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UK: Blunkett denies "spinning" cannabis news

Reuters

Tuesday 23 Oct 2001

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LONDON (Reuters) - Home Secretary David Blunkett has denied the government
sneaked out controversial plans to soften cannabis laws amid bigger news
about Northern Ireland, but admits ministers are "obsessed" with spin.

As the IRA entered a historic new era by putting its arsenal of weapons
beyond use, Blunkett announced to a parliamentary committee on Tuesday that
he wanted to stop police arrests for cannabis possession and allow the
drug's use as a medicine.

Blunkett's statement coincided with a Commons debate on the conduct of a
ministerial aide who sent a memo suggesting the government use the World
Trade Centre attacks on September 11 to "bury" controversial news.

The behaviour of Jo Moore, the special adviser to Transport Minister,
Stephen Byers, has sparked intense press debate about the extent of news
management, or "spin", in Prime Minister Tony Blair's administration.

Interviewed on BBC radio, Blunkett said he saw no point in delaying his
views on the future of the cannabis laws -- long a thorny subject for
government - just because the IRA had made an announcement.

"I think the real interest in this, given that everyone is obsessed with
spin, is that I deliberately didn't spin this," he said. "It wasn't leaked
for once, the first time since I have been in the Home Office something
hasn't been leaked on my behalf and then I get criticised for the timing of
putting it out. I even invited the journalists to come to the select
committee because I was going to make an announcement," Blunkett said.

However, Blunkett, one of the Cabinet's most prominent members, said the
whole political system, including ministers, had become besotted with the
delivery of news.

"I think we have become obsessed with the method of getting information
into the arena... collectively, the media, politicians themselves,
including me," he said. "All of us have been obsessed with the delivery of
the message rather than the message."

 

 

 

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