie who got this campaign off the ground
ABC News ( yesterday)

UK soldiers call for visas to Iraqi translators
British Army officers have asked the UK Government to give refugee visas to Iraqis who have worked with them.
But interpreters who have worked closely with British forces have been told to use the same channels as any other asylum seeker and join the queue.
Army officers want Gordon Brown's new Government to do much more. The British tabloids have clearly taken the side of the servicemen, writing, "We cannot pretend to be civilised liberators and then condemn to death those who risk so much to help our cause."
The "condemned" are 91 Iraqi translators who have worked with the British Army and have been told they will not get any special treatment when they apply for refugee visas, despite the fact they have been specifically targeted by militia because they worked with the UK.

Independent report 8th August
Last night, the Government indicated that it was also preparing to " look again" at the cases of Iraqi translators who assisted the British military but were denied refugee status while Mr Blair was prime minister. They were subsequently left to the dangers of Iraq, just as Western troops are reportedly preparing to scale back from the country.

See also Guardian , Times. The Danes have already done the decent thing. Now we hear that Gordon Brown has ordered an urgent review.

“That’s why the prime minister has made it clear that we will review how best to [carry out] our duty of care to these people.
“That’s in hand, I have a responsibility on that, as does the foreign secretary and we will report to ministers in the autumn.”

But Justin has nailed why this is NOT GOOD ENOUGH

‘In the autumn‘? ‘Appropriate pace’? This isn’t good enough. These people are dying right now. And not by a nice swift, lights-out bullet to the back of the head. They’re being power drilled in the hands and legs and head so their mutilated bodies can serve as warning to others. Those 91 interpreters could be dead ‘in the autumn’.

Following this post, please sign the petition if you haven't already.

Even more important than a petition, please take 4 minutes of your life and

please write to your MP. It is easy and it is very important.

Letters to the Home Office get results.
Tim has a template to help you.
Dan has an update, here .

Thank you.

Petition: We Can't Turn them away update

Following Dan Hardie's request for bloggers to create a blog campaign to raise awareness of the plight of the Iraqis who have helped us and who are now being murdered - which went live yesterday, with support from Tim, Crooked Timber, Justin, Mr Eugenides, L'Ombre d'Olivier, Tim, Jim, Harry - Davide has set up a petition on the number 10 website.


Please do sign - it only takes a moment, and please pass it on or link it on your blog.
Cheers.

Blog campaign: We can't turn them away

''Dear fellow-bloggers

I'm writing to ask your support for a blog-based campaign to write letters to MPs, asking that the Government grant the right of asylum to all Iraqis who have worked for the British Army, the old Coalition Provisional Authority-South and contractors in the 'British zone' of Iraq, and to their families.

Whatever one's views on the invasion of Iraq in 2003, and the subsequent occupation, I hope you can agree that the British Government owes a clear moral debt to shelter Iraqis whose lives are at risk because they gave help to British soldiers sent to war by the vote of the House of Commons. Iraqis who have worked for us- and their families- are at risk of being murdered if they remain in Southern Iraq, as some already have been. If they flee to neighbouring Middle Eastern countries, they will live desperately uncertain, poverty-stricken lives, and they may also be targeted for assassination by jihadists. These people can and should be accommodated in this country.

If you do agree with this view, can I please ask you to publish the post below as soon as possible, or something based on it, making a number of suggestions for a letter to MPs? I would be very grateful to you if you did. I would also be very grateful if you could write to your own MP, and if you could 'tag' five other bloggers with the same request. I've put URLs of some relevant articles below, so you can use them as links using your own blogging software.

This is an unsolicited email, so please feel free to send me an 'unsubscribe' message if you don't wish me to contact you again. Don't hesitate to contact me if you would like to discuss any of this in more detail. By all means post the material below under a different title or with amendments.
With gratitude

With gratitude
Dan Hardie''

http://danhardie.wordpress.com

''WE CAN'T TURN THEM AWAY

Since British troops occupied Southern Iraq in the spring of 2003, thousands of Iraqi citizens have worked for the British Army, the Coalition Provisional Authority (South) and for contractors serving UK forces. There is now considerable evidence that their lives, and the lives of their families, are at risk: some former workers for the British have been murdered, and many others have fled to neighbouring countries or gone into hiding in Basra. The British Government, for whom they were ultimately working, has not offered them the right of asylum in the UK. This is morally unacceptable. It is also unnecessary, since we are well able to accommodate several thousand Iraqi refugees, most of whom already speak English and all of whom have already worked for our country.

The most detailed recent report, by Jonathan Miller of Channel Four news, notes the murder of 17 translators in one single incident in Basra. It cites the cases of hundreds of others who have fled to a refugee existence in nearby Middle Eastern countries or are in hiding in Iraq. The British Government response has come from the Home Office, which has suggested that Iraqis put at risk by their work for British troops 'register with the UN refugee agency'. Other reports provide supporting detail: Iraqis are being targeted for murder because they have worked for British forces.

Colvin's report for the Times of April 8 speaks of desperate former workers for the British Army being turned away from the British embassy in Syria by staff who had orders not to admit any Iraqis. These brave men and women have testimonials written by British officers. If you feel that this is unacceptable and that Britain should prevent Iraqis from being murdered for the 'crime' of working for British troops, could you please write to your MP and ask him or her to press the Government for action. You can use the excellent website 'Write to them' or post a letter yourself.

Please be courteous when writing to your MP. It would be a good idea to read the reports above, and cite relevant facts. We would suggest that your letter could contain the following points:

• It is morally unacceptable that Britain should abandon people who are at risk because they worked for British soldiers and diplomats.
• This country will be shamed if any more Iraqis are murdered for the 'crime' of having supported UK forces.
• Iraqis who worked for British forces should not be told to leave Iraq and throw themselves on the mercy of United Nations relief agencies in Arab countries: these agencies are already being overwhelmed by the outflow of Iraqi refugees, and Iraqi refugees who have worked for British diplomats or troops may well be targeted by local jihadists.
• There is plentiful evidence that armed groups in Iraq kill the families of those they consider 'enemies': for this reason we must extend the right of asylum to the families of those who worked for us.
• It is entirely practical for this country's troops in Iraq, and its embassies in neighbouring countries, to take in Iraqis who have worked for us and fly them to the UK. Indeed, there is already considerable anger among British servicemen that Iraqis are being abandoned in this way.
• This country is large enough and rich enough to accommodate several thousand Iraqi refugees. Denmark has already given asylum to all 200 Iraqis who worked for its smaller occupying force.

It does not matter what your MP's views (or what your views) are on the invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq. People who risked their lives for this country's soldiers are now being abandoned by the British Government. Their lives can and must be saved by their being granted the right of asylum in this country.

This policy should be implemented regardless of whether British soldiers stay in Iraq or are soon withdrawn. But it must be introduced soon: applications for asylum cannot be processed in a lengthy fashion, as the security situation in Basra is deteriorating rapidly, and delay is likely to lead to further killings of Iraqis who worked for British troops. ''

Thank you Dan. I am writing my letter now.

And finally....

c/o Tim. Hope you enjoyed the pints

Good bye Tony Blair

Goodbye Tony Blair.
Though I never met you at all
You had the nous to save yourself
While those around you fall.
The sleaze it swilled around you
But it never touched your toes.
Through it all you held your nerve
And smiled through hammer-blows.

And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a showman on the stage
Always knowing who play to
Always facing down the rage.
And I would like to still believe you
Like I did ten years ago.
Your candle may have burned out
But you went on with the show.

‘Prime Minister’ was tough
The toughest role you ever played.
Washington created a superstar.
Blood was the price we paid.
Even as the thousands died
And the press all hounded you
All the spinning had to say
Was you 'believed' in what you do.

Goodbye Tony Blair
From the people that you served.
You were someone less than promised
But perhaps all that we deserved

with apologies to Elton John

PS. If you like that, try older posts How Mad is Tony Blair? and The Rules of the Game Have Changed for more subversive doggrel. And spelling of 'nous' changed on advisement

Taking Liberties - a reminder

Ace film Taking Liberties opens next Friday. If lots of people go and see it on the opening weekend, it will get wider distribution across the UK. This would be a Good Thing, because the more people know about what is slowly happening to erode our birthright of freedom, the better. I have already written about it here, and I urge you to go and see it if you can. It's excellent. Here are the cinema listings.

UPDATE: Woot! Check it... BBC , Shadows on the Wall, ('unambiguous and urgent-and unmissable.' ), Londonist ('a depressing picture but is pretty darn good fun to watch; something of a paradox'), and do visit the Director's rather good blog

There is a bit of a blogger outing to see it on Saturday 9th at Brixton Ritzy's, followed by pintage, and possibly curry, so you can come to that if you want, ( email me, rachelnorthlondon AT gmail DOT com) - sadly, stalkertastic latest means I can't advertise movements, etc) or check the website for listings, which are being added all the time. Or you can beat the crowds and see it early...

DON'T MISS OUT ON AN EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW SCREENING ON TUESDAY 5TH JUNE, 6.30PM AT CLAPHAM PICTUREHOUSE
FOLLOWED BY A LIVE PANEL DISCUSSION
Names Confirmed so far:
KEN LOACH, Film Director
SHAMI CHAKRABARTI, Director of Liberty
DAVID MORRISSEY, Actor & Narrator of the Film
RIZ AHMED, Actor
NICK CLEGG, Lib Dem MP Sheffield Hallam & Shadow Home Secretary
TO BOOK YOUR TICKETS PLEASE CALL 08708 505 703 OR VISIT WWW.PICTUREHOUSES.CO.UK/TAKINGLIBERTIES

Also TUESDAY 5TH JUNE, 6.30PM AT GREENWICH PICTUREHOUSE
Preview Screening of Taking Liberties followed by a Director's Q&A with Chris Atkins
TO BOOK YOUR TICKETS PLEASE CALL 08708 505 703 OR VISIT WWW.PICTUREHOUSES.CO.UK/TAKINGLIBERTIES

Interactive fun! Here is where you can download a banner for your website.

There's more! Here is where you can BUY THE BOOK!
And what a top book it is too, by Chris Atkins, Sarah Bee and Fiona Button.
Quick, Amazon are selling out! Get your copy right now this second or gnash your teeth ( until new ones come in)

Taking Liberties

A while back I was asked to be in a film about the erosion of civil liberties in the UK that has happened since 1997. Civil liberties in the aftermath of terrorism is a subject close to my heart, and one I regularly bang on and on about in this blog, so I said, yes, of course I'd be honoured to help.

Last night I saw the film Taking Liberties on the big screen for the first time, ( it was the cast and crew screening) and it was excellent. Funny, moving, infuritating, and best of all, it gives people things to do at the end of it. The film , which is released on June 8th, tells the stories of dozens of ordinary people. Grandmothers, teenagers, war veterans, writers, chefs, comedians, protesters, ordinary people from across the political spectrum - all caught up in the storm. There are contributions from Tony Benn, Henry Porter, Boris Johnson, Shami Chakrabarti, Walter Wolfgang, and many more.

Many of the featured stories leave you shaking your head in disbelief. But it's all frighteningly true, and the point is that these people's stories could be anyone's stories. Taking Liberties makes it clear how desperately important this issue of balancing our freedom with managing our fear is, for all of us. The right not to be detained without trial, the right to peaceful protest, the right to privacy, to trial by jury, the right not to be tortured, and many other crucial rights that we have all taken for granted for years are being whittled away, and if we don't protest, and stop it, it will soon be too late. And we will wake up to find we have set the apparatus in place for a very different Britain under a very different type of leader.

And we will have betrayed our country, ourselves, and our grandchildren.

The film is an indictment of the outgoing great showman Blair, and his disastrous adventures with the neo-con US administration. It shows the damage done to the fabric of what we still idly boast of as our free and fair society, by the juggernaut of the stupidly-conceived War on Terror.

But it is also a terrible indictment of us, the people who let all this happen under their noses, that we have been content to live so selfishly, so heedlessly, letting our own elected Government take away the rights which our grandparents' generation died for, without a whisper, without a word.

Film's out June 8th. Please, put the date in your diaries now, because if enough people go and see it on the opening weekend, then it will get further bookings all over the country, and it is important that people know about this film and have a chance to see it. If you liked Bowling for Columbine, or Farenheit 9/11, or An Inconvenient Truth, then you should see this movie.

YouTube trailer here

Look, please, go see it, and bring a mate. I'll be going again on the opening weekend (and will let you know where/when if anyone fancies it, and the pub afterwards, if you email me.)

Cinema listings are here with more listings being added all the time.

You can also buy the book, Taking Liberties, which is out now, and which is very good indeed.

UPDATE: Telegraph, and bloggers

Bloggerheads, Netherworld, Bread and Circuses, TheNextWave.

More soon. Have to go and write a speech for the POLIS public media forum at the LSE tonight, sign off book cover and as it is now past 3pm, eat some lunch.

Tony Blair the Musical

Tony Blair: The Musical looks like it will be a cracking show. But they need your help!
The Show will run between 1st and 27th August at the Gilded Balloon as part of the 2007 Edinburgh festival Fringe, with London previews in July. And here is a message fron the producers...

''...By now you're no doubt thinking "they've got a great show with great songs, a great team with buckets of talent, they've even got a very pretty website - what could the people behind Tony Blair - the Musical possibly be lacking?"

Well…there is one thing. You see, one of the problems of Tony Blair's government is that it hasn't made a huge amount of provision for putting on plays about Tony Blair. Shortsighted of them? We agree! And delighted though we are to see all that arts funding being poured into the 2012 Olympic games, we could really do with a bit of cash ourselves.

It struck us as more than a little ironic that the Labour party must also have been short of money itself several times. And we asked ourselves again and again: what would Tony do?
Which is why we're giving you this unique opportunity to buy your very own peerage today! Our extremely reasonably priced packages are as follows:

£10 to become a Lord
*£25 to become an Earl
*£50 to become a Duke*''

In return for your (cough cough) "donation", you will receive the following:
- A certificate confirming your new status as a peer of the realm.
- Exclusive offers and discounts on certain performances of Tony Blair - the Musical
.- Priority booking for London previews.
- Invitations to special events at which you can meet and mingle with other peers of the realm.
- A fuzzy warm feeling at being part of a historical piece of musical theatre.

Naturally we prefer cash, but a cheque made out to Tony Blair the Musical will do.
Names and titles will be handed out pretty much at random unless you specify if there is a particular part of the realm of which you wish to be a peer.
We look forward to helping you on your way towards a greater air of self-importance and the life that befits a man with a title! (Or a woman, of course. We are fighting for a new Britain.)''

more

David Davis comes out for an independent inquiry

...in the Sunday Telegraph at the weekend. I don't agree with all of what he says, and I am not a Conservative but I am glad that he said it. Timing is everything. Ho hum.

''America confronted its failure to prevent 9/11 with three formal inquiries. They galvanised a consensus to force through the changes required to prevent another 9/11.''

''The contrast with Britain is sobering. No independent inquiry after the July 7 bombings. No lessons learnt. A lack of political will and resources to tackle the terrorist threat. The Prime Minister's Delivery Unit describes government strategy as "immature, disjointed and weak", lacking the capacity to measure "real world impact".

''...gestures and gimmicks, including ID cards, 90-day detention and control orders, are no substitute for serious law enforcement...''

''The Conservatives will put politics aside [I'll believe that when I see it - RN] and support this Government in taking measures to strengthen our defences against another attack. But the Government must face up to past mistakes. It must be as candid about the weaknesses in our defences as it is about the terrorist threat we now face. It must answer our call for an independent inquiry into the attacks of July 2005. Britain deserves no less.''

Thing is, he's mostly right. Especially about gestures and gimmicks, and about this being above politics, though sadly the only way for politicians to take notice of any genuine concern is if it is political, or in the media and hence an ''issue''. There are hundreds of important issues for politicians to consider. But this is a very important one, because it is not just about the dreadful waste of life and injuries of summer 2005. It's about freedom and liberty and security and fear, foreign and domestic policy, communication and communities and integration and trust and where we go from here, what sort of society we build, what sort of world we live in and it affects far more people than those directly involved on 7 July 2005. It affects us all.

And I wish that the Government would just be honest with us. So there's - what - 3500 - 5000 terrorists, planning a score or more attacks? That's scary, but still dealable with, so let's stop demonising 1 million British Muslims and freaking ourselves out about The Terror That Stalks The Streets (TM) - because the actual percentages of people involved in this suicide-bombing-murder-exonerating-death-cult perversion of an ancient religion is tiny. For now.

These people planning plots are no more representative of UK Muslims than people blowing up animal labs are representative of vegetarians. Tell us the stats. We can do the maths. Fear might sell policies and newspapers and help along stale political careers - but people want to know the truth, not the hype or the sell. We're grown ups too, you know. We can deal with it, however bad it is, however bad you think it is. We got through two world wars and bombs falling on our cities day after day and people dying. Just come out with it, the real situation. You'll probably find that people are already imagining that it's a whole lot worse, because they just don't know at the moment and they don't trust the Government and that, that is far more toxic and destructive than a clear-eyed look at what went right, what went wrong and what the threat is now, after 7 July.

So M15 didn't scoop up all the clues, and made mistakes, and are still scrambling, flat out? So Government policy - especially foreign policy - but domestic economic policy too - and a thousand decisions made over a dozen years have all impacted on getting us where we stand today? Okay. Just. Admit. It.

Then can we all start from a different, better place. It's not making mistakes that's unforgiveable -it's refusing to admit it, and then trying to cover them up, and then refusing to let anyone criticise the cover ups and obfuscations and carefully chosen words, the leaks and briefings and spin, and counter-spin, and the endless avoiding of an inquiry out of what is increasingly starting to look like...embarrassment.

Which is worse than shameful, it's dishonest and disgraceful and insulting.

Come on. Just...help us out here. And help yourselves, while you are at it.
It's not that difficult. And it's starting to look like it's bloody well essential.

UPDATE: Over half of this blog's readers have signed this petition. This is a small blog, and I am asking you to circulate it and pass it around. Now, if you want to look clever and prescient, or in a few weeks or days time. Remember - David Davis has come out, so this is real, and there is no need to be scared. It's a signature. What's to lose?

A request for help

Recieved from a blogging friend and passed on in case any of my readers can help...

''Apologies for a somewhat unsolicited email, but I was wondering if you might be able to help somebody I've recently come into contact with or if you personally can't help, you might be able to forward this onto somebody else who might be in a better position

As part of the day job, I'm a journalist for a local radio station. On Friday I was contacted by a man called David Godfrey - his grandson, Rifleman Daniel Coffey, was recently killed on duty in Iraq, and David spoke out against the occupation of Iraq.

Speaking to David was a very emotional experience - a couple of times during our conversation he broke down in tears and it was clear that not only had Daniel's death left a great hole in his life but he was angry - angry at why Daniel was in Iraq in the first place. After he hung up, I had to take a walk outside for 5 minutes to compose myself, which I've never had to do before despite covering some nasty and upsetting stuff.

David, it seems, wants to put his anger and grief to some kind of purpose. He said he wanted to organise a series of rallies across the country, and wanted to get the backing of celebrities, MPs, singers, actors, bands, the whole lot. The eventual aim was twofold: to send a message to the government about Iraq and to raise money that would help the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq directly in some form or another. He has background in campaigning and fundraising - he lost another grandson to a rare illness and has done a lot raising money and awareness in that field. This is obviously a bigger task, and his first step was to get the local media on board, and also plunder any contacts they might have for people who can help.

But I can't for the life of me see the station I work for getting involved in anything as politically charged as this, and my contact book is not exactly awash with celebrities and others whose support he's after. Which is why I'm emailing. As a young, fairly lowly journalist on the bottom rung of the ladder in rural Devon there's only so much I could do if I were able to. I've no idea if any of you would be able to help, or have a better stocked address book than me, but as bloggers I respect and admire, not just for your writing, but also your activism, I thought there was no harm in asking, and even if its not something you'd feel like you wanted to commit to, you might be able to forward it onto somebody who could help David. So that's it, really. Again, apologies for firing off an unsolicited email out of the blue, and putting a dampener on a Sunday evening/Mon morning, but if you are able to help David, even if its just pointing him in the right direction and towards the right people, I'm sure it'd be greatly appreciated. His email is [please email me at rachelnorthlondon {AT} gmail DOT COM to get David's email/contact details - RN ]-

Like I say, its very rare that I'm affected by speaking to somebody, but after nearly an hour on the phone with David, I really did feel like I should do something, because the station definitely won't.

Thanks for listening''

If you want to help or have any ideas, please get in touch with me in the first instance.

Many thanks

Rachel

And this was the start of the madness...

Dossiers. Some are more dodgy than others.
Spin cycles. Some spin harder than others.

And sometimes, when machines spin too fast, the gears grind and the wheels fall off...

That's when you need to open up the machine, and see what the problem is. Who's been tinkering? What's making the sparks fly? Where are the faulty parts?

The Iraq dossier of 2002 should have failed its M.O.T. If it was a car it would be illegal. It would look very sexy on the outside, revving away, burnished and gleaming and scary, billowing clouds of oily smoke and with the choke pulled out all ready to go! go! kill! kill!

But it should never have been allowed to hit the road.

Have a look at this website, written by journalist Chris Ames of the New Statesman.
IraqDossier.com. ( Thanks to J's lovely step-dad Roger for sending it over. I see Iain has it too.)

Here is Chris Ames' article on the NS article in the Guardian - 'Draft Dodging'

'The gist of my New Statesman piece is that the draft could represent the first appearance of the notorious "45 minutes" claim in the dossier, which would make it the smoking gun to end all smoking guns. It is hard to see the information commissioner sanctioning the continued suppression of such an important document. Of course, had the government supplied it to Hutton, it would be in the public domain already...

[...]

...Nobody imagines for one minute that Blair could have got Parliament to vote for war if he had told it what the JIC was telling him - that Iraq probably had weapons of mass destruction. The doubt was taken out. Scarlett was the fall guy with the bungee rope, and ended up as head of MI6. But it was the spinners wot dunnit. The dossier was sexed up beyond doubt.'

Action stations - 24 Feb Stop the War March

Damn it, I was going to cry off the march against the war because I have so much work to do, and too little time, but it is too important and I can't live with myself if I don't do things I believe in, so I am going. There's always excuses. Editing can wait, wedding invitations can wait, I'll just have to go flat out tomorrow and Monday.

I need to indulge my innate leftie simmering anti-Americanism. That's a joke. I am marching because I want to send a clear signal that I am opposed to bombing yet more people and I object to my taxes being wasted on purchasing huge Trident bombs which could kill even more people, if deployed, which they won't be, so why not build some hospitals instead? Or prisons. Or schools. Simple, hmmm?

Whilst we're at it, what's with the 18 DS Left = anti-American canards? I assume that is the point of this ad, because it isn't clear at all. It is in fact, daft, patronising, pointlessly insulting, and it is a straw man and thus a waste of time. Although apparently it got on Fox News. Woopie-doo. I've been on Fox News. I subverted the live breakfast show on July 7th 2006 by saying no I wasn't terrified of Muslims, in fact, I liked living in London because it was so buzzy and vibrant and there were loads of different nationalities and faiths living together. And London had dealt with terrorism and bombs for over a hundred years, so we just got on with it. That foxed the rent-a-rant blonde presenter. No wonder my taxi home mysteriously disappeared.

I honestly can't see any positives about putting out sneery little 'attack ads'. This is not 'politics for adults'. This is the politics of the playground.

Over to a succinct Hamster.

1. I am opposed to the foreign policies of Anthony Charles Lynton Blair.
2. I am not opposed to the existence of the United Kingdom.

There's a difference, you see. I strongly suspect I'm not the only person on the left who realises this

Anyway, I am off to text back Davide and see who else is going to join me in shuffling for peace. 12pm kick off, Speakers Corner. Fancy it? I'll bring the hipflask and the paracetamol.

UPDATE: Piccies via my mobile, at Blairwatch!
BBC report , another BBC report, more BBC reportage, Independent
My feet hurt.

UPDATE UPDATE: Davide has blogged it with speeches and photos - over at Netherworld

Stop The War Protest Feb 24th

I'll try and be there. See Davide for details. Let me know via email or comments if you are going and you want to meet up. It's always nice to march and chat. I'll bring my battered hipflask...