The Yorkshire Ranter

More things – what became of Susan Watts and the taped interview with Kelly that confirmed Gilligan’s report? It doesn’t appear at all. I suppose she was only a little woman and therefore it wasn’t really a tape? Mind you, she certainly earned the title of the most useless journalist in the world – the…

We welcome two new blogs linking to the Ranter: Disposable Man and The Man who Bought a Field. Links are of course in the links section.

Ironically, given the last paragraph of my last post, I was myself writing in a hurry at the time and some of it might not quite say what I wanted it to. The “perfect example” referred to the situation where the only reason for mis-reporting was pressure of time and the need sometimes to publish…

A few points I jotted on in the dark watches of the Night after the Whitewash…for a start, Lord Hutton argues that the 0607 broadcast was “unfounded” on the grounds that Andrew Gilligan could not know that the government had included the 45 minutes claim knowing it to be false. Now, the content of this…

Well, that’s it. The swine have won – from Ali C via Geoff Hoon and Tony Blair to refugee bashing Becky Wade. Lord Hutton travailed and decided that everything was for the best in this best of all possible worlds – with the exception of the BBC. So exactly what is a judge doing “standing…

“I consider there was no such underhand strategy…the decision of the Prime Minister was taken in order to prevent accusations of a cover-up” That’s it – “I further stand by the decision of the Prime Minister..” He’s just explicitly cleared Blair. But what’s this “stand by”? You’re not meant to stand by anyone – you’re…

“It is impossible to imply, as some commentators have do, that there was an underhand strategy to expose Dr Kelly” Really? “The government could have battened down the hatches to ride out the storm..” In theory, I suppose “I conclude..that there was no such underhand strategy.” “ The government were obliged to disclose that a…

Hutton says there were management failures at the BBC. “An attack on the government’s integrity”. Boo hiss! 1 – The reports were all nonsense. 2. – “The communication of information through the media is a vital part of a democratic society, but the right of communication does not include a right to attack the integrity…

“It is not possible to reach a definite conclusion on what Kelly said to Gilligan…I am satisfied that Kelly did not say to Mr Gilligan that the government’s claim was knowingly false” “Dr Kelly was acting in breach of the civil service rules of procedure..it may be that at the time of the meeting he…

Hutton states he does not claim to distinguish tactical or strategic weapons. States that the allegation the government used “45mins” knowing it to be false, is false, as the source provided the information in good faith. However, does say that the wording was misleading and that No. 10 Downing St attempted to word it as…