Comment at end
28th June, 2009
TONY BLAIR VISITS GAZA – OR IRAQ (WITH SPENT ROCKETS TO PROVE IT)
Except the picture was taken in Sderot, ISRAEL and shows Hamas-launched rockets which landed in Israel.
In case The Mirror accidently falls over its conscience and admits it made a mistake I thought I’d do them the honour of copying all of their article today, and pasting it here, just for the record. I failed to do so, regrettably, in the case of Lord Ahmed’s threat of “10,000 Muslims marching on Parliament”. This disappeared off the internet shortly after it was posted, and was then denied by Ahmed. Just in case this happens again, I have pasted below The Mirror’s misleading picture and article as it appears right now at 4:00pm, Sunday 28th June, 2009.
I had an e-mail from someone suggesting that it is WORSE than it looks.
It looks as though Tony Blair is standing in front of used weaponry IN IRAQ, given that the whole article is about Iraq.
Good point.
My original dispute as in the earlier post was that it implies, if you look at the picture’s name, that it was taken in Gaza. (You have to hover over the Mirror’s picture to see what they had named it - Tony_Blair_visits_gaza_pic_Getty_877785464.jpg)
Of course the average internet browser would NOT think of doing this. Most people would put two and two together, in the usual way, and get five, concluding …
The article is about Iraq – thus, so is the picture.
A double whammy of lies.
So, it’s even worse than it looks.
Apologies due to Mr Blair, The Mirror?
Article from The Mirror follows:
Tony Blair and Gordon Brown to blame over Iraq war, says Army report
By Rupert Hamer 28/06/2009
A secret report by Army bosses to be presented to the Iraq war inquiry blames Tony Blair and Gordon Brown for the botched occupation of the country.
The dossier – prepared for ex-military chief General Sir Mike Jackson – criticises then Chancellor Mr Brown for withholding funds to rebuild Basra for FIVE months after our troops went in. And the 100-page document attacks Mr Blair for “uncritically” accepting flawed US plans for the March 2003 invasion, which led to tens of thousands of deaths, including those of 179 British troops.
The report – Stability Operations in Iraq – will not be officially made public because the inquiry’s head, Sir John Chilcot, ruled all documents will remain secret.
But the contents have been leaked to the Sunday Mirror.
We can reveal that a lack of cash for the operation meant British troops sent to fight in Iraq:
Used mobile phones to communicate in combat because radios did not work.
Were forced to leave wounded soldiers on the battlefield for an average of two-and-half hours before getting them to a field hospital.
Needed more “spy in the sky” aircraft to track rebel fighters.
Lacked machine guns, night- vision equipment and grenade launchers when protecting supply convoys.
Were in danger of breaching the Geneva Convention by having so few resources. The convention says occupiers must provide vital services such as humanitarian aid and water.
In a broadside at the then PM Mr Blair, the report says the battle for the hearts and minds of ordinary Iraqis was lost because of a lack of planning and the five-month delay in starting to rebuild their country.
It says: “The failures to plan… seriously hindered Coalition chances of stabilising post-Saddam Iraq. The lack of improvements to essential services and the standard of living together with disorder meant many locals who were ’sitting on the fence’ were not persuaded to support the Coalition.”
It was only after riots in Basra in August 2003 that Mr Brown agreed to release £500million for reconstruction work, the report says.
And it contradicts six years of Government spin which claimed ordinary Iraqis backed the “liberation”, saying troops “found themselves fighting insurgents without clear support (from local people)”.
MOST DAMNING CONCLUSIONS:
Flawed US plans were rubberstamped by Blair
Brown blocked vital funding for five months
It took mass rioting in Basra to make him pay up
Chaos lost us the battle for Iraqi hearts & minds
Tags: Gaza picture, Hamas rockets used against Israel, Iraq, lies from the Mirror, rockets fired from Gaza into Israel, Sderot Israel, Sderot picture of Tony Blair with spent rockets fired into Israel, Sderot picure of Tony Blair in front of used rockets, The Mirror, Tony Blair
July 4, 2009 at 12:38 am |
[...] There may be some political and/or personal empathic thoughts flying through the ether in this photograph. I couldn’t possibly comment. But pictures paint a thousand words SO much better than mere letters, as The Mirror mendaciously noticed recently. [...]
November 23, 2009 at 9:58 pm |
[...] in Sderot, Israel, and is of weapons used from Gaza to attack Israel. Just thought Id keep the record straight AGAIN as I did in June – for the slow of learning. I expect the Mirror to continue to retell this lie until [...]