Shawcross's 'satire'
From Rod Liddle Sir: A majority of readers, I suspect, will view the argument that Iraq is better off as a result of our invasion because fewer Iraqis are dying as a result of sanctions as the argument of a thug or an idiot. Even the British and US governments haven't been so callous or hypocritical as to advance such a justification for the war. However, we should remember that the thesis was brewed in the mind of William Shawcross and is therefore most likely a form of satire.
It was William who, on the fall of Baghdad, heralded Iraq's 'eternal spring' with these words: 'April 9th — Liberation Day! What a wonderful, magnificent, emotional occasion — one that will live in legend like the fall of the Bastille, VE Day or the fall of the Berlin Wall.' That, I guess, was satire too. However, on the off chance that he was serious, I ought to point out that the figures of Iraqi dead which I quoted and which he doubted came from that font of surrender-monkey appeasement, the Pentagon. Maybe William should heed
the words that concluded a review of his most recent book: 'If Shawcross's argument was better supported with clear facts and reasoning, his case might be a bit more convincing.'
Rod Liddle
Heytsbury, Wiltshire
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