THERE is a suspicion that the United States and Britain have already decided they will launch a military offensive against Iraq, whatever other countries may think.

Some critics of President Bush and our Prime Minister suggest they will resort to any means to justify their hard-line stance.

The revelation that substantial parts of an official dossier of evidence against Saddam Hussein were lifted from an out-of-date academic thesis increases concerns about the motives of the US and British governments.

The impact of this latest twist in the Iraqi crisis cannot be underestimated.

This thesis was presented to Parliament as the latest evidence diligently gathered by our intelligence services.

When Colin Powell stood before the United Nations appealing for a united front against Saddam Hussein, he referred to this British dossier as a 'fine paper'.

The conclusion that the British public, Parliament and the wider international community are being duped is an understandable one to make.

The British Government has a credibility problem of its own making.

Mr Blair was already facing a daunting task persuading public opinion that the cause against Iraq was worth putting the lives of our servicemen and women on the line.

With only half-truths and half-baked evidence to back him up, Mr Blair's hopes of going to war with the full backing of his nation may be forlorn.