Ironies Here.

The BBC give a high place to an item about two reports alleging false accounting in the CPA's management of oil revenues in Iraq. The sources for these reports? The anti-war Lib-dems and Christian Aid.
The Beeb report says that the reports have not been released yet, though in fact the Christian Aid one seems to be available at their website.

Now, to check reality: have the Lib-Dems any involvement other than as arm-chair critics over Iraq? Have Christian Aid anything to offer other than some kind of Rowan Williams boilerplate? (I merely point out that so far neither the Church nor the Lib dems are known for saying anything about Iraq except that the war to overthrow that most corrupt man, Saddam Hussein, was illegal. Incidentally, Christian Aid appear only to operate in Kurdish Northern Iraq.)

The Lib Dems allege 'there is a shortfall of up to $3.7bn (£2.03bn) between the amount of oil revenue earned and the money paid into the DFI by the CPA.' According to the Lib Dems 'research by the Lib Dems suggests oil revenues stand between $12.2bn (£6.7bn) and $14.5bn (£7.96bn)'- which is greater than the figures from the CPA.

Meanwhile, Christian Aid reiterate the point, and the BBC quote them saying the Coalition's financial statements have been 'woefully inadequate'- but this quote from their introduction to the report is revealing:

''What has the coalition got to hide by not making such information available for Iraq's own money? Is it putting the cash to the best use for the people of Iraq? Or is it still rewarding US companies with lucrative contracts?' said Ms Collinson' [Christian Aid's 'head of policy']

Do they have the faintest clue what they are talking about? In a situation where oil has been a primary target of saboteurs and insurgents, they have the temerity to suggest that they know better than the CPA what the oil revenues are? Not a mention of 'sabotage' in the Beeb report, which is pathetic when in general they're so keen to talk about insecurity in Iraq (it's their job to question sources). Have any of them bothered to check out the major infrastructural and living standards improvements going on in Iraq, and asked themselves whether they would have been possible under fraudulent authorities? No, they wouldn't have, because they didn't ask similarly straightforward questions when people were dying for lack of resources in Iraq yet Saddam's oil scheme was increasing continually.

Ah, but that's not the only irony. The irony is that you can have months of investigations and revelations about real corruption on a massive scale concerning Oil-for-Food and it gets coverage that is so muted and circumscribed as to be null, yet when two poxy drivel-mongers cry 'foul', it goes straight to the top of the headlines- and stays there.

(No mention of their report on the LibDem website, which may be out later in the week)