If you haven't seen Official Secrets on Amazon it is well worth catching. A docudrama based on a true story, Keira Knightley plays Katherine Gun. The latter is a British intelligence specialist working for GCHQ during the Iraq War.
Set in the taut months leading up to the second UN Security Council resolution, it follows Gun and her decision to break the Official Secrets Act.
The American secret service asked GCHQ to spy on diplomats who were going to vote on the second UN resolution, which would lead to the invasion of Iraq. She was told to investigate certain members of the UN, to see if there was enough dirt to lever them into voting in favour of the resolution. This move was illegal.
Gun was so disgusted by this she decide to break the Official Secrets Act. She sent a copy of the American/GCGQ email to Martin Bright, a journalist on The Observer.
The editor of The Observer wasn't initially in favour of running the story. When they did it created a big stink on both sides of the Atlantic, although it obviously didn't stop the war.
The film has footage of Bush, Blair, the UK Attorney-General Lord Goldsmith, and the London demo against the war. It looks in detail at why and when Goldsmith changed his mind about the legality of going to war with Iraq.
What comes over is what nasty, lying, evil men Bush and Blair are. I hope one day they are tried in The Hague for war crimes.
The real hero though is Katherine Gun. She decided to plead guilty and asked for government documents about Iraq to be made public. She was facing at least two decades in prison. However, the government's prosecutor asked the judge to waive the charges and Gun was set free.
You can see footage of her outside the Old Bailey at the end. This incredibly brave lady said she would do it again. Keira Knightley captures her rebellious spirit well.
Jack