[Media-watch] Files 'R' Us

[Billy Clark]

There are some interesting anomalies concerning Mr. Galloway's recent 
misfortune.  A while ago I passed on a report about the Russians spying 
for Saddam based on some documents found in the Iraqi secret service HQ, 
and I suggested we might see a bit more of this debris inconveniencing a 
few people but nothing compromising the US or the UK's political 
business.

Why wasn't this HQ cordoned off by the military?  Why is it open to 
looters from the Telegraph?  Are they all fluent in the Iraqi 
languages?  Surely the equivalent of CIA HQ at Langley would be of 
interest in the great hunt for the track record of the axis of evil, 
Saddam & Co.'s hidden Billions and WMD (a rhetorical phrase applied 
exclusively to Iraq, although I never seen one unit of soldiers go into 
action in any state of preparedness for chemical/biological weapons).  
Seemingly not, instead it has been re-opened as 'Files 'R' Us'.  But not 
to everyone.

Co-incidently Private Eye (that great recepticle for unattributed 
rumour) ran a little story about a business associate of Galloway (whom 
I can't stand myself).  It suggested George was on the take from the 
Butcher of Bagdad: well, which of our top (particularly US) politician's 
haven't been at some point?  And what nonsense to say these documents 
were forged - when has this war ever been subject fabrication or 
deception?

If it is a smear - why has it exclusively tainted the anti-war 
coalition?  Galloway is a Labour party MP: and, just as Hamilton's, 
Archer's, Aitken's etc. misdeeds are argued (by Labour) to have tainted 
the Tories, this alleged misconduct taints the Labour party - or so it 
could be easily argued, particularly by the Tories.  Instead Galloway's 
sins have been passed onto that dangerous rabble of communist anarchist 
protest threatening national security.  Each and every man, woman and 
child are clearly on the payroll of the world's most evil dictator by 
dint of the fact that they look to George for leadership - even the 
Anarchists for some as yet unexplained reason.

And these allegations (well condemnations really) have come at a bad 
time what with this election in Scotland - the smell/coverage will last 
long enough to put off the second vote going to (any) left-wing 
parties.  This also seems a very localised story, there's no real talk 
in the US or anywhere else of tracking down people who have dealt with 
Saddam, probably because we'd have to start with Mr Rumsfeld.  If George 
has committed a crime why are the Police uninterested?  Lazy bastards!

And why this contrived mechanism to deliver bribes - why not just hand 
the hand the cash over via Switzerland, the Vatican bank and the well 
trodden path of Anstalts and numbered accounts.  Is it impossible that 
of all Galloway's Iraqi business connections one of them would drop him 
in it for a few favours in these troubled times.  Tony Blair said the 
war wasn't about oil - obviously both the UK and US knew that George had 
cornered the market on this and they were out of the game.

In one sense old cold war lefties like Galloway, Benn and Tariq Ali 
tended to be soft on Saddam - so he has got off rather lightly: look 
what happened to Scott Ritter.

billy clark (signature illegible)