Jon Snow interviews Alastair Campbell over Iraq WMD report being sexed up (2003)
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- Опубликовано: 11 май 2015
- 27 June 2003: Alastair Campbell's remarkable interview with Channel 4 News over the government's row with the BBC about its Iraq coverage.
The Downing Street Director of Communications was questioned live by Jon Snow, in an interview which has only increased the tension between the government and the BBC.
Mr Campbell had accused the BBC of lying, after a 'Today' report claimed he had 'sexed up' a government dossier about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.
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Remember when the media used to robustly hold the government to account? And when government officials would take interviews and robustly defend their position? Nostalgic watching this in 2021 when both media and government are far more disingenuous
No, I remember them toeing the line on the stuff they're allowed to ask about.
Did you not just witness Sky News basically destroy Liz Truss's creditability? Why are you suggesting things have changed? We have an absolute free press, any time the government screws up, reporters are outside number shouting criticism to everyone who walks out the front door
@@jakel8627 firstly, Liz Truss destroyed Liz Truss’ credibility. Secondly, Truss can attend a press conference, give the same BS answer to only 4 questions with no follow up or further scrutiny. There are good journalists asking tough questions (see the local media round) of truss but the environment is set up to not allow proper scrutiny or to expect a reasonable attempt at answering the question. Thirdly I wrote this a year ago but it’s as true then as it is now
I think the main thrust of the point here is how high quality the intellectual combat is and how high quality is the territoriality of fighting for the details between these two during a tight time frame. They both get in long reach punches that are exactly on point and it's electrifying. Then how twenty years later this seems archaic, sadly. A free press and shouting at passing ministers as they depart their office all stands, but the calibre and content of present day discourse is greatly diminished, likely due to prevalent styles of attention as informed by smartphones which were not around back then.
Hardly proves your point when Blair sent out his Spin Doctor to answer questions for him…
Watched these journalists go toe to toe live. It was electrifying. Jon Snow was superbly vociferous in his questioning and Alistair Campbell was fiercely defensive. It was completely unprecedented for an unelected official to appear on air like this. I recall the coverage in the press at the time and AC apparently just marched up to Channel 4 uninvited to make his case.
Jon snow is highly intelligent and held Alaister Campbell to ransom & rightly so I wish he could have done the same with Boris
Agreed! Can you imagine if we had that same journalistic rigour today in 2022? Not only would it be entertaining but more importantly I think we'd have better politicians as a result.
Jon Snow was compulsive viewing. None of the others are in his league. The build up and start of the Iraq War,he was the one to watch. Enjoy your retirement Jon.
Correct all round! What a special performance from a colossal liar & bully. Read Alistair Campbell by Peter Oborne. He is well out of control at this point of his role with Tony Blair. For years he forgot he wasn't the Prime Minister & this proves it.
What backing can you give for what was put forth by you with Alastair Campbell that "apparently just marched up to channel 4 uninvited to make his case? " If your unable of providing evidence in relation to what you have written, I'd refrain from such claims If I were you. You are to be held accountable for your remarks if Alastair is to be undermined the way he is with your comment.
Whatever side you're on, it's a shame we don't see this kind of debate now. Instead, we get answers to every question something like "I think what the public want to know is..." And reframe the question to some nonsense like "getting Brexit done"
Absolutely. Vague claims that rarely have any standards by which to judge. "Getting Brexit done"...And today for example (Sept 2023) "
What does that even mean? At least we (or journalists) can ask the government to account in detail for the extra £350m per week that has been poured into the NHS. Those were the days when good, solid numbers were promised.. Anyone for Red Bus to Peppa Pig World? Flying Pig World seems more accurate.
Agreed, I like Alastair but it’s good to see him. Being held to account
DR DAVID KELLY R.I.P
And Robin Cook found dead on a mountain, Blairs face when he realised he would die if he didn't go along with the war is priceless, says it all.
You know Alistair Campbell is on another level when at 3:35 he has the capacity of thought to Chuck a side dig at Blackburn Rovers as a lifelong Burnley fan. Whilst fighting the most serious of fires in his job role at the time.
Haha, so true
Oh he's another level alright. Half a million dead Iraqis, that's another level
His best friend is a War Criminal. Even though I personally like Alistair Campbell, I think his support of the War Criminal Tony Blair is a mistake.
@@MosesDeLaRoses While a valid - and now always deeply upsetting - point, I would like Alistair Campbell's ability to argue a case. He didn't take the country to war on a flimsy, fundamentally non-existent, premise. He was just the Press Officer. (Not an elected official,, which makes the interview even more curious but others discuss that aspect elsewhere.)
@@JohnPreston888A “press officer” who, though orders in council, was given the power to give orders to civil servants. For an individual to hold such power without formal office was unprecedented since the reign of Henry VII
David Kelly RIP
Blood on campbells hands
Jon Snow is a legend.
He just leads them into the web and snares them.
“And you’ve got proof of that have you?”
Jon “Funnily enough I’ve got it right here it was available years ago”
#priceless
I missed that bit. :D Do you have the timestamp? I'd really like to see it.
This Campbell needs bringing to justice not interviewed.
What a journalist! A consummate professional, he got the importance of even-handed journalism in a world of fog and spin. He always stood up to the plate (remember an apoplectic Alistair Campbell bursting into studio demanding an interview over claims of a 'sexed-up' Iraq dossier?) He was serious, but shorn of pomposity - always fun and self-effacing. Forget the war zones he used to report from, and the 'evil spin doctors in the dark', he routinely made some of the bravest sartorial choices one could imagine. His socks (and ties) were estimably loud. Long live Jon Snow! THE journalist's journalist. Truly the end of an era. I pray his replacement his as much integrity. without people like Snow you just have a cabal of vultures who are unnervingly pally with the PM, and act as the propaganda wing of Downing St. Snow was unique, had personality to spare and was steadfastly independent of the established order
I remember watching this, it was astonishing.
I have to give it to Alastair, he is so sharp in this interview, he knows and understand every detail. If only government ministers/officals were this sharp and talented today
War criminal
I think The Thick of it was built of this entire interview
Jon Snow was always at his best when shooting from the hip, and this interview is him at his finest. Campbell showing up unannounced thinking he could catch him off-guard.....Snow was having none of it. 🤣🤣🤣
Some truth in that.
Alastair Campbell will eventually wake up to his role in the immense suffering caused by his complicity in the lies regarding weapons of mass destruction. He’s a haunted man.
Interviewing Malcolm Tucker, ballsy.
Malcolm of based on Campbell pure and simple, we can see it here
Campbell has no concept of truth!
Have they found the WMD yet?
Yes. Drums of Washing Powder.
Well done Jon Snow.
Interesting to see Jon Snow clearly a bit nervous
Not a criticism, just shows how important it was
Considering that Campbell literally burst into Ch4 studios unannounced! Snow obviously was shooting from the hip and did a darn sight better job than most journalists who would have actually prepared! Snow's colleague; the appalling Guru Murthy, comes to mind!
I mean this was a month after the war started so everyone is freaking nervous 🤷🏾♂️
@@yottwr6108This was brilliant off the cuff!
Remember him on QT when Galloway called him Blair's Goebells and needed answers for David Kelly's death? The sneaky git went green
Didn't he quote Galloway's obsequious words to Saddam back at him?
Both he and Blair are Haunted. They know damn well,what they did. Campbell thinks he's untouchable,with his Spin. Jon Snow knows the real deal.
Alastair’s friends had david killed. Galloway is a wrongun but I’m sure he knows the truth on that.
From the man who did more to destroy trust in politics than any other
I'm no fan of Jon snow but to say he was the primary culprit of destroying trust in British politics is going too far.
@@Mr-Benn-1970s Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.
Are you referring to Snow or Campbell?
Jon Snow totally brilliant here
Yes Campbell the biggest spin doctor of them all
Another term for liar
He works for Israel.
Despite his comic ingenuity re Blackburn Rovers and maliciously adroit swift and powerful foot-forward self defense, Alastair Campbell fails to meet the simple logic in the questions put forward and reinforced impressively by Jon Snow. Although I'd like to be persuaded, I step away seeing Campbell as a phenomenally talented BS artist, and he leaves the impression from his maneuvering in this discussion that he was very much involved in and very clearly did have something to do with sexing up the dodgy dossier, even if for whatever foible - he appears to believe himself that's not what they did. Every point Snow puts forward, that this fight with the BBC is a distraction, that Campbell takes it personally, that a more thorough alternative process to investigate the matter was cast aside in favour of a comfortable one for the PM, that the intel was 'horlicks'... Every one remains undefeated - indeed reinforced - by Alastair Campbell's muscular ballet around the red tablecloth
Very well said
Excellent bit of prose. I do wonder if it was AC's "belief", or his job? "muscular ballet"...wonderful description. It is not his place to be interviewed to defend political decisions, but far more deserving of respect than Pledge Repitition (see Michael Spicer for more on that).
9:42 is that who I think it is? “So you are saying” 😂😂
She's quite famous for stuff other than that interview so yeah
Alastair Campbell and this generation of politician were far more intelligent than the entire Conservative Party today
Let's just ignore they were war criminals. And NEVER forget what happened to Dr David Kelly and Campbell was behind his identity as the source being outed.
Of the five Tory PMs that followed, the only one to get involved in a dubious military adventure was Cameron going into Libya to overturn Gaddafi. Libya is now such an ungovernable territory that it serves as a key staging post in trafficking people to Europe. But the Blair Campbell adventure in Iraqi produced worse outcomes such as Isis taking over from a dictator who had by Middle Eastern standards had been one of the more progressive leaders.
Never knew that the Night Watch has other responsibility like interviewing someone.......
Why is this Guy not in JAIL
Malcolm, you are now part of the story 😂
I was too young to understand what was happening at the time… can some please explain to me what reason the UK had to get involved in Iraq? Did they lie about WMDs just to take down Hussain? Why were the British public so against it?
9/11 fundamentally changed western countries foreign policies. Previously the west left the middle east alone and didn't ingage in military operations, what happened was that middle eastern dictators would use their countries as a playground for terrorists who would go on to attack the West. In the midst of all of this western intelligence agencies right around the world believed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, UN investigators were sent in to investigate and when Iraq didn't want to work with the investigators, the US grew impatient and killed Suddam. After the invasion they found no weapons of mass destruction and the debate is, was the intelligence faulty or did governments over exaggerate/lie about the intelligence.
Western countries left the Middle East alone? They occupied and ransacked it ( along with Africa ) for 2 centuries before 😂 . What terrorists were there in irAq ? Saddam was a Baathist party leader who would not have supported any form of dissent whether Islamic/ shia / Kurds and even his own members ( purge in the early part of his reign).
The war on terror was a war to attack any country america felt like. It was a war of ideologies. Look at American wars before .. Vietnam etc. and so the taliban were attacked and so was irAq for no apparent reason.
Look at Guantanamo bay? How many do the hundreds rounded up were actually sentenced? Most were found innocent and sent to 3rd countries to live a life of misery.
And if America is so pro democracy in the Middle East why didn’t it support the Bahrain revolution of 2011 for example!? And what about the authoritarian regimes still in place in the Middle East ? As long as they supply oil they will be fine.
The war on terror has indeed created many terrorists - on both sides of the divide.
@@andrewa8161
The Nigerian Yellow Cake scandal which is referred to in this interview revealed that intelligence services knew Iraq was unlikely to have Uranium but also demonstrated that UK and USA governments worked together to insist that the same evidence be interpreted to indicate the opposite. The author of the report in the CIA blew the whistle and the Bush Government sought to punish her and her Diplomat husband, successfully. Even still, we pushed forward with this WMD fabrication.
In the end, Saddam was just terrorising his own subjects, which is bad, but he had nothing to do with global terrorism. And now we have Islamic terrorist groups popping up everywhere. When we scrutinise the economic incentives (to invade Iraq) to the individuals in the Blair Government and the individuals in the Bush government, what we see is that they became billionaires at our expense and at the expense of millions of Iraqis who we killed or displaced in the conflicts that followed the invasion in 2003. The world is not a safer place now. But Blair is unbelievably wealthy.
Apparently the evidence that Tony Blair used to send the UK to war and kill UK forces personnel and Iraqis did not justify his decision. Neither did they find any justification after the war.
What actually happened was the US weren't happy that Iraq had dared to move sales of petrol from the petrodollar to the Euro. The US weren't happy as it hurt their currency. WMDs was just an excuse to get backing for an illegal invasion. Research Dr David Kelly. He's the one who outed the sexed up dossier and later died/murdered under really suspicious circumstances.
The best part of this was when Campbell was in full flow on his high horse and Jon Snow cuts him down in no uncertain terms - ruclips.net/video/GBWE7QzADe8/видео.html
Obsfucation and diversion, Campbell talks about conflating two documents but does not name them, this man is toxic.
Campbell goes on about "conflation" of dossiers - as though there were errors in one and not the other. There were errors in both. This is the key part of his spin. It's simply not true that there were "no errors of fact in the WMD dossier in September 2002", as he claims.
I wish we have journalists like Jon Snow in America. Love this guy and you better be prepared when he is on you.
You should watch Jeremy Paxman.
He was a thorn,in the side of the Establishment.
Two Titans going at it. It's so tame these days. Just client journalists.
When your explanation needs 19 million words you have lied and made a mistake... To Blairs Pitbull is a horrid job. Why hasn't Blair popped on TV and explained his story and illegal war?
Because he's too busy making millions doing interviews all around the world 😂
Slithering little snake uses one inconsistency to try and dismantle the case against him.
A gentleman would resign.
They lied, plain and simple, no mistakes just complete and utter deceit.
Hows Dr David Kelly doing? Anyone checked on him?
watching this as a non-brit with only the shadiest understanding of british politics past northern ireland is incredible and a little insane. hope u guys r okay
Oh, deary, deary me... how at odds Campbell's assertions are with the findings of the Chilcot Report.
Get Campbell to show you his “legally sane” badge
And yet both Campbell and Blair still get airtime. ..
The butchers of Baghdad...
Campbell complains he can’t finish his point but cuts Jon Snow off throughout the interview.
Blair lied. Campbell lied. A million dead in Iraq....
And yet ITV give him a job to present the news, 🤣🤣🤣🤣
This disgraceful liar continues to court life in the public eye.
If Campbell had an ounce of decency in him (he does not) he would step back from any publicity and out of people’s sight.
A despicable man with the blood of many people on his hands.
So all this has now since been admitted by the Labour party - why is this guy still walking about, in full view, giving his opinions on the media of today?
Ahh memories....when C4's Jon Snow was actually a real journalist soley intent on doing his job.
He wrote the dossier
Last of the great questioners
Alistair Campbell- the only one in the uk with a certificate to prove he is sane...w⚓️
S*** got real with this interview, thank you Jon Snow legend 👏
This man is a horror of a human being
Sebastian Hall who Jon Snow? I agree.
Jon Snow? Yes!
Yes
was this before Dr David Kelly went for a walk........?
let me say this about that. I'm not going to say anything about that. I will however say this.
Back when the media actually held the government to account, these days they just let them run wild
Well he was clearly lying.
straight-up wrong-un
Alastair Campbell is holding an unsharpened pencil, it has no point
Clash of the Titans.
Iraq was a horrific blunder
If they wanted to remove saddam they didnt need to obliterate the people
They just opened pandoras box nuff said
Alastair Campbell - Israel’s man on the inside.
But aren't labour anti semitic?
Out! Out! Out! Damn Spot! But the blood lay thick on the floor and up the walls and flowed out until it covered the very country itself . . .
This Evil Man has blood on his hands 💯
❤️🇬🇧
Venomous snake still at large in our country. We'll done John Snow!
Probably came straight from the pub
They knew Iraq has no WMD. Blood is on their hands.
If only the BBC hadn't caved under Campbell's right-wing, authoritarian pressure.
When the BBC did real journalism? Rip journalism.
Slimy arrogant man, he and Blair have a lot to answer for. RIP Dr David Kelly, and all the lads and lasses and innocents that got killed or maimed in the Iraqi war, well done Jon Snow
And those in iraq who died. The Iraqi children etc. sad all round
Campbell is a snake, a deadly snake, a blake mamba.
Sorry, of course I meant Prime Minister Blair!
You can always tell when Campbell is lying....his lips are moving
No, your thinking of Boris Johnson
Alistair Campbell what a CLOWN
Sorry guys,,, but Campbell schooled him here
he wasn't fit for government #hot head
Slimy Alistair would be a great Bond villain as he's a shifty character who was Blair's crony and did his dirty work
You all called Boris a liar this was his Teacher, he's very good
Boris was lying as far back as a child
Now we know there were no WMD...so what is Alistair trying to defend..???
A client of mine flew in the raf over Iraq after the war... he said he saw no evidence of wmd.. just a few military outdated buildings of which the plans were available readily...
Its 2022 and the actions of the Labour party and this man and his wars are still very much being felt today, mass terrorsim in Europe, mass refugees puring into Europe, huge debts, still people being killed in wars that were started in neighbouring countries.
I will never forget what Labour did.
Keep voting Tory you clown.
I'd rather my mother froze to death through Tory austerity than vote Labour, blah, blah, blah.
You one of those voters?
New Labour had the fortunate to come into power as the economy was picking up again. To gain voters trust they continued with Tory policies which helped the economy to grow. But then they joined the Cheney /Rumsfeld crusade into Iraq and duffed up the economy leaving the country in an awful state n 2010. That said, this time the Tories look like leaving a big mess for Labour to sort out next year. If Iraq was about Labour lying to the country, Brexit was about the Tories lying to it.
Most of the Conservative MPs at the time voted for it as well though
@@riverscumo Oh this old chestnut again. Glad you're completely ignoring Parliament was lied to about the reasons to go to war.
But yeah you keep ignoring that little fact....so not only did Labour take us to war they lied about why.
How pathetic you must be to justify them starting wars
Jon Snow .. I have so much respect for man.
I legit thought this would be a shitpost where this Alastair will be cut into GOT episodes where Jon Snow speaks with sir Alastair.
Campbell has always been a problem . . .
However deep and dark the depths of depression Campbell personally sinks to they will never be deep enough or dark enough to justify his pivotal role in the Iraq war.
This is a Narrasist %100
2:21 a liar in full flow, look at the eyes and the clever use of words.
What do you mean?
come on guys, we are just talking about hundreds of thousands of assassinations, a dodgy PM, Oil business and the success of a tyrant Kosher state... Lets talk about gardening and tea instead.
never trust a Campbell
Campbell can dish it out but he is incredibly thin skinned.
Like all bullies.
He is calling out the impotence of the British media
I would say that Campbell started the demise of BBC journalism. His threats created fear in the upper echelons of the BBC and the conservative government continued that pressure
This low life snake in the grass
hanif bangi - I agree, John snow did is a low life asking such stupid questions! At least Alastair dealt with him!
@@dommidavros2211yeah! Damn right
First of all, great interview - very robust from both sides, yet respectful. Second, I have no idea who was right about that issue in 2003, but I went on Wikipedia to read about the then-BBC journalist that accused Campbell and that was accused by Campbell, and it turns out that, after leaving the BBC, he worked only for right-wing journals and then became Boris Johnson's advisor. Plus, it seems like his major investigative reports were always against Labour politicians. So... Maybe Campbell was right.
No the Iraq inquiry has since proven that Campell instructed staff to have the dossier be altered to "one that complements rather than conflicts with" US claims. Despite knowing these changes were inaccurate lies.
THRUST ME MY NAME IS ALASTAIR CAMPBELL SIDE KICK TO THE MAN OF WAR BLAIR😶🌫😶🌫😇😇😇
Listening to Alastair's diaries on audible at the moment - completely fascinating.
How so?
@@johermeah7787 I guess it opened my eyes to what went on during that time in politics, such as the massive efforts to do something about the situation in Ireland leading up to the Good Friday Agreement. Also their relationship with Princess Diana I found interesting. And learning a bit about what it is like being part of a general election campaign. It's worth a listen but the book is no doubt a lot better as this is abridged.
@@katytaylor681 An election cycle seems like carnage from the outside, as a member of the general public. Must be more so for those internally! Thanks for the recommendation
Malcolm tucker.
This man and his mate Blair are the biggest gangsters to ever run Britain.
Have you ever heard of the conservative party