[JNV Press Release] 'Blair Scared: Refuses Quote Rights To Anti-War Author'

[Maya Anne Evans]

PRESS RELEASE Milan Rai 07980 748 555
For Immediate Release

BLAIR SCARED: REFUSES QUOTE RIGHTS TO ANTI-WAR AUTHOR

Tony Blair, due to appear at the Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war on  
Friday 21 January, has refused permission to the co-editor of Peace News 
to quote from his memoirs, A Journey, published in September 2010, in a  
critique of the former Prime Minister’s Iraq policy.

Milan Rai, author of War Plan Iraq (2002) which was translated into
seven languages, had identified every statement in A Journey relating to
Iraq  
and begun research into the adequacy of Blair’s claims and arguments.

The Peace News co-editor had also begun talking to his publishers Pluto
Press about their possible role in publishing this response to Tony
Blair’s
Iraq claims.

Milan Rai requested permission to quote 2,000 words from A Journey at
the beginning of January. He was refused permission on 11 January.
Catherine 
Trippett, Permissions Manager of the Random House Archive & Library,
wrote: ‘I am afraid that on this occasion I must refuse
permission.’[See below for full text of email.]

Milan Rai said: ‘I’m astonished that Tony Blair is so terrified of
criticism that he has refused permission for his words to be quoted in
an analysis of his shameful Iraq policy.

I hope very much that he – and Random House – will change their
minds and allow proper scrutiny of his flimsy arguments and factual
distortions about Iraq.’


Notes:
1) Milan Rai is the co-editor of Peace News, reaching its 75th birthday  
this year, and a peace activist who has been imprisoned four times for
his opposition to war and militarism. He is most famous for having been  
arrested with Maya Evans for reading the names of the Iraq war dead at
the Cenotaph in October 2005. Milan Rai is also the author of
Chomsky’s  
Politics (1995), War Plan Iraq (2002), Regime Unchanged (2003), 7/7: The 
London Bombings, Islam and the Iraq War (2006).

2) Catherine Trippett, Permissions Manager, Random House Archive &
Library Tel: +44 (0)20 7840 8807        email:
ctrippett at randomhouse.co.uk

3) Anne Beech, Commissioning Editor and Managing Director, Pluto Press
Tel: +44 (0) 208 374 2193       email: beech at plutobooks.com

Contact:
Milan Rai, 07980 748 555, editorial at peacenews.info


EMAIL FROM RANDOM HOUSE BELOW:


----- Forwarded Message ----
> From: "Trippett, Catherine" <CTrippett at randomhouse.co.uk>
> To: Milan Rai <milanrai at btinternet.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, 11 January, 2011 12:27:17
> Subject: RE: Blair - A Journey - Permission request
>Dear Milan Rai
>Thank you for your enquiry.
>I am afraid that on this occasion I must refuse permission.
>Best wishes
>Catherine
>Catherine Trippett, Permissions Manager
> Random House Archive & Library
> 1 Cole Street
> Crown Park
> Rushden
> Northants  NN10  6RZ
>Tel: +44 (0)20 7840 8807    email: ctrippett at randomhouse.co.uk
>-----Original Message-----
> From: Milan Rai [mailto:milanrai at btinternet.com]Sent: 28 December 2010  
> 10:01
> To: Permissions (@RH, UK)
> Subject: Blair - A Journey - Permission request
>Permission to quote from: Tony Blair, A Journey, Hutchinson 2010
>Dear friends
>I'm writing a historical review of New Labour's policy towards Iraq. Tony
> Blair's memoirs of course form a primary source and present both a  
> detailed
> history and a clear analysis of that policy from the inside. No review of
> British Iraq policy in this period can ignore this new source.
>I am applying for permission to quote directly from A Journey. At this  
> point,
> I'm not sure exactly what will be needed, but am estimating that to  
> present
> Tony Blair's version of events fairly will require in the region of 2,000
> words directly quoted from A Journey.For publication, I'm approaching  
> Pluto Books in London, but a preliminary
> conversation has not been encouraging: I may therefore self-publish. One  
> of
> Pluto's questions was about the possible cost of permissions, hence this
> enquiry.Requested details:
>My working title: Blair's Iraq;to be published in autumn 2011;price  
> undetermined, possible RRP £17.99;print run undetermined, possibly  
> 5,000; I'm ideally seeking world rights,
> though I'd be grateful for information on UK-only rights also;
> English-language only.Best wishes,
>Milan Rai,
> Co-editor, Peace News
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Maya Anne Evans     
07973 484 202       

Justice not Vengeance
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