By “that tick Nick Jones” *
Political spin doctors rarely miss the chance to denigrate those who dare to question their authority, a compulsion which remains as strong as ever in the psyche of Alastair Campbell.
When the Chilcot Inquiry released the letter from Major General Michael Laurie which challenged Campbell’s evidence about the purpose of the Iraqi weapons dossier, Tony Blair’s former director of communications did not miss a trick when responding via his Twitter account:
“Nothing to add to evidence to inquiry. Dossier not the case for war. Set out why govt more concerned re Iraq WMD. Never met General Laurie.”
The line “never met General Laurie” could not have been more pointed because it immediately raises doubts about the status and credibility of the former intelligence officer. If Major-General Laurie was so unimportant that he had never had to report to Blair’s Downing Street media supremo, then clearly his opinion could not be that important.
As I know only too well Campbell is addicted to the art of character assassination and it comes in many guises. But as Major-general Laurie must have realised, there is not point hitting back as that might only make matters worse.
He wrote to Sir John Chilcot after Campbell gave evidence to the inquiry in January 2010 and denied that the dossier had been drawn up to make the case for war. Campbell told Sir John: “It was not the case for war, it was the case why the Prime Minister had become more concerned...I still defend every single word of the dossier.”
Major-General Laurie was head of intelligence collection for the Defence Intelligence Agency and he could not have been clearer in his own recollection as to what happened during preparation of the dossier in the run up to the invasion of Iraq in March 2003:
“Alastair Campbell said to the inquiry that the purpose of the dossier was not to ‘make a case for war’. I had no doubt at this time this was exactly its purpose and these very words were used...I and those involved in its production saw it exactly as that, and that was the direction we were given.”
General Laurie’s damming conclusion was that the dossier prepared at Downing Street’s request gave “a false picture” of the intelligence. “We could find no evidence of planes, missiles or equipment that related to WMD, generally concluding that they must have been dismantled, buried or taken abroad.”
Rather than appear to question General Laurie’s status and credibility Campbell would perhaps have been wiser to have Tweeted that he would study the points that had been made. But that is not his style.
The latest edition of Campbell’s diaries pulls no punches when he describes my own malign influence as a journalist. One Sunday afternoon when a television correspondent had to be sent hurriedly to Chequers to conduct a pooled interview with Tony Blair on behalf of the BBC, ITN and Sky, Campbell was annoyed when informed by the BBC that the only correspondent who was on duty and free to go was “that tick Nick Jones.” *
Campbell’s diary entry could not have been any more succinct: “I was pissed off they sent Nick Jones who they claimed was the only one available.” But again the inferences are clear: Campbell was indicating that more often than not he could pick and choose the broadcasters who were allowed to interview the Prime Minister – another vital weapon in a spin doctor’s armoury.
*Tick: “parasitic insect...unpleasant or despicable person”. (Oxford English Dictionary).