The Deconstruction of Falling Stars

Walking from Westminster, past the Abbey, toward Victoria this morning, we were crossing The Sanctuary and trying to fathom out why there were loads of police on patrol, several police vans with reserves, a demonstration (very quiet) outside Methodist Central Hall and a huge media scrum outside the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre.

What could possibly be going on to warrant all this attention? Could we think of anything happening right now that might account for it? We could not.

Now I like to think this is simply because we had been dozing on the tube on the way into work and that apart from a quick coffee at around 7.15 this morning, we were caffeine deprived, but really.

It is, of course, today that Tony Blair goes back to the interminable Chilcot Enquiry on the Iraq War.

I do not like the man, but this is beginning to feel like one of those times when the only answer that will do is the answer that the enquiry and the public wants. I could be, probably am wrong, but it really does seem as though he will just get called back, quizzed and interrogated on ever finer points of detail until, through shaving everything away, there arrives an answer sufficiently unambiguous, on a point of infinitesimal detail, that someone will feel justified in extrapolating events back from that point and rebuilding history in their preferred image.

Once they have done that, no one will ask for Tony’s input any more, ever, and his version of events will be consigned to history and the public’s preferred version will become gospel.

Regardless of the truth. Goodfacts versus Realfacts.

The Deconstruction of Falling Stars

Walking from Westminster, past the Abbey, toward Victoria this morning, we were crossing The Sanctuary and trying to fathom out why there were loads of police on patrol, several police vans with reserves, a demonstration (very quiet) outside Methodist Central Hall and a huge media scrum outside the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre.

What could possibly be going on to warrant all this attention? Could we think of anything happening right now that might account for it? We could not.

Now I like to think this is simply because we had been dozing on the tube on the way into work and that apart from a quick coffee at around 7.15 this morning, we were caffeine deprived, but really.

It is, of course, today that Tony Blair goes back to the interminable Chilcot Enquiry on the Iraq War.

I do not like the man, but this is beginning to feel like one of those times when the only answer that will do is the answer that the enquiry and the public wants. I could be, probably am wrong, but it really does seem as though he will just get called back, quizzed and interrogated on ever finer points of detail until, through shaving everything away, there arrives an answer sufficiently unambiguous, on a point of infinitesimal detail, that someone will feel justified in extrapolating events back from that point and rebuilding history in their preferred image.

Once they have done that, no one will ask for Tony’s input any more, ever, and his version of events will be consigned to history and the public’s preferred version will become gospel.

Regardless of the truth. Goodfacts versus Realfacts.