Joesoef
29-08-04, 09:12
Ex-chef BBC haalt uit naar Blair en eigen bestuur
Uitgegeven: 29 augustus 2004 08:56
Laatst gewijzigd: 29 augustus 2004 08:58
LONDEN - Greg Dyke, de voormalige algemeen directeur van de BBC, haalt hard uit naar premier Tony Blair, diens voormalige 'spindoctor' Alastair Campbell en het bestuur van de Britse omroep naar aanleiding van de berichtgeving over de oorlog in Irak. Dat blijkt uit Dyke's nieuwe boek 'Inside Story', waarvan zondag fragmenten staan te lezen in de Britse kranten The Observer en Mail on Sunday.
"We zijn allemaal bedrogen", zo schrijft Dyke over de argumenten van Blair om een oorlog tegen Irak te rechtvaardigen. "De geschiedenis zal uitwijzen dat het hele verhaal een groot politiek schandaal was."
Dyke trad af als chef van de BBC nadat een commissie onder leiding van Lord Hutton tot de conclusie was gekomen dat Blair en zijn medewerkers de Iraakse dreiging niet opzettelijk hadden overdreven om de oorlog te rechtvaardigen.
'Gestoorde, wraakzuchtige klootzak'
Campbell, volgens Dyke een "gestoorde, wraakzuchtige klootzak", zou in opdracht van Blair alles hebben gedaan om de BBC zwart te maken. Blairs communicatieadviseur, die vorig jaar terugtrad, eiste voortdurend dat er bij de BBC koppen zouden rollen.
Dat het bestuur van de BBC hieraan na Huttons rapport heeft toegegeven en zich uitgebreid begon te verontschuldigen tegen de regering vergelijkt Dyke met "het gedrag van bange konijnen".
David Kelly
De strijd tussen de BBC en de Britse regering begon na een BBC-documentaire in mei 2003 waarin de wapendeskundige David Kelly verklaarde dat Blair de Iraakse dreiging had "aangedikt" door te beweren dat Saddam Hussein binnen 45 minuten massavernietigingswapens kon afschieten. Kelly pleegde later zelfmoord. De journalist die de documentaire had gemaakt, David Gilligan, nam dit jaar ontslag.
Watergate-affaire
Dyke trekt in 'Inside Story' een parallel tussen de regeerperiodes van Blair en de voormalige Amerikaanse president Richard Nixon, die moest aftreden na de Watergate-affaire. "Ze zien het alsof je voor of tegen ze bent. En als je tegen ze ingaat, dan ben je voor hen de vijand."
Dyke accuses Blair over Iraq war
The BBC's former director general Greg Dyke has made a scathing attack on Downing Street over the Iraq war and its treatment of the BBC.
In the Mail on Sunday, Mr Dyke accuses Tony Blair of either being incompetent or lying to Parliament about the war in Iraq and weapons of mass destruction.
It comes as Mr Dyke publishes his memoirs, in which he claims the prime minister tried to bully the BBC.
Downing Street refused to comment in detail on the claims in Mr Dyke's book.
What is really frightening is that Blair still doesn't believe or understand that what he did was fundamentally wrong
Greg Dyke
Former BBC director general
A spokesman said: "Greg Dyke is entitled to his view. We don't share it. There have already been four thorough inquiries and we have nothing to add."
Mr Dyke was forced to resign in January after the Hutton report concluded the BBC had been wrong to claim the government "sexed up" its dossier on Iraq's weapons.
In his book Inside Story, serialised in The Observer and the Mail on Sunday, Mr Dyke attacks Mr Blair personally over the affair.
He writes: "He was either incompetent and took Britain to war on a misunderstanding or he lied when he told the House of Commons he didn't know what the 45-minute claim meant."
He goes on: "We were all duped. What is really frightening is that Blair still doesn't believe or understand that what he did was fundamentally wrong."
Campbell 'obsessed'
Mr Dyke claims the prime minister "unleashed the dogs" on the BBC after it was heavily criticised by Lord Hutton.
He accuses Mr Blair of reneging on an earlier promise that no heads should roll at the corporation over the row.
He also says Mr Blair forced his communications director Alastair Campbell to leave Downing Street because he was "out of control" and "obsessed" with his battle to beat the BBC.
Mr Dyke publishes letters from Mr Blair which he claims show how the government tried to "bully" the BBC into changing its coverage in the run-up to the Iraq war.
In one letter sent to former chairman of the BBC board of governors Gavyn Davies, Mr Blair says: "It seems to me there has been a real breakdown of the separation of news and comment."
Mr Dyke says the six governors still on the board who forced him to resign should quit themselves, saying they panicked "like frightened rabbits" under pressure from Downing Street.
The BBC's media correspondent Nick Higham said the prime minister could point to the Hutton and Butler inquiries, both of which cleared him.
And former Downing Street advisor Tim Allan said he was not impressed by Mr Dyke's attack on the government or by his defence of the BBC's reporting.
'Take responsibility'
He said: "The facts are that they broadcast a story that wasn't true.
"He [Greg Dyke] defended it without even the most basic editorial checks and, even now, he's failing to face up to his responsibilities.
"It was him that led the BBC into the biggest crisis in its history. He needs to take his responsibility seriously."
Andrew Gilligan, whose claim in a BBC Radio 4 report that the government knew its dossier on Iraq was wrong sparked the row, spoke out earlier on Saturday.
He strongly criticised the government, the BBC's governors and Lord Hutton in a speech at the Edinburgh Television Festival.
Mr Gilligan criticised the "over-reaction" of BBC governors, who "turned a crisis into a disaster" by sacking Greg Dyke.
He warned the BBC was in danger of being "cowed" as a result of the Hutton report's criticism.
Lord Hutton's inquiry was prompted by the suicide of Dr David Kelly, the source for Mr Gilligan's report.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk/3609072.stm
Uitgegeven: 29 augustus 2004 08:56
Laatst gewijzigd: 29 augustus 2004 08:58
LONDEN - Greg Dyke, de voormalige algemeen directeur van de BBC, haalt hard uit naar premier Tony Blair, diens voormalige 'spindoctor' Alastair Campbell en het bestuur van de Britse omroep naar aanleiding van de berichtgeving over de oorlog in Irak. Dat blijkt uit Dyke's nieuwe boek 'Inside Story', waarvan zondag fragmenten staan te lezen in de Britse kranten The Observer en Mail on Sunday.
"We zijn allemaal bedrogen", zo schrijft Dyke over de argumenten van Blair om een oorlog tegen Irak te rechtvaardigen. "De geschiedenis zal uitwijzen dat het hele verhaal een groot politiek schandaal was."
Dyke trad af als chef van de BBC nadat een commissie onder leiding van Lord Hutton tot de conclusie was gekomen dat Blair en zijn medewerkers de Iraakse dreiging niet opzettelijk hadden overdreven om de oorlog te rechtvaardigen.
'Gestoorde, wraakzuchtige klootzak'
Campbell, volgens Dyke een "gestoorde, wraakzuchtige klootzak", zou in opdracht van Blair alles hebben gedaan om de BBC zwart te maken. Blairs communicatieadviseur, die vorig jaar terugtrad, eiste voortdurend dat er bij de BBC koppen zouden rollen.
Dat het bestuur van de BBC hieraan na Huttons rapport heeft toegegeven en zich uitgebreid begon te verontschuldigen tegen de regering vergelijkt Dyke met "het gedrag van bange konijnen".
David Kelly
De strijd tussen de BBC en de Britse regering begon na een BBC-documentaire in mei 2003 waarin de wapendeskundige David Kelly verklaarde dat Blair de Iraakse dreiging had "aangedikt" door te beweren dat Saddam Hussein binnen 45 minuten massavernietigingswapens kon afschieten. Kelly pleegde later zelfmoord. De journalist die de documentaire had gemaakt, David Gilligan, nam dit jaar ontslag.
Watergate-affaire
Dyke trekt in 'Inside Story' een parallel tussen de regeerperiodes van Blair en de voormalige Amerikaanse president Richard Nixon, die moest aftreden na de Watergate-affaire. "Ze zien het alsof je voor of tegen ze bent. En als je tegen ze ingaat, dan ben je voor hen de vijand."
Dyke accuses Blair over Iraq war
The BBC's former director general Greg Dyke has made a scathing attack on Downing Street over the Iraq war and its treatment of the BBC.
In the Mail on Sunday, Mr Dyke accuses Tony Blair of either being incompetent or lying to Parliament about the war in Iraq and weapons of mass destruction.
It comes as Mr Dyke publishes his memoirs, in which he claims the prime minister tried to bully the BBC.
Downing Street refused to comment in detail on the claims in Mr Dyke's book.
What is really frightening is that Blair still doesn't believe or understand that what he did was fundamentally wrong
Greg Dyke
Former BBC director general
A spokesman said: "Greg Dyke is entitled to his view. We don't share it. There have already been four thorough inquiries and we have nothing to add."
Mr Dyke was forced to resign in January after the Hutton report concluded the BBC had been wrong to claim the government "sexed up" its dossier on Iraq's weapons.
In his book Inside Story, serialised in The Observer and the Mail on Sunday, Mr Dyke attacks Mr Blair personally over the affair.
He writes: "He was either incompetent and took Britain to war on a misunderstanding or he lied when he told the House of Commons he didn't know what the 45-minute claim meant."
He goes on: "We were all duped. What is really frightening is that Blair still doesn't believe or understand that what he did was fundamentally wrong."
Campbell 'obsessed'
Mr Dyke claims the prime minister "unleashed the dogs" on the BBC after it was heavily criticised by Lord Hutton.
He accuses Mr Blair of reneging on an earlier promise that no heads should roll at the corporation over the row.
He also says Mr Blair forced his communications director Alastair Campbell to leave Downing Street because he was "out of control" and "obsessed" with his battle to beat the BBC.
Mr Dyke publishes letters from Mr Blair which he claims show how the government tried to "bully" the BBC into changing its coverage in the run-up to the Iraq war.
In one letter sent to former chairman of the BBC board of governors Gavyn Davies, Mr Blair says: "It seems to me there has been a real breakdown of the separation of news and comment."
Mr Dyke says the six governors still on the board who forced him to resign should quit themselves, saying they panicked "like frightened rabbits" under pressure from Downing Street.
The BBC's media correspondent Nick Higham said the prime minister could point to the Hutton and Butler inquiries, both of which cleared him.
And former Downing Street advisor Tim Allan said he was not impressed by Mr Dyke's attack on the government or by his defence of the BBC's reporting.
'Take responsibility'
He said: "The facts are that they broadcast a story that wasn't true.
"He [Greg Dyke] defended it without even the most basic editorial checks and, even now, he's failing to face up to his responsibilities.
"It was him that led the BBC into the biggest crisis in its history. He needs to take his responsibility seriously."
Andrew Gilligan, whose claim in a BBC Radio 4 report that the government knew its dossier on Iraq was wrong sparked the row, spoke out earlier on Saturday.
He strongly criticised the government, the BBC's governors and Lord Hutton in a speech at the Edinburgh Television Festival.
Mr Gilligan criticised the "over-reaction" of BBC governors, who "turned a crisis into a disaster" by sacking Greg Dyke.
He warned the BBC was in danger of being "cowed" as a result of the Hutton report's criticism.
Lord Hutton's inquiry was prompted by the suicide of Dr David Kelly, the source for Mr Gilligan's report.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk/3609072.stm