Sep 1 2003
By James Hardy
ALASTAIR Campbell clearly found something to smile about this weekend – and it could have been more than just the fact that his football team won.
The former communications chief, who was in the crowd to see Burnley beat Crewe 1-0, may have been having a quiet chuckle at the latest Downing Street role for Peter Mandelson.
Twice-sacked Mandy is being brought back as a kind of anti-spin supremo for what MPs have mockingly dubbed a “Ministry of Truth”.
He was calling the shots yesterday in a major shake-up of the information service.
The changes are due to begin tomorrow when the Government announces a top-ranking civil servant to take responsibility for all its press dealings – effectively setting up a new Whitehall department to oversee Government information.
It is intended to restore trust by shifting power over Government propaganda away from No10.
But last night senior ministers were privately ridiculing the plans. One said: “The idea of Peter Mandelson – who invented the concept of spin – manoeuvring behind the scenes to pretend it’s now being abolished is laughable.
“Whoever they put in charge of the information service will ultimately be answerable to No10.”
I don’t know what is stranger. The fact that Blair is pushing us further towards 1984 with the Ministry of Truth or that the person he looks like putting in charge has had to resign from the cabinet twice after being caught lieing.
BTW, to all of the people who defended invading Iraq because:
a) Saddam had WMD’s and we would find them,
b) the invasion was about fighting terrorism and in no way would encourage terrorism and/or
c) liberated Iraqi’s would love us and once Saddam was gone and we would have no further problems in Iraq.
I accept your apology.
Will
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