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January 07, 2004
Calm down guys, calm down
Two events in the last twenty-four hours indicate that this country has finally flipped. First there was the Royal coroner giving credence to a set of conspiracy theories about the death of Diana which until that moment had been confined to sad internet freaks who have nothing better to do than recycle ever more loopy ideas about the demise of the Princess of Wales. Now, thanks to the coroner, they've become something to be taken seriously enough to investigate. The result is that even if the police duly report there is nothing in any of them, even more people will be completely convinced that St Diana was murdered by the British secret service acting on the direct instructions of Prince Charles, President Bush, the Pope, the Association of Landmine Manufacturers and the Abertillery male voice choir. Then the media went berserk after it was revealed that Downing Street had made a late submission to the Hutton inquiry after close of play. There was immediate feverish speculation that the Prime Minister's office had tried to rebut the testimony of Sir Kevin Tebbit, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Defence, which is popularly expected to finish off the PM as a liar -- an expectation being promoted not least by the un-opportunist man of principle Michael Howard, who duly went onto the attack at Prime Minster's Questions. So what if Downing Street had rebutted the impression left by Sir Kevin? Could it be, perhaps, that this impression may have been wrong because the facts were incomplete? In vain did Mr Blair protest that the remarks he made on the plane after David Kelly's death -- which Sir Kevin's evidence is said to have contradicted -- had to be taken as a whole, and that such discussion should wait until Hutton had actually reported. Good grief -- wait to hear the facts first before jumping to conclusions? What a very strange and antiquated view. No chance of that when he has already been condemned by the media and the Tory party as effectively guilty of murdering Dr Kelly, and when there is nothing but foot-stamping impatience at the tiresome delay before stringing him up. Surely he hadn't just lied, which of course we all know to be true, but tried to manipulate Hutton! Surely he had broken Hutton's own rules about submitting evidence! Surely Hutton had broken his own rules!!! So great was the foaming hysteria that Lord Hutton had to break off from writing his wretched report to issue a statement. to calm everyone down. In it, he says lots of people -- including Andrew Gilligan and the Kelly family -- made submissions after close of play and no, they didn't want these submissions to be made public either. So what was all the fuss about? These instant reactions founded on ignorance and spite, this spontaneous but infectious hysteria, this widespread suspension of rationality, have come to characterise British public debate since the death of Diana herself. The country now apears to believe in lunatic conspiracy theories, that patently flawed news reports actually tell the truth if they accord with people's prejudices, and that the free world is run by people who would go to war on a self-serving whim, even at risk to their own political survival. This country needs to lie down in a darkened room with a wet towel on its head. Posted by melanie at January 7, 2004
Comments
David Aaronovitch said it all a couple of weeks ago. (I paraphrase) "Diana was, in a very real sense, truly the people's princess. She, it turned out, was barking - and so are we." Posted by: Laban Tall at January 7, 2004 07:27 PMI never could understand this fixation with Diana (R.I.P.) My image of her was always of an anorexic looking, spoiled, woman with a perpetual pout on her face. Posted by: Travis at January 7, 2004 09:26 PM"The country now apears to believe in lunatic conspiracy theories, that patently flawed news reports actually tell the truth if they accord with people's prejudices, and that the free world is run by people who would go to war on a self-serving whim, even at risk to their own political survival. " LOL! Hey, conspiracy theories are contagious. The US had to put up with those of the Clinton era—you all get this. Keeps people's minds off the real problems like Islamic imperialism, globalization, world hunger and AIDS, etc. Lili Perhaps I've said this before, but sometimes I think Melanie mistakes the Britain painted in the media for the real thing; its interests for theirs, and so on. There's a lot of things downright loopy in real Britain, and Melanie Phillips writes superbly about many of them. But even among those of us who're aware of them, I'll wager that second-guessing the Hutton enquiry and conspiracy theories about Princess Di aren't even in in most people's top 100 topics of conversation just now, or ever. It's only the tiny, weird circle of people who dictate what the stories of the day are deemed to be that need the darkened room and wet towel! Posted by: Simon Jones at January 8, 2004 08:33 AMSimon, Brilliantly spot on! The influence of the tabloid media, the soaps etc etc create a strangely distorted view of the real Britain as out of touch with the real one as the Hollywood and National Enquirer one is out of touch with the real America. It is something that you can appreciate a little more, I think, from afar...I've been an expat for 14 years and I really do sometimes wonder in awe at the tabloid and media reporting of some trivial stories as if they have world significance - particularly those (about celebrities etc) that appear on days when thousands of people have died in a natural disaster somewhere. Britain has to be unique in Europe in its ability to present a distorted and trivialised version of its real self through its unique and over-powerful 'popular' media. Posted by: David at January 8, 2004 02:23 PMDavid: Oh Dear. David and Simon have now teamed up with their platitutes and Panglossian optimism. Is perhaps what they would really like is for Melanie and the other hard nuts on this blog to cease pointing out the harsh realities of the subversive political chicanery that is going on, so that they can quietly change the whole nature of our culture in preparation for the socialist internationalist, multi-culti,unisexual paradise they dream of. If that is not what either of you want, then get up the sharp end, boys. It's pretty grotty out there. I am interested that you have already deserted our embattled Isles for fairer or more lucrative climes, David. Perhaps you know more than we do. Go read Reuben's last post on the 'marriage' thread. It was the coup de gras. Why are you still twitching? Posted by: at January 8, 2004 02:45 PMDear Nameless Poster, I have just a couple of comments to make in response: 1) I currently live abroad but I am a frequent visitor and I may return permanently; 2)blogs are by definition international and as you from your reading of the marriage thread the most virulent anti-gay agitprop comes from an American and two New Zealanders.... I think 'troll off' is the most appropriate response to you, given your lack of even posting a name... Posted by: David at January 8, 2004 05:20 PMMelanie, "Calm down, guys, calm down" "This country needs to lie down in a darkened room with a wet towel on its head". I think your comments are appropriate to some of the people who post on your site - particularly if you substitute 'this country' with 'these weirdo posters'...;-) yours truly not included of course...;-) Posted by: David at January 8, 2004 05:36 PMThe enthusiasm for fantastic conspiracy theories is hardly unique to Britain. Most of the islamic world seems to believe that Mossad organized 9/11. Posted by: GrimReaper at January 8, 2004 07:12 PMGrim Reaper, the Islamic world thrives on conspiracy theories... like the Jews control the world, or the Jews want to take over the world --- all 14 million of us! They forget to mention that Islam states that the only peace in the world will come with the Ummah and when the global Caliphate is established! Anything to apportion blame on everyone else but themselves! Posted by: nannette at January 8, 2004 07:33 PM |
