[BBKing]

the Iraq war being just one example

Which, as far as I know, was never voted on or officially part of any manifesto but which did attract the largest demonstration in modern British history. If, say, pro-hanging campaigners or people who think fuel tax should be reduced can get off their backsides and out on the street in those numbers I'll take them seriously. Till then, if the only evidence that '

Now why would you think that?

I was asking you, since it seemed rather an incredible conclusion, but one which seemed to be implied by your previous comment.

BTW it may have escaped you

It may have escaped you that I'm a printed author in a slim volume specifically attacking Tony Blair's record.

maybe they would have more chance of telling the truth if our leaders managed to obtain and provide credible information in the first place

Um. I think, if you read Nick Davies' pieces, that they're not actually interested in the truth any more. It's people like Chris Ames and the New Statesman, or Private Eye that do proper holding-to-account style journalism, despite the big boys being ostensibly much better resourced. Given that, what's the point reading them, if they're stuffed full of recycled press releases, planted stories by intelligence agencies and stuff that's just plain made up. There are *better alternatives* to the mainstream press, is the point, so why do people *still* keep reading them, getting angry and coming on here saying 'I read this in the paper and now I'm bloody angry'?

At least when I get angry (which is frequently) it's because of something genuine, like Straw's lies over rendition, George W Bush not being impeached yet, BAA's third runway plans, the DfT's prejudice against railway electrification or even the bureaucratic cockup at Hounslow council that's allowed O2 to exploit a bit of highly biased planning law to put up a blasted mast despite the local community objecting and the council upholding that objection...