Sunday, June 17, 2012

'Crude' Murdoch and Blair, Into Iraq

'Crude' Murdoch urged Blair to rush into Iraq war
June 17, 2012 - RUPERT Murdoch joined in an ''over-crude'' attempt by US Republicans to force Tony Blair to accelerate British involvement in the Iraq war, according to the final volumes of diaries kept by Alastair Campbell, Mr Blair's communications director.

In another blow to the media mogul, who told the Leveson inquiry that he had never tried to influence any prime minister, Mr Campbell's diary says Mr Murdoch warned Mr Blair in a phone call of the dangers of a delay in Iraq.

The disclosure by Mr Campbell, whose diaries are serialised in The Guardian, will pile the pressure on Mr Murdoch in light of his evidence to the official British Leveson inquiry into press ethics.

The Cabinet Office on Friday released information that raised doubts about Mr Murdoch's claim that former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown pledged to ''declare war'' on News Corporation after The Sun abandoned its support for Labour in September 2009. read more>>>

Alastair Campbell on Murdoch, Iraq, Blair and Brown - audio


The Burden of Power: Countdown to Iraq--The Alastair Campbell Diaries

Drip, drip, drip, ""He recalled noting that: "the dog didn't bark - it grizzled." Don't forget - this 'grizzling' for regime change was 6 months BEFORE 9/11."". drip, drip, drip, ""But there was a 'sea change' in attitude after the atrocities, with former national security adviser Condoleezza Rice targeting Iraq on the very day of the outrage."", drip, drip, drip, ""George Bush tried to make a connection between Iraq and al-Qaida in a conversation with Tony Blair three days after the 9/11 attacks, according to Blair's foreign policy adviser of the time."", drip, drip, drip, ""There was "a touching belief [in Washington] that we shouldn't worry so much about the aftermath because it was all going to be sweetness and light"."", drip, drip, drip, ""Boyce mentions the "dysfunctionalism" of Washington. He says that he would find himself briefing his American counterparts on what was happening in different parts of the US adminstration. Rumsfeld was not sharing information"", drip, drip, drip...........!

Written Transcripts, Chilcot Inquiry, by Date of each session.

When Blair lost his cool with an anti-war protester
17/6/2012 - An anti-war protester has tried to “arrest” Tony Blair in Hong Kong – the third occasion in as many weeks in which demonstrators have heckled the former prime minister. Blair told the protester: “I wouldn’t come any further,” before saying later: “Actually, I am used to it.” This time the intruder, Tom Grundy, got within a few feet of the former PM before being ordered out by security staff. On 20 May Blair was interrupted while giving a speech in the US and seven days later an intruder approached him at the Leveson Inquiry in London. Grundy issued his challenge in Hong Kong, where Blair was about to give a speech on religion and globalisation for the Tony Blair Faith Foundation at the University of Hong Kong. read more>>>


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