The C-Word

The day after last week’s rant about David Milliband’s links Sovereign Strategy, Blair announced that nuclear power was back on the agenda “with a vengeance.” For those are following Sovereign Strategy and its role in shaping energy policy in Britain, I feel I ought point out that Blair has been to several Sovereign Strategy events. I am not suggesting that there is anything unexpected about him doing this; I am just mentioning it here because aside from Robert Winnett, no one in the mainstream media seems to think this is significant.

The lack of media coverage of the corporate forces helping to drive Blair going nuclear is not in itself a conspiracy. The C-word is a strong one and I do not use it often because nine times out of ten, a combination of cock-up and cover-up is by far the most likely and rational explanation – even for events happening in the shadows.

In this case, I do not think the lack of reporting on the financial power being used to ensure Blair, Milliband and other decision makers take Britain along the route of a new nuclear programme is down to anything other than journalistic realities. These include plain old hack laziness as well as the widespread reduction in specialist reporting staff with sufficient editorial time and support to follow a complex story beyond the pressure of deadlines.

In the average 21st century newsroom environment, the type of research a good conspiracy theorist would need to do to expose links between Blair’s people, Sovereign strategy, the American nuclear companies it is working for and the US Department of Defence is just not viewed as financially viable. I know it is the last thing many conspirologists want to hear, but the reason the truth does not make the news is much of the time really is down to something banal as budgetary constraints.