John Pilger | These Were Blair's Bombs: "Sunday 10 July 2005
In all the coverage of last week's bombing of London, a basic truth is struggling to be heard. It is this: no one doubts the atrocious inhumanity of those who planted the bombs, but no one should also doubt that this has been coming since the day Tony Blair joined George Bush in their bloody invasion and occupation of Iraq. They are 'Blair's bombs', and he ought not be allowed to evade culpability with yet another unctuous speech about 'our way of life', which his own rapacious violence in other countries has despoiled.
Indeed, the only reliable warning from British intelligence in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq was that which predicted a sharp increase in terrorism 'with Britain and Britons a target'. A House of Commons committee has since verified this warning. Had Blair heeded it instead of conspiring to deceive the nation that Iraq offered a threat the Londoners who died on Thursday might be alive today, along with tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis.
Three weeks ago, a classified CIA report revealed that the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq had turned that country into a focal point of terrorism. None of the intelligence agencies regarded Iraq as such a flashpoint before the invasion, however tyrannical the regime. On the contrary, in 2003, the CIA reported that Iraq 'exported no terrorist threat to his neighbours' and that Saddam Hussein was 'implacably hostile to Al-Qaeda'."
what is striking to me is how strong the anti-Blair voice has been after the bombs. The media has not stifled this voice. Indeed the papers are calling for a full debate of the reasons we have become a target for bombers.
Would this have brought down the Blair Government if it had come before the election as the Spanish bombs toppled the right wingers there.
We will never know.
I look forqward eagerly to the opinion polls that must be coming on the subject soon.
There has been much talk of the spirit of the Blitz and stoic National character. But the messages I am receiving from the Londoners I know are full of fear. At a dep level there is a terrorising that has happened. People who were not really close to the bombs felt very close to them.
I wonder if this reality will come out.
