[Media-watch] exhange with Blairs private secretary

David McKnight david at milwr.freeserve.co.uk
Fri Nov 19 13:23:35 GMT 2004


Dear All
My MP David Hanson (Delyn), Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister has used his weekly column in a local newspaper to respond to a letter (pasted below) I had published last week regarding the attack on Fallujah and the Lancet report of 100,000 Iraqi civilians dead. 

How can my MP represent me when he cannot sign EDMs, nor vote or speak out against the government for fear of compromising his career? At a public meeting prior to the war Mr Hanson assured constituents that Iraq had WMD, was a real threat and that all would be well in a matter of months. We were simply told 'just wait and see'. Mr Hanons had previously let slip to me at one of his constituency surgeries that UK support for President Bush in the coming war had nothing to do with WMD. I asked him if it were the French and not the US that were amassing troops in the Gulf preparing for an attack, would Britain be supporting them. His answer was 'No, of course not'. 

I have enclosed Mr Hansons response below.  The letters page at the Chronicle is flintshire.news at cheshirenews.co.uk and David Hanson
is at
hansond at parliament.uk

 
David McKnight
Mold Social Forum
Flintshire, North Wales

***********
The Chronicle, November 19 2004
View from Westminster
David Hanson Delyn MP

I read with interest the comments in last weeks Chronicle letters page from correspondents regarding my position on Iraq. While I respect their views, and those of all those who genuinely disagreed with the decision to take military action in Iraq, I have always based my judgments in these extremely difficult matters on the best available information at the time.

It is important to understand why the difficult and dangerous operations are being undertaken in Fallujah and elsewhere. I am sure thet everyone agrees that the best future for Iraq is one where the country is run by a democratically elected Iraqi government.

Those elections have been timetabled for January, but cannot take place with terrorists operating in the country as they have been. They do not want to see elections or the rebuilding of the country and are all too willing to attack civilians, as the recent suicide bombings have shown.

In order for free and fair elections to take place, it is vital that the terrorists are sought out. People cannot vote if they are doing so in a climate of fear.

I notice also that the figure of 100,000 civilians casualties since military operations began is mentioned. I have studied this report. The death of one civilian is tragic so 100,000 would be truly horrendous. However, the report has arrived at that figure not from actual  recorded civilian deaths but from one incident, terrible though that is, where about 60 civilians were killed. The report has then assumed that every similar operation will also result in a comparable loss of life, without any justification for that claim.
 
No-one wants to see any more deaths in Iraq. Everyone wants to see our troops return home as soon as possible. I want to take this opportunity to pay tribute to all British forces who are serving in Iraq and elsewhere. They are doing a fantastic job under extremely difficult circumstances.

************

My Original letter published Friday 12th November 2004
The illegal occupying forces of Britain and the US are currently unleashing a bloody and murderous assault on the Iraqi cities of Falluja and Ramadi. The first targets in Falluja were hospitals - so the US didn't have to face criticism from Iraqi doctors about civilian casualties. This is sickening. The assault is likely to become a full-on massacre in the coming days. The official reason for the attack on Falluja is that the Jordanian extremist Abu Musab al Zarqawi is based in the city. CIA stooge Iyad Allawi who also happens to be Iraqs US-appointed Prime Minister has said that Fallujans can avoid an all-out attack if they hand over Zarqawi. City elders and civil groups claim that Zarqawi (if such a person actually exists) is not in Falluja. The Americans no longer believe Zarqawi to be in the city yet continue to bomb daily, killing innocent women and children whilst flattening houses, mosques, schools and medical centres. Yet the interim Iraqi president, Ghazi al-Yawar, has rejected the coalition's handling of the crisis: "I completely disagree with those who see a need to decide [Falluja] through military action." He added: "The coalition's handling of this crisis is wrong. It's like someone who fired bullets at his horse's head just because a fly landed on it; the horse died and the fly went away." I would like to ask my elected representative, David Hanson MP - someone who has, thusfar, given his wholehearted support to Mr Blair and Mr Bush - if he agrees with the policy in Falluja. Two weeks ago, the esteemed medical journal, The Lancet, published an extensively peer-reviewed article, in which the authors claimed that at least 100,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed as a result of the US led invasion and subsequent occupation. Falluja is a city the size of Cardiff - with 300,000 residents. The Liars Corps in Washington and Downing St. inform us that there are only terrorists left in the city. US commanders, however, estimate that upto 50% of the population remain. This means that at least 150,000 civilians are being left without food, water or electricity whilst being terrorised by 500lb bombs, helicopter gunships, tanks and deadly sniper fire. Young British troops are being blown to pieces while our comfortable and well rewarded politicians continue to lie to them, their families and the Iraqi people. How many more innocent lives will it take before cowards like Mr Hanson see the barbaric folly that is this governments policy in Iraq?

Yours sincerely

Mr DJ McKnight

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