French accuse Tony Blair of ‘Soviet-style' propaganda in run-up to Iraq war

Source: this is london

Tony Blair was accused by the French government of “Soviet-style” black propaganda in the run-up to the Iraq war, secret memos obtained by the Iraq inquiry have found.

The Chilcot committee has obtained confidential phone records showing that then foreign secretary Jack Straw was told days before the crunch eve-of-war Commons vote not to misrepresent the French position on the need for UN approval.

The row began after Mr Blair seized on remarks by French president Jacques Chirac on 10 March 2003, that he would not back a second UN resolution authorising war in Iraq “whatever the circumstances”.

Mr Blair said the French were making clear they would use their Security Council veto “no matter what”. His claim was crucial in persuading wavering Labour backbenchers that the UN route was no longer possible and that the war had to go ahead.

...

Mr de Villepin said far from signalling a veto, President Chirac was stating that at that time, without a further report from UN weapons inspector Hans Blix, there was no chance of a second resolution. The French embassy in London complained to the Foreign Office that Downing Street had employed “Soviet-style disinformation” to pave the way for the conflict.

The inquiry has also obtained documents suggesting that No 10 and the Bush White House agreed on 12 March to “blame the French” for blocking UN moves to get Saddam Hussein to disarm. Gordon Brown is now set to be quizzed about the issue when he gives evidence to the Chilcot panel later this month.

Read more: http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23803734-french-accuse-tony-blair-of-soviet-style-propaganda-in-run-up-to-iraq-war.do

"Freedom Fries" don't happen in a vacuum. It was all too smooth and everywhere all at once, obviously the result of a campaign of some sort.

:P

The war had to go ahead, regardless of the circumstances. That is history. They blamed the french for not being able to get UN authorization without allowing Blix to do his job.

and then to the gallows.

Every bit of it...

What we are seeing is the culmination of years and years of effective propaganda being shoved down our throats at every turn. The Nazi's may have have refined it in the 30's and 40's but what we are seeing today is the end product of decades of successful refinement and improvement to propaganda techniques.

Sorry, got to go...American Idol is on...

Is a beautiful, beautiful thing.