An excellent essay on the
James Bulger case, written by
Blake Morrison, who attended the trial of Thompson and Venables as a
journalist, and went on to examine the case at length in his book.
The book's
dust jacket contains the following quote from
John Major:
"We need to
condemn a little more, and
understand a little less."
Morrison's book takes the opposite view: he attempts to understand the case, as best as he (or anyone) can. This is in direct contrast to the British
media, which unfortunately has a vastly wider audience. '
As If' is a much-needed
rational voice in the Bulger debate.