Just when you thought that nothing could be more sickening than the revelation that the mad Mahdi Blair was godfather to the baptism of Murdoch’s daughter in the River Jordan…
Kudos to the Daily Mail for outing BP’s Mark Allen as the MI6 man who wrote the sickeningly jaunty message to Gadaffi henchman Moussa Koussa on the rendition to terrible torture of a Libyan dissident and his wife and family. Lest we forget, this is the message:
I congratulate you on the safe arrival of Abu Abd Allah Sadiq. This is the least we could do for you and for Libya to demonstrate the remarkable relationship we have built over recent years
Allen then moved seamlessly from MI6 to a £200,000 pa job at BP working on their relationships with Gadaffi and other Arab dictators. We can only hope that one day Egypt emerges from military government to democracy and its security files too are opened. But I am willing to bet that MI6 and CIA shredders have been put in to Cairo government offices and will be working ceaselessly for the next few days. Expect the odd fire too.
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A grotesque episode. From the Mail piece, we see Mr Jack Straw at work again. His bloody hands have been into everything rotten that has occurred since 1997.
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In 2007, Sir Mark had made two telephone calls to Jack Straw, the then Justice Secretary, to discuss a prisoner transfer agreement with Libya, although BP insists it had not lobbied specifically for Megrahi’s inclusion in any deal.
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It just so happened that negotiations over prisoners were blocking a £15billion oil drilling deal that Sir Mark was helping to broker between BP and the Libyan regime. Weeks after those telephone calls, Mr Straw allowed Megrahi to be part of the prison transfer agreement with Libya. It was a decision that put the White House on a collision course with the UK. And last year the American Senate Committee announced that it wanted to cross-examine the former spy over his role in the shameful affair.
Here are two articles from The Guardian about Mark Allen. They include various other details, but seem to present him in a rather positive way, and make only one passing mention of BP:
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/sep/05/whitehall-papers-libya-spy-agencies-torture
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/06/libya-mastermind-wmd-triumph-minefield
Channel 4 have a “Who Knows Who” tool:
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http://whoknowswho.channel4.com/
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Allen is shown with links to MI6, BP PLC, and good old Jack Straw.
The Guardian would wouldn’t they. They are there to prop up the structure of the military- industrial complex.
Wikispooks has a page on Allen. He’s “Senior Advisor” to the Monitor Group Company, “a global consulting and private equity firm”, and on some board of London School of Economics:
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https://wikispooks.com/wiki/Mark_Allen
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He is also on the board of the Mile End Group, Queen Mary’s college London University, and he wrote an eulogy to Daphne Park, “Queen of Spies” for the Special Forces Club:
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http://www.meg.qmul.ac.uk/board.html
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http://www.sfclub.org/daphneypark.htm
Who is this Sadiq? The name sounds familiar. Check: ah, Abdel-Hakim Belhadj! And he is a dissident for you! :))) Just like “Thank goodness the NATO bombing campaign will now end.” (22 Aug)
“the revelation that the mad Mahdi Blair was godfather to the baptism of Murdoch’s daughter in the River Jordan…”
Godfather indeed, in every sense.
I thought it said a lot about the Catholic Church that it would be so ready to accept a criminal like Bliar into it. To imagine this man has any belief system or morality at all beyond power and greed is surely a sick joke. Presumably he promptly cleansed his bloodstained hands with 5 minutes in a confessional…
As for countries like Egypt emerging into democracy… Let’s hope their new leaders don’t hold their electorate in quite as much open contempt as ours do. We may grumble about the likes of Straw, Allen, etc, etc – but they sail on regardless and apparently fireproof when they should be in gaol to a man, demonstrating how little real power any of us have.
Present for Glenn:
http://teapartyzombiesmustdie.com/
Libyan oil is some of the finest and most easily and cheaply refinable in the world, known as, light, sweet, crude. It’s also among the last great deposites of this high-quality oil left on the planet.
About a year ago a restricted report by the Bundeswehr, the German Army’s Future Analysis Department was “leaked” to the magazine Der Spiegel. The densely argued report dealt with cosequences; economic, social, political, strategically, militarily, of the world reaching maximum oil production of around 85 million barrels a day, and what would happen when that rate of production could no longer be maintained and would begin to fall, perhaps drastically. This is also known as Peak Oil, which the military analysts mentioned and calculated had been reached in 2010.
The report is devastating reading and pulls no punches. Recently the entire report has been published by a Swedish group, and it’s been translated into english.
The report states that for various complex reasons the potential decline in economic activity and disruption could be far steeper than the coming decline in oil production. They were especially concerned about the challenges we will face in relation to both the production of food and the transport of food internationally, both of which are highly dependent on cheap and plentiful supplies of oil.
The report also deals with Europe’s growing dependence on Russia for its oil and gas supplies, how this could effect our geo-political stance and relations with Russia, and our lack of alternative sources of oil and gas.
I think this report puts our attitude towards Libya in a clearer perspective, especially the aggressive posture of France and the UK, which were deeply involved in the conspiracy to topple Gaddafi and install a, hopefully, more pro-western regime in Tripoli.
My second point deals with a speech Gaddafi made in Tripoli in February in front of an “adoring” crowd of supporter. This speech has been presented as a declaration of genocide aimed at the civilian population of Benghazi, and has been used as a pretext to attack Libya.
Gaddafi is supposed to have threatened Benghazi with a fate, a massacre, like Tienanmin Square in China, Gaza, Falluja in Iraq and called the people of Benghazi “rats.”
Strangely he also mentioned the “massacre” in Waco, Texas, which hasn’t been reported so widely. That got me thinking. I also wondered why Gaddafi would supply Nato propagandists with such a gift, knowing full well that Nato was looking for any excuse to intervene in Libya and topple his regime. But then I remembered, he’s mad of course.
The media and experts have endlessly referred to this particular speech as evidence that Gaddafi was planning to unleash a genocidal attack on the defenceless population of Benghazi and slaughter them in their tens of thousands. His guilt was established with his own words. What could be clearer?
But if one bothers to examine the Gaddafi speech one finds that he actually said the opposite to the version which our media, politicians, and tame experts, have endlessly repeated.
Gaddafi compared his restrained strategy, naming the above examples, of how other nations, China, Israel, the United States, had dealt with rebels, terrorists, and civil unrest, using tanks and bullets to crush demonstrators, something he hadn’t ordered, methods he hadn’t employed, though he could have. Nowhere does he directly threaten to unleash his black, African, mercenaries on Benghazi’s civilian population, in a frenzy of bloodshed and destruction. On the contrary.
It’s extraordinary how our media, our politicians, and our rebels have twisted the dictators words, reversing his meaning in order to justify a moral war, or crusade, to protect civilians from genocide. Propaganda at its finest.
Even the ranting about “rats” in Benghazi is problematic. The man also referred to “cats” Benghazi, as he describes the rebels fighters, not the ordinary civilian population who he thinks have been misled and don’t deserve punishment, only the guilty deserve punishment and when found guilty, death.
It’s a very emotional speech, a long, confused, desparate, rant. He calls the West, the US, Nato, and Israel, “rats” too, but he doesn’t threaten to attack them, or unleash genocide on anyone, though clearly he’s pretty pissed at the rebels who he believes will unleash a terrible civil war and destroy Libya.
So, it would appear we’ve been all led up the garden path again, taken to war on a raft of distortion, lies, exaggerations, and hysterical propaganda, which is par for the course in wartime. But that our “free” media allow our politicians to get away with it again, after Iraq and the non-existant threat from their WMD, is extraordinary and deeply troubling.
Have we seen the virtual end of bourgeois, liberal, democracy? Have we entered a new era? The era of “totalitarian democracy” where our politicians can get away with anything, and cannot be held to account for their gross crimes?
Murdoch, is Blair’s… Godfather. Though it hardly seems to matter, as a river of blood has passed under imperialism’s gore-spattered bridge since then, and the stench of the charnel-house will always follow Blair, no matter how much he showers or bathes himself in expensive perfumes.
Will the British government be sending the next generation of Libyan political refugees to be brutally maltreated by the incoming Libyan élite under nice Mr Belhaj?
One can read an excellent analysis of the Bundeswehr report, in english, by hoping over to Energybullitin.net, in case anybody is interested.
Apologies. It should be energybulletin.net. Sorry. Alas, my brain is beginning to fade on me.
Writeon, the powerful have known about Peak Oil for decades. It is notable how little that subject appears in the mainstream media.
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Alas, many of the powerful came to be powerful because they are those who are competitive, and good at competition and deception. I’m convinced that the challenges of Peak Oil could be met by global cooperation, but those with power see the world primarily in terms of competition. Thus, they initiate conflict.
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In the short term, there will be a few “winning” groups, and far more that lose. In the longer term, all humanity will lose out.
Off topic; a petition to support the UN call to delay the evictions at Dale Farm:
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http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/dalefarm/
Well said Clark. Remember the Roma and the Third Reich.
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It’s ironic that as Basildon is ready to spend £millions on these evictions (was it £8m?) to defend the Green Belt, Gideon Osborne is ready to give carte blanche to the developers to carve it up be sweeping planning legislation away. He says it is what the economy needs. What economy?
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http://www.communities.gov.uk/planningandbuilding/planningsystem/planningpolicy/planningpolicyframework/
…’the draft National Planning Policy Framework, which intends to slash 1,000 pages of policy to just 52’…. BBC website
UK complicity at the highest level in extraordinary rendition is all too evident now with accusations made by Abdel Hakim Belhadj. NATO and the governments it represents may regret not having taken the advice “Be careful what you wish for” in getting rid of former ally Gaddafi. In their ‘dirty tricks’ pursuit for oil they have added more evidence against themselves to that already before Gibson (if Gibson is still seen fit to chair the enquiry).
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Talking of which, did you ever get a reply Craig to that brilliant email as to whether Gibson saw the torture documents released by the Guardian? Or are you not at liberty to comment? Just curious!
Hi John,
I did indeed – just working on how to put a post together.
Can’t wait.
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Jack Straw is like the 3 monkeys, with his hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil. If MI6 is so detached from senior government I can see no reason for having security services. My guess is Gibson saw no evil either.
5 September 2011
Torture inquiry to examine UK-Libya intelligence linksClick to play
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Allegations that MI6 was involved in the rendition of Libyan terror suspects will be examined by an existing inquiry, David Cameron has said.
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It comes after papers suggesting close ties between MI6, the CIA and the Gaddafi regime were found in Tripoli.
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Sir Peter Gibson’s inquiry into alleged involvement in torture by UK security agencies has said it will investigate.
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A former Libyan foreign minister has claimed MI6 was co-operating with the old regime until about six months ago.
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Meanwhile UK officials, including staff from the Foreign Office and Department for International Development, have arrived in Tripoli to re-establish a diplomatic presence in Libya.
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Making a statement on Libya in the Commons earlier, Prime Minister David Cameron said: “We’ve asked the retired judge, Sir Peter Gibson, to examine issues around the detention and treatment of terrorist suspects overseas and this inquiry has already said it will look at these latest accusations very carefully.
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“My concern throughout has been not only to remove any stain on Britain’s reputation but also to deal with these accusations of malpractice so as to enable our security services to get on with the vital work that they do.”
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Opposition leader Ed Miliband said he agreed with the prime minister “that the Gibson inquiry must get to the bottom of the allegations”.
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Jack Straw, who was UK Foreign Secretary between 2001 and 2006, told MPs he supported calls for an inquiry.
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Mr Straw earlier told BBC Radio 4’s World at One programme he did not know whether allegations that UK security services were involved in the rendition of Libyan terror suspects were “credible”.
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But he said the claims were a source of concern and “must be examined in very great detail” by the Gibson inquiry.
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A statement from the Detainee Inquiry, to be chaired by Sir Peter Gibson, said that as part of its role of examining the extent of the government’s involvement in, or awareness of, improper treatment of detainees, it would “therefore, of course, be considering these allegations of UK involvement in rendition to Libya as part of our work”.
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The commander of anti-government forces in Tripoli, Abdel Hakim Belhaj, said he was taken to Libya in a CIA and MI6 operation in 2004 after being arrested in Bangkok.
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Mr Belhaj, then a terrorist suspect, said he was tortured in Libya.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14786924 (includes a comment from Frank I Was There Gardner)
Blair as Godfather – in both senses of the word. The corruption of the journalist-politician nexus is a little bit more visible, which is a good thing.
From Jack Straw’s statements and those of the Gaddafi regime and Abdel Hakim Belhadj it would appear Mark Allen and other MI6 agents kept the Libyan government much better informed than they did the foreign secretary. Am I missing something?
None of what Straw says is credible. Nowadays, he is usually in thw ‘he doth protest too much’ mode.
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Off topic but did anyone else see Nadine Dorries in the HoC earlier? She was holding forth for ages as if she owned the place when speaking to her amendment to the Health and Social Care Bill on abortion counselling. Quite funny when that other self publicist Louise Mensch intervened.
http://www.firmmagazine.com/news/2567/Megrahi_release_linkage_to_oil_deals_confirmed_to_BBC.html
massive conflict of interest for MI6 there – another example of the supposedly “national interest” actually being the interests of a small minority
Writeon
I’m reminded of the misrepresentation of a speech Milosevic made calling for ethnic harmony which was presented (again and again) as doing the precise opposite. I don’t have the references to hand. I’ll post them when I do.
Now I see the criminal Cameron has said that Colonel Gadaffi should have no ‘pampered refuge’ (or some such term) but must ‘pay’ for his (supposed) actions. The problem when someone like Bomber Dave addresses only uncritical Daily-Mail-believers is that he loses all credibility and all possibility of influence with others. There is nothing Cameron could say to me now. When will he give up his pampered refuge and give himself up for trial for his part in, to pick one of many examples, the war crime of bombing Libyan TV?
Guest, I’m almost sure Al Megrahi’s release was in some way connected with the oil deal. And I also believe with Dr Jim Swire that he had no part in the Lockerbie air disaster. If the second appeal had gone to court the “flimsy” evidence which convicted him would almost certainly have been thrown out (which casts much doubt on why the first appeal failed). Al Megrahi was dying and to knowingly let an innocent man die in prison looks bad on those who knew.
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The big question is who was behind the Lockerbie plane crash. All the conspiracy documentaries are marginalised. I watched one at 2 a.m. a few years back. There is much more to Lockerbie than meets the eye. I’d like to see the real culprits punished, just as I would like to see Jack Straw punished for knowingly allowing “extraordinary rendition” while foreign secretary. Then I’d like to see him punished again for pretending not to know.
@ Duncan McFarlane – You are spot on when you say “massive conflict of interest for MI6 there – another example of the supposedly “national interest” actually being the interests of a small minority”.
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And when they go on to use their placed contacts in business, headhunters, accounting firms, banks, etc to deliberately spread career destroying lies about you (as happened in my case), you will understand just quite how evil these people are. As one honest PWC headhunter said about the slanders that circulated about me – They had to be believed because they came from all angles. When MI6 (or MI5) operate within normal businesses they are not behaving as an intelligence organization, but as a secret police and as such are a menace to any society that believes in democracy, or any business (obviously not BP) that relies on sanctity of contract and rule of law as a foundation for its business practices.
On the whole, Sir Mark Allen seems like a good egg. He opposed the Iraq war, which may explain why he didn’t get the top job at MI6, and he persuaded Madhatti Gaddafi to give up his WMDs. In keeping with the policy of normalizing relations with Libya rather than bombing the shit out of them (77,000 tons of NATO bombs, I think we estimated here recently) he was prepared to exchange pleasant words with his opposite number in Libya.
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As for the rendition of Libyan rebel Abdelhakim Belhadj, it seems that was the CIA’s doing, not Britain’s, so sir Mark’s talk of delivering this character into the hands of his enemy seems to have been little more than an empty verbiage. And note that Abdelhakim Belhadj was released from jail on the advice of Saif Gaddafi, so if his treatment was rough, it was tempered by a remarkable and, as now seems evident, foolish degree of magnanimity by the Libyan government.
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It seems to me that BP are fortunate in having Mark Allen’s advice.
Baptism in the River jordan?
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Didn’t he once say, ‘We don’t do God?’