Almost everyone assumes, whether they are pro or anti, that Britain will go to war against Iraq. President Bush seems set on invasion whatever Hans Blix and his team of inspectors do or do not find. Tony Blair would appear certain to follow: the Foreign Office believes that at least a token presence is necessary if we wish to retain our status as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and to feed the illusion that we are still a second-rank world power; while Blair cannot easily resist the blandishments and endearments of George W. But there remains the little matter of British public opinion. Could even Mr Blair go to war if 60 or 65 per cent of people were opposed? Probably not. It follows that public opinion must be softened up. We have to be conditioned into believing that war is both inevitable and just, and that it forms part of a wider strategy against the forces of international terrorism. And the message is delivered via our dear, compliant media.
Much of the press needs no persuasion. The Sun and the Daily Telegraph have made up their minds that Saddam Hussein is harbouring weapons of mass destruction which he intends to use against us at any moment. But even the newspapers which harbour doubts (e.g. the Daily Mail) or are openly opposed (the Daily Mirror and the Guardian) are sucked into the plot. For months we have been treated to stories variously leaked by Downing Street, the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defence about the probable involvement of Our Boys. I have lost count of the number of graphics I have studied which show pictures of imaginary British planes, ships and troops in the Gulf, each identified by a small Union Flag.
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