Comments on: Norman Kember http://downingstreetsays.com/briefings/2006/03/23/2529 Every day the Prime Minister's Spokesman meets a small coterie of political journalists known as 'the lobby' for a topical chat, or 'briefing'. Fri, 09 Jan 2009 01:28:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.2 By: Michael McCarthy http://downingstreetsays.com/briefings/2006/03/23/2529#comment-4177 Michael McCarthy Mon, 27 Mar 2006 14:40:13 +0000 http://downingstreetsays.com/briefings/2006/03/23/2529#comment-4177 It's not clear whether the British army was operating essentially as a taxi service to pick up Norman Kember from an empty house after a tip-off, in which case all the claims about our boys risking their lives in a joint operation mounted at vast expense to save him from the consequences of his own irresponsibility would be, shall we say, excessive. The fact that Kember's kidnappers were nowhere to be found when his place of captivity was entered strongly suggests that they had decided that there was nothing much to be gained by holding him further, and tipped off the army to taxi him home. Clearly, peacemakers are a great irritation to professional soldiers, especially when they are eye-witnesses to the kind of bloody chaos which Blair's invasion of Iraq has precipitated. Especially irritating if they unaccountably fail to observe the British establishment\x92s requirement that members of the US/UK occupation force are at all times to be regarded as heroes, while those Iraqis who are not content to collaborate with the occupation are fanatics and ingrates who don\x92t even deserve to have the bodies of their dead counted. Kember should indeed be grateful - that he wasn't killed too, as inconvenient journalists have been, to say nothing of thousands of inconvenient Iraqis. But then, do they really expect to be able to control our oil supplies just because the oil happens to be located under their country? It’s not clear whether the British army was operating essentially as a taxi service to pick up Norman Kember from an empty house after a tip-off, in which case all the claims about our boys risking their lives in a joint operation mounted at vast expense to save him from the consequences of his own irresponsibility would be, shall we say, excessive. The fact that Kember’s kidnappers were nowhere to be found when his place of captivity was entered strongly suggests that they had decided that there was nothing much to be gained by holding him further, and tipped off the army to taxi him home.

Clearly, peacemakers are a great irritation to professional soldiers, especially when they are eye-witnesses to the kind of bloody chaos which Blair’s invasion of Iraq has precipitated. Especially irritating if they unaccountably fail to observe the British establishment\x92s requirement that members of the US/UK occupation force are at all times to be regarded as heroes, while those Iraqis who are not content to collaborate with the occupation are fanatics and ingrates who don\x92t even deserve to have the bodies of their dead counted.

Kember should indeed be grateful - that he wasn’t killed too, as inconvenient journalists have been, to say nothing of thousands of inconvenient Iraqis. But then, do they really expect to be able to control our oil supplies just because the oil happens to be located under their country?

]]> By: Chuck Unsworth http://downingstreetsays.com/briefings/2006/03/23/2529#comment-4172 Chuck Unsworth Sat, 25 Mar 2006 14:54:30 +0000 http://downingstreetsays.com/briefings/2006/03/23/2529#comment-4172 What credibility does Allawi actually have? He's a puppet! And it's such a shame that Kember has apparently not expressed his delight and gratitude on his rescue to those who got him out of captivity. Note also that the PMOS did not actually confirm that Iraqi forces were involved..... A simple Yes or No would do. What credibility does Allawi actually have? He’s a puppet!

And it’s such a shame that Kember has apparently not expressed his delight and gratitude on his rescue to those who got him out of captivity.

Note also that the PMOS did not actually confirm that Iraqi forces were involved….. A simple Yes or No would do.

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