John McDonnell

Letter by Ian Sinclair, London
Image
quill

I was surprised to see Peace News describe John McDonnell as ‘a man of principle with an impressive record of standing up for peace and justice’ (PN 2665).

In a very friendly interview with Alastair Campbell for GQ magazine in October 2019, Campbell asks McDonnell, who was then the shadow chancellor: ‘Is Tony Blair a war criminal?’

To which McDonnell replies: ‘No, no.’ He then goes on to say: ‘I’m hoping... he [Blair] goes down in history’ for his role in the Northern Ireland peace process ‘rather than Iraq’.

Of course, Campbell himself played a leading role in the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Kind regards,

Editor response:

My apologies to Ian: this letter was sent in good time to appear in the last issue, but was mislaid during a frantic production period – ed