Blair and Coulson: another good day to bury bad news?

Dawn had just broken when the main defendant in The Trial of Tony Blair turned up for part two of what is otherwise known as the Chilcot inquiry.

Obviously trying to wrong-foot his many fans it was 7.30am when he braved seven bleary eyed protesters to enter by the front door this time rather than the rear.

Sober-suited and sun-tanned Mr Blair showed none of the amazement that he must feel at being toasted abroad and roasted at home.

It was just after 9.30am when he slipped confidently into his seat, time being important as we were to discover later.

There was none of the nervousness of his first appearance but then again he had bested his inquisitors, a motley collection of the grey and the great, on that occasion.

They had no sooner started than the television said there was a minute’s time delay, leaving you wondering if this was to bleep out the bad language before remembering this was to stop anything exciting being said or discovered in the hours that were to follow.

Hate him or hate him you had to admit that Tony was, as ever, well-prepared, reminding us all why he and not Gordon had got the job in the first place.

Chilcot: The Sequel was always going to be a bit of an anti-climax for the aficionados particularly following the staging of a warm-up bout the night before.

Masquerading as Question Time it had featured Gorgeous George Galloway representing the Sadam was Great Party against Artful Alistair Campbell appearing on behalf of Teflon T.

The two spat and hissed for 40 minutes but were kept from blows by the avuncular ref David Dimbleby.

Would the real deal himself shed more light than the heat of the previous night. Within ten minutes you could have lost the will to live as they appeared to be swapping notes on notes they made during his first appearance.

Former diplomat Sir Roderick Lyne became Sir Rottweiler as he attacked Tony in that wonderfully posh English way of insulting with a smile.

But there was a difference. The first time out Tony was reckoned after a diffident start, to have seen off the panel. This time it was clear that the toothless had had new dentures fitted.

Former diplomat Sir Roderick Lyne became Sir Rottweiler as he attacked Tony in that wonderfully posh English way of insulting with a smile. But of course TB had trained at the same schools so he just ignored him.

So what did we learn. The events of 9/11 lay at the heart of the former prime minister’s actions then and they do now and this is where he expects the judgement of history to fall on his side.

He wouldn’t let us see his private letters to George W Bush although denying that anything in them would frighten the children.

He hadn’t put the arm on the Attorney General and only dopes in his Cabinet could not have been aware an invasion was possible.

When the going got rough he wasn’t going anywhere. Just then the rest if us did.

It was now just about 11.20am and time for the real world or at least as real as it ever gets in politics.

It was a Blair babe who said 9/11 was a “Good day to bury bad news” so cynics may not be surprised that it was during the inquiry into it that the present Government’s chief spin doctor Andy Coulson chose to announce his resignation.

Andy had quit as editor of the News if the World following the infamous case of phone tapping involving his royal reporter.

This was the actions of a one “rogue journalist” it was said at the time and Andy has always maintained he knew nothing about it thus allowing David Cameron to take him on.

However the News of the World has now suspended another even more senior journalist as it investigates whether “rogue” should have an “s” added to it.

“When the spokesman needs a spokesman” it’s time to go said Andy.

It was when you realised the TV news had switched away from Tony Blair to cover the Coulson story that you realised his time had finally passed and there were bigger and better stores in town.

But back at Chilcot, Tony was on a roll. He was off the defensive and on the attack. No apologies for Iraq instead it was time to put Iran in
the frame. “A looming and coming challenge” he told the inquiry.

We have to “get our heads out of the sand” and realise just how much the fundamentalists oppose everything the west stands for.

It was eerily like 2003 again.

That just left the one thing he should have said a year ago: “I regret deeply and profoundly the loss of life”.

“Too late”, said one of the still grieving mothers in the audience.

Peter McHugh is the former director of programmes at GMTV and was this year awarded the Royal Television Society Lifetime Achievement Award. Contact him at: peter@quiddityproductions.com.