Thursday 21 April
This was the second day of the bus tour of the constituency, but I have only a hazy idea of how it went because Martin Bell was in charge, and he has dropped his laptop and can't write. He has since been sacked as deputy press officer.
Not.
The bus toured the outlying areas and the south of the constituency which is rural and in places quite beautiful. The sun shone and the candidate and team came back with a tan.
I stay in the office and try to get the presser out for tomorrow by 4pm. In the end I have to stick a notice on my door saying 'please go away', only less politely.
Two more bereaved parents, Rose Gentle and John Miller, are coming to support Reg tomorrow. Margaret Cook is coming too.
It seems that Blair has finally given up, in the Paxman interview, on the WMD excuse, and the convoluted saga of 'intelligence' he needed to back it up. I don't blame him - it was so threadbare and ridiculous and unconvincing that it's probably better to pretend it never happened. Pretending something never happened, or that if it did it doesn't really matter, is an intriguing new branch of government.
Tomorrow's presser runs on "bereaved parents slam Blair for 'regime change' change" - an awkward heading perhaps, but reflecting the genuine anger of those who went to war (and the families of those who didn't come back) for what they believed was the protection of their country. To some of us the war was wrong right from its inception - but to others, who believed what their government told them, it was a just and necessary war. They are now very angry. This is one of Blair's problems in this constituency, and in the country as a whole.
John Miller, whose son Simon died with Tom Keys, reacts to Blair's new justification by saying 'he said he couldn't sit on the fence and let Saddam continue in power - but he didn't, he hid behind it while our sons were sent over the top to their deaths.'
Press conference 22 April.David Shayler and Annie Machon call in for a discussion - it's good to meet them. We discuss the imminent disclosure of another of Blair's illegal actions in his attempt to bully the country into accepting the attack on Iraq. Watch this space.
Only one broadsheet story (in the Telegraph) has emerged so far from Wednesday's press outing - a good story with a misleading title written by a sub who didn't read the text properly. Perhaps s/he has been sacked too.
Angie has installed a wonderful device on the website - a Google news link which means anyone can check for Reg Keys items. If you follow the links you can also have them delivered to your in-box as they happen. Amazing.
Later in the evening we hear that Hans von Sponek, one of the two UN officials (the other was Dennis Halliday) who resigned on principle from leading the UN Food for Oil programme in Iraq under sanctions, would like to meet Reg and will take part in the press con. Great.
- ©Reg Keys, 2005 -
