Non-spin spinning sanctioned by senior silk
The Hutton Inquiry report is out, and (*gasp*) pretty much exonerates Tony & cronies of any evil.
The main conclusions make interesting reading, particularly chapter 12, section 467, point (1), paragraph (viii), which starts:
"The term "sexed-up" is a slang expression, the meaning of which lacks clarity in the context of the discussion of the dossier..."
All the semantic fancy footwork in this paragraph, around the issue of whether or not the dossier was "sexed-up", is eerily similar to Clinton's obfuscatory definition of not "having sex" with that woman.
"...because of the drafting suggestions made by 10 Downing Street for the purpose of making a strong case against Saddam Hussein, it could be said that the Government "sexed-up" the dossier. However in the context of the broadcasts in which the "sexing-up" allegation was reported and having regard to the other allegations reported in those broadcasts, I consider that the allegation was unfounded as it would have been understood by those who heard the broadcasts to mean that the dossier had been embellished with intelligence known or believed to be false or unreliable, which was not the case."
Hmm.
If I understand Lord Hutton's point correctly, he concludes that while it's fair to say that the Government "sexed-up" the dossier, this does not mean that they actually did anything as egregious as to "sex-up" the dossier.
Indeed, it was simply the case that: "Mr Alastair Campbell made it clear to Mr Scarlett on behalf of the Prime Minister that 10 Downing Street wanted the dossier to be worded to make as strong a case as possible in relation to the threat posed by Saddam Hussein's WMD..."
Absolutely zero "sexing-up" potential in there. Apart from all the perfectly acceptable "sexing-up" that went on, of course.
Oh - and earlier on the same page we learn that Kelly had "clinically silent coronary artery disease", so he was probably going to pop his clogs any second anyway. Well that's alright then.
Following the example set by the honourable Lord, I think it's fair to note that Blur is, as any fool can see, not in the least bit culpable for David Kelly's death. Completely and utterly innocent and untainted.
The blood soaking through the cuffs of his Thomas Pink shirt is simply a matter of the media making "...accusations of fact impugning the integrity of others..." without appropriate management oversight.
It's all down to a shocking lapse of diligence on the part of the BBC, allowing Andrew Gilligan's report to air at 6:07am "...without editors having seen a script of what he was going to say and having considered whether it should be approved."
I feel much safer now.
The main conclusions make interesting reading, particularly chapter 12, section 467, point (1), paragraph (viii), which starts:
"The term "sexed-up" is a slang expression, the meaning of which lacks clarity in the context of the discussion of the dossier..."
All the semantic fancy footwork in this paragraph, around the issue of whether or not the dossier was "sexed-up", is eerily similar to Clinton's obfuscatory definition of not "having sex" with that woman.
"...because of the drafting suggestions made by 10 Downing Street for the purpose of making a strong case against Saddam Hussein, it could be said that the Government "sexed-up" the dossier. However in the context of the broadcasts in which the "sexing-up" allegation was reported and having regard to the other allegations reported in those broadcasts, I consider that the allegation was unfounded as it would have been understood by those who heard the broadcasts to mean that the dossier had been embellished with intelligence known or believed to be false or unreliable, which was not the case."
Hmm.
If I understand Lord Hutton's point correctly, he concludes that while it's fair to say that the Government "sexed-up" the dossier, this does not mean that they actually did anything as egregious as to "sex-up" the dossier.
Indeed, it was simply the case that: "Mr Alastair Campbell made it clear to Mr Scarlett on behalf of the Prime Minister that 10 Downing Street wanted the dossier to be worded to make as strong a case as possible in relation to the threat posed by Saddam Hussein's WMD..."
Absolutely zero "sexing-up" potential in there. Apart from all the perfectly acceptable "sexing-up" that went on, of course.
Oh - and earlier on the same page we learn that Kelly had "clinically silent coronary artery disease", so he was probably going to pop his clogs any second anyway. Well that's alright then.
Following the example set by the honourable Lord, I think it's fair to note that Blur is, as any fool can see, not in the least bit culpable for David Kelly's death. Completely and utterly innocent and untainted.
The blood soaking through the cuffs of his Thomas Pink shirt is simply a matter of the media making "...accusations of fact impugning the integrity of others..." without appropriate management oversight.
It's all down to a shocking lapse of diligence on the part of the BBC, allowing Andrew Gilligan's report to air at 6:07am "...without editors having seen a script of what he was going to say and having considered whether it should be approved."
I feel much safer now.
