The People Bites Back

You will not be surprised to hear that executives at The People don't seem to be particularly happy about 'People Push Bottles Up Peaceniks'. I've even heard that they aren't happy with this website. I was hoping that the paper might apologise - and admit it was wrong to refuse to print my articles questioning the war. But executives seem as reluctant to say 'sorry' as the average Labour Minister.

In the Financial Times magazine (August 9th 2003), former acting editor Alan Edwards claims that he never told me that I could not be anti-war in my column. I nearly fell off my chair when I read this. The claim raises a couple of questions which Mr Edwards might like to answer. First, why, then, does he think I resigned? And second, why did he publish an editorial telling readers that The People was giving its wholehearted support to 'our boys in the desert' and warning MPs who had opposed the war that they 'must all now shut up'. I look forward to hearing his reply.

In the UK Press Gazette a unnamed spokesman is reported to have said that 'the first time management knew the reason behind Coleman's resignation was when they read about it in the Press Gazette'. The only explanation I can think of for this is that all the faxes I sent were stolen by aliens and that every time I spoke to editors on the telephone I had dialled the wrong number and was really talking to Father Christmas.

The spokesman also claimed that I was 'asked not to mention the war...on one occasion because of the amount of war news elsewhere in the paper'. On that occasion it was the editors who presumably rang the wrong number and spoke to Father Christmas.

If you want to know what happened read my book 'People Push Bottles Up Peaceniks'. You can borrow a copy from your local public library or potter around on this website to find out how to get your own copy.


Copyright Vernon Coleman 2003