[PEN-L:36127] Blair spins against Bush

[Chris Burford <cburford@xxxxxxxxxx>]

At 2003-03-25 21:46 +0000, I wrote:
>  Bush fails to back Blair


I think I got this a little wrong. I think this is a very clever typical
Alistair Campbell spin. I am not being paranoid I am just being vigilant.

The Brits just managed to have the information about the summit ready for
the Newsnight programme two nights ago, when they had Geoff Hoon on and it
became apparent (to me IMHO!) that the coalition strategy cannot work. They
are careful to say that the story about the summit first broke in the USA.
That is easy to arrange.

This am the Downing Street reporter was extremely well briefed about how
difficult this meeting was going to be for nice Tony: how Tony really wants
the UN involved in the peace keeping process, and George does not. and how
important the Road Map is. Claire Short is being given prominence  to
provide another focus and a human interest story about the dilemmas of a
tortured conscience while we struggle for rehabilitation of a country we
are actually devastating.

And this morning British industrial spokespersons are well on queue with
information about how not one nice British company has been given one
contract for the rebuilding of Iraq, and how they have all gone to the US.
How it is not really fair  or dignified that we have generously been
allowed to bid to subcontract. And how nice Patricia Hewitt has done her
best from the Department of Trade and Industry, and we all have to hope
that Tony will have a not so quiet word with George.

The point of the spinning is this. Blair never suffered ever from
confronting the left wing in his party, because he is expert at framing the
agenda and has Campbell to manage the spin. It only added to his authority.
The British government is now tacking a little bit back towards
mid-Atlantic, and if you analyse it is spinning against Bush. It will
bolster, not undermine, Tony's standing. He gets the best of both worlds.
He remains central to the agenda.

He is also thinking ahead to an exit strategy, which Bush has not got. That
weakens Bush's position however condescending he appears at the moment.

But lets see if the Guardian group provide any corroboration of my hunch.

Chris Burford
London