The
suicide of Dr. David Kelly
The
scientist who cast doubt on the Government's Dodgy Dossier putting the case
for the war in Iraq was found dead on 17 July 2003.
The
suicide of Britain's top expert on Weapons of Mass Destruction followed
a witch hunt by the Government for the source of a BBC report that the Government
had 'sexed up' its case for war.
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Kelly
had met BBC journalist Andrew Gilligan for a clandestine and unofficial
briefing. What he said is the subject of dispute, but it was clear that
the scientist thought that the New Labour had overstated the reasons to
for fearing that Iraq threatened us with weapons of mass destruction.
Gilligan
quoted his anonymous source as saying that the Government had 'sexed up'
the case for war and that the Government 'probably knew that it was untrue'
that Iraq could launch missiles tipped with biological warfare materials
within 45 minutes.
Kelly
apparently blamed Tony Blair's spinmeister Alistair Campbell for inserting
the fatuous 45 minute claim into the Government's case.
Gilligan's
report sent Campbell into a mad frenzy. He bombarded the BBC with rabid
accusations. He wrote in his diary that it would 'fuck Gilligan' if Kelly
was revealed as his source (because he was an 'expert' rather than a civil
servant). He also wrote that he wanted 'the source up.'
Kelly
was hauled before Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee where he denied
that he was 'the source.'
He was 'outed' without warning by the press office of the Ministry of Defence
in a bizarre Q&Q session with journalists. Kelly had been given assurances
by his line manager that his name would not be handed to the press.
The
MOD's permanent secretary told the BBC's diplomatic correspondent that Kelly
was 'a bit weird' and 'rather eccentric.'
Kelly's personal shame of having lied to the Foreign Affair's Committee
appears to have been what pushed him over the edge - an odd irony considering
how shamelessly the Government had dealt with the truth throughout.
The
scandal reveals the most nasty side of New Labour - how its ruthless propaganda
machine uses the apparatus of the state to crush anyone who stands in its
path. Gilligan was the primary target. Kelly's career and reputation
were 'collateral damage'
