Terry Jones on Emperor Blair's new clothes

[T_i_B]

http://argument.independent.co.uk/commentators/story.jsp?story=486587

Lord Hutton has finally published his long-awaited report into the Emperor's New Clothes. Speculation in the media that the Emperor has been walking around stark naked for the past few months has finally been put to rest. Lord Hutton concludes that not only has there been no duplicity whatsoever on the part of the manufacturers of the clothes, but that there has been no hint of gullibility on the part of the Emperor or any of his ministers, officers of state or indeed anyone associated with the Emperor.

Indeed Lord Hutton goes on to stress that it is perfectly obvious for all to see that the Emperor's New Clothes are of excellent workmanship, that they have been cut to fit the Emperor perfectly and that they are made of the very finest materials - including top quality satin with rare silk linings and intricate lace cuffs. The colours, he says, are remarkable

Singled out for particular criticism in the report is a small child who claimed that he could see the Emperor as naked as the day that he was born. Lord Hutton states that the child had no factual evidence for making this statement, and that the claim amounted to a "very grave" attack upon the credibility and dignity of the Emperor and, indeed, upon all his ministers of state and advisers. In future no small children should be allowed to make unsubstantiated statements of fact detrimental to the Emperor that are not based on solid research and verified by a parliamentary sub-committee and by at least two law lords nominated by the Emperor.

Reaction to Lord Hutton's report has been divided. The Emperor's staff are said to be ecstatic, and the Emperor himself has stated that "the lie that I was walking around without any clothes on has now been proved to be the real lie". Outside the Emperor's immediate circle, however, some fear that the long-term effect of Lord Hutton's work may be to bring into disrepute the whole system of public inquiries and to reduce to a laughing stock the idea of getting an elderly law lord to turn a serious and important matter of public debate into an all-out attack on the Emperor's critics.

[DODI]

1. I hope someday there is a collection put together of Jones' commentaries

[thebigidea]

4. there has been one already...

I found it in a used bookstore, "Attacks of Opinion" or somesuch. I may have it wrong, early Guardian columns that are wonderful - but not nearly as good as his current work.

In conclusion, I second the hope!

[T_i_B]

5. He did write for the UK Observer

We wrote occasional columms for them which were very much lapped up on DU. However, he seems to have jumped ship to the Independent, no doubt due to the Observer's increasingly Blairite slant at present.

[salinen]

2. Oh hey everybody

Chimp is innocent, I just heard Cheney and Rumsfeld say so.

[loftycity]

3. That was great!

Still wish I lived there instead of this nutter place.
Oh, would Gore Vidal love that one..