There may be a ruling today on Julian Assange’s proposed extradition to Sweden to face some ridiculously flimsy accusations of “minor rape”. The threat to Assange, that the Swedish authorities will simply hand him over to the United States on espionage charges, is very real. Sweden was one of the tiny minority of 14 – the US and US vassal states – who on Monday voted against Palestinian membership of UNESCO.
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Mark
So there is no evidence – and we should just ignore what the Guardian says about the forthcoming IAEA report. Which is of course why everyone would sleep easier if Russia did their processing for them.
As for the Iranian spring – so what happened after Ahmadinejad’s rigged election was ok, having teams of religous policemen administering their instant justice is your idea of human rights, the persecution of homosexuals and apostates causes you no problem.
Suhayl
Good point – surely the lesson of Iraq. Libya etc. is to deal with all these flashpoints with negotiations and non military measures, rather than leaving them to fester for many years and eventually erupt in military conflict. The exchange of ritual denunciations, the failure to try and see both sides of the arguments and recognise the strengths and weaknesses of each side’s case are really just political posturing which diverts energy away from finding compromises and non military solutions.
Entwoostle, J.
The problem is not that I don’t understand the rules – I do, they were knocked into me during many years at grammar school. It is more to do with typing – which I’m afraid the mechanical nature makes my hands do certain things automatically. This is possibly something to do with not taking up typing until I was well into adulthood. Yes I should proof read more to compensate – but where is the time?
Merlin
I accept that offences are different, but I don’t believe that the Swedish offence is something that should go unpunished or is without substance, nor that punishment for such an offence would amount to an abuse of human rights. I think that this is also a view shared by human rights organisations such as Amnesty. As for the conduct of the case, I believe that this should be in the courts rather than through partial accounts leaked by one side or other to the blogosphere. I am sure the arguments you put forward were presented to the British courts before extradition and, given past form, there is also a pretty good chance that they will be presented as part of the Swedish legal process.
Sunflower
And how would you define Zionist – apart from someone who opposes garbage directed at people purely because they are Jewish (or in some cases are not Jewish but have Jewish sounding names), is it someone who acknowledges the right of Israel to exist eventhough they are critical of the actions of that State as well as the actions of those against the State and people of Israel. If so I’m happy to wear the label, but I’m afraid that would also make be a Tory in the British context. I would have thought that one of the prime indicators for a troll is the willingness just to label alternative views as a basis for avoiding the intellectual justification and arguments of which they are incapable.
If it’s so bloody marvellous, why don’t they go and live in their sodding homeland? ~50% of all Jews don’t.
Strangely enough when many Jews were fleeing the pogroms and the Nazis – free access to Israel was not available – so they went to stay in other countries where they established families, relationships and ties and other refugees then followed. This is just natural human nature. Other communities that have suffered persecution and hardship have created their own diasporas e.g. Scots, Irish, Palestinians, Armenians, Iraquis etc. – although they are proud of their original homeland it doesn’t necessarily mean that they want to break from their new homeland or that they are by definition disloyal to that homeland. I hope this has been helpful in your education about human nature.
For your historical education might I point to Norman Tebbut and his cricket test and how offensive many UK Indians and Pakistanis found his comments to be.
Stephen, the jewish progrom in this country started in Norwich in 1411.
Why do you think that a sole jewish homeland, dispersing all within that do not hold the same believes, is a given.
Most countries represented in the UN agree to its decision making process and resolutions, and it was the UN which agreed to the Balfour debacle.
Why do you think Israel is called a rogue nation here? Its not because we deny it a homeland, its because of the organised displacement at the barrel of a gun and the genocide it has committed from day one.
Why does the intwernational community condemn the stealing of vast swaithes of east Jerusalem? Its not because we all hate Jews.
The Zionists, not all in Israel, are holding the strings over what is happening in Israel, like a hedgehog they reject any criticism, responding with the universal label of anti semitism.
The chances for doing different have always existed, but projecting fear and taking the neighbours land was a priority, always an aim. Taking the Gholan, half of the west bank and east Jerusalem, usurping it over the Jordan valley and water supplies, staging roadblocks to stop a society developing as it should, all are fascist means of control.
Which brings me to the Holocaust and its prioritisation over and above all other attrocities to mankind, but why,? Is it because we should never forget their Hollocaust, because it was cruel and inhumane. So was the Armenian Holocaust, Stalins murderous reign and displacement of millions, Pol pots ridiculous hate for all things educated, not just Hitlers organised death camps. Why should the whole world remember them alone, is there anything special about their demsie compared to other dying? I don’t think so, hence I remember the Armenian Holocaust as much as any other.
Whats cricket about all that?
“Its not because we all hate Jews”
I never said you did – although some clearly do. But you then follow it up with this generalisation:
“The Zionists, not all in Israel, are holding the strings over what is happening in Israel, like a hedgehog they reject any criticism, responding with the universal label of anti semitism.”
There are plenty of Zionists who do accept criticism of their state and who do not respond with a universal label of anti semitism – and perhaps only save that label for when it is really used (and sometimes not even then).
I never claimed that the Jews had a monopoly on suffering and persection – in fact quite the opposite, but it would be idiotic to claim that the suffering and persecution they have suffered in recent times doesn’t colour their political perspective – and remember that many in Israel have seen persection in their families a lot more recently than WW2.
Of course there is persection of the Palestinians – much but not all of it inflicted by Israelis – but I am sorry that when you have two persecuted people facing each other, ritual denunciations of other (particularly by those who support one side or the other) are pretty unlikely to acheive very much other than a continuation of the same nasty spiral.
PS saying that the various measures by the Israelis are fascist isn’t really demonstrating much historical sensitivity – taking the Golan can be justified on grounds other than fascism – since time immemorial taking commanding heights has been seen as a defensive measure.
Stephen,
So there is no evidence …
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There is evidence – the CIA provided Iran with a nuclear bomb blueprint albeit with essential information on neutron initiation, the particle accelerator, incorrect and other essential components missing.
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Mohamed ElBaradei made it quite clear that Iran had no designs on developing a nuclear bomb. General Yukiya Amano the present director general who in the 90’s worked in the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was close friends with Secretary of State Madeleine Albright (remember her?) has produced another quarterly report. I like to draw your attention to Sect.G:
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http://lewis.armscontrolwonk.com/files/2011/09/IAEA_GOV_54.pdf
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It remains disputed whether Iran is “in violation of obligations under the NPT, its IAEA Safeguard Agreement, and relevant UN Security Council resolutions” as the recent Compliance Report of the U.S. State Department had again concluded. The issue might in fact be solved if the recent Russian initiative and proposal to overcome the stalemate of Iran’s nuclear issues is taken seriously among World powers P5+1. Iran has already accepted the basics, of the proposal which by and large consists of a stepwise negotiation approach including lifting of sanctions in order to create mutual confidence rather than the past “carrot and stick” strategy.
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The IAEA’s “increasing concern” are Iran’s ongoing attempts to enrich uranium to 19.75% to be used in the Tehran Research Reactor to manufacture medical isotopes by irradiation. 136 new domestically designed IR-2m and 27 IR-4 centrifuges in cascades have been installed at Fordow and Iran’s Vice President and Head of the Atomic Energy Organization Fereydoun Abbasi had announced in April that the up to 20% uranium enrichment is being tripled at this underground facility (Fordow FEP).
The crux is that few countries would be able to manufacture fuel rods or plates from below 20% LEU which could be used in the research reactor. That has been the obstacle and main reason why Iran had asked in the IAEA in June 2009 to assist Iran in buying the plates which were about to run out soon. P5+1 had suggested a swap deal where 3.5% LEU would have been shipped to Russia and France would have manufactured the plates. This deal and further suggestions by Iran, Turkey and Brazil had failed mainly due to Western and the Obama Administration’s stubbornness, and a new round of UN sanctions had been implemented. So, the current situation is more or less a direct consequence of denying Iran its right to enrich uranium by all means.
Mark
I read Section G – and if the IAEA are increasingly concerned so am I, and it might well be the case that instead of Iran needing the medical quality uranium as you say that what it really wants is the bomb. Perhaps we should wait to see the next IAEA report rather than relying on Iran’s VP who is hardly a neutral party.
“In particular, the
Agency is increasingly concerned about the possible existence in Iran of past or current undisclosed nuclear
related activities involving military related organizations, including activities related to the development of a
nuclear payload for a missile, about which the Agency continues to receive new information. Examples of
these activities were listed in the previous report”
Word has been received from the two ships en route to Gaza, the Saoirse and the Tahrir, that Israeli warships are approaching both ships. The Tahrir has received radio contact from the Israeli authorities, asking about their final destination. They replied, “the conscience of humanity”. When asked again, they said, “The betterment of mankind”. Boarding and commandeering are imminent. On board the Tahrir is one American, Kit Kittredge and activists from ten nations.
The boats are presently 48 nautical miles off the coast of Gaza.
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We remind ourselves the first flotilla to break the siege was intercepted about 35 nautical miles off shore.
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http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/05/201053133047995359.html
Yes ‘Stephen’ we remember the so called Iran ‘nuclear pay-load’ and how that information was presented to the American people by Senator John Kyl, R-Arizona, in the Washington Post:
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Kyl was talking about an EMP pulse from an Iranian air-burst nuclear device that would ‘fry circuit boards’ and ‘knock out power grids’
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Kyl said in conclusion:
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“The Sept. 11 commission(Ha!) report stated that our biggest failure was one of ‘imagination.’ No one imagined that terrorists would do what they did on September 11th. Today few Americans can conceive of the possibility that terrorists could bring our society to its knees by destroying everything we rely on that runs on electricity. But this time we’ve been warned, and we’d better be prepared to respond.”
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I say, absolute bollocks and yet another demonstration of what I called ‘fears submission to lies’ – Thank God the British public are more resilient to this type of fear control and recognise deception for what it is, here nicely encapsulated in the Mossad motto:
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“By way of deception, thou shall do war” – Victor Ostrovsky in his book, “By way of deception,” once totally banned in major book-shop chains told us about the ‘out of control’ intelligence services who have deceived us since JFK’s demise and further in context here the fate of those Palestinians who illegally cross the border in search of work in Israel. Many thousands of these young men simply are never heard from again after being captured by Israel’s forces. Some of them are taken to the Nes Zionna [Tsiona] research facilities where they endure the indescribable terror of chemical, nuclear or biological warfare research (much worse than the so called ‘cold cures’ my fellow Naval friends endured at Porton Down).
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Robin Cook PBUH increased my knowledge of the ‘tri-state pact’ – Israel scares the shit out of me, and America – why? because her leaders have told us in no uncertain terms – if Israel dies, we all die. I rest my case.
Mark
I haven’t a clue what you are rambling on about in your last post. BTW I knew Robin Cook a little bit – and I thing he would find being considered a prophet just a little bit comical as he was an atheist. As for your rather one sided view of the world and your heroes I supect he would have been rather less polite.
Stephen,
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I suspect ‘rambling’ means you are oblivious to the truth. Atheist or not Robin was a ‘hero’ in my book because he took a stance and resigned over the Iraq war; an illegal war to appease Israel based on lies that murdered so many children and left the rest as orphans or disabled and traumatised. Many still dying from simple malnutrition and many more now born deformed.
Keep going Mark.
Meanwhile Julian Assange’s mother is picketing Gillard’s office.
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JULIAN Assange’s mother has picketed the Melbourne office of Prime Minister Julia Gillard in her fight to ensure he won’t be extradited to the US.
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http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/assanges-mum-pickets-pms-office/story-e6frf7jx-1226186231452
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Incidentally Gillard is a great supporter of ‘the only democacy in the Middle East’.
Mark
If you are interested in truth I can think of many more reasons before appeasing Israel as to why the Iraq was undertaken from both sides of the argument.
I’m afraid I don’t draw my political thinking from the likes of right wing nuts like Sen Kyl – there are obvious head cases on both sides of most arguments I’m afraid
I can agree that Robin was a man of his convictions and had great integrity (contrast with Clare Short if you must) – he would also recognise, unlike yourself, that integrity could exist on both sides of an argument.
‘In 2003, the Iranian government made a formal diplomatic proposal for direct, comprehensive negotiations about all major issues, grievances, and conflicts that fueled the hostility in their dealings with each other. This was a critical juncture in Iranian-American relations. It offered the possibility of exiting the impasse that began with the overthrow of the Shah and the occupation of the American embassy in 1979.
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Bush did not respond to the Iranian offer. Not for the first time in his dealings with the Middle East, he eschewed diplomacy. His decision went unannounced and unexplained. Eight years later, it is still a non-event. Instead, he chose to intensify the long standing policy U.S. policy of vilification, distrust, isolation, sanction, and threat of military attack.’
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[…]
So long as this episode is expunged from the American rendition of its Iran narrative, rapprochement is probably not in the cards anytime soon. Those who press for American dominance in the Middle East are free to foster fear and loathing of Iran. Unimpeded by historical reality, they are free to construe Iran’s distrust and recalcitrance in its dealings with the U.S. as paranoid, hostile, and duplicitous rather than as a cautious, prudent response to a powerful, dangerous opponent that not so long ago thwarted its effort to find accommodation with western powers.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2011/11/03/secrets-of-the-troika/
Michael Teitelman
Strangely enough when many Jews were fleeing the pogroms and the Nazis – free access to Israel was not available – so they went to stay in other countries where they established families, relationships and ties and other refugees then followed. This is just natural human nature. Other communities that have suffered persecution and hardship have created their own diasporas e.g. Scots, Irish, Palestinians, Armenians, Iraquis etc. – although they are proud of their original homeland it doesn’t necessarily mean that they want to break from their new homeland or that they are by definition disloyal to that homeland. I hope this has been helpful in your education about human nature.
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Your point being? My point being that they are, unlike the Zionist faction of the diaspora, completely integrated in the new society, generally speaking. There may still be (and in the case of Scots descendants, remarkably ill-informed) sentimental ties. They do not have gigantic lobbying organisations for their source countries, backed by major financiers, and affecting US policy at every level. The Boston Irish may be one partial exception: there is still a strong cultural connection with Ireland, which included funding the IRA during the Troubles. Like the Israel Firsters, some see see the movement for Irish unification as a struggle for freedom. I don’t sympathise with them, either.
For your historical education might I point to Norman Tebbut and his cricket test and how offensive many UK Indians and Pakistanis found his comments to be.
Do you think it unreasonable to ask that British citizens owe their first and overriding allegiance to Britain? I’m old-school, not New Labour, and I can even agree up to a point with Tebbit on that memorable soundbite. I don’t want my country organised for the benefit of Pakistan any more than Israel. There is no inconsistency in this. You’re rattling the wrong cage.
Komodo
So you don’t think that the German and Irish Diaspora played a role in keeping the US out of WW2 until Pearl Harbour? But strangely enough when war came those concerned were able to be loyal to their new homeland without having their allegiance questioned. What you would have to prove to demonstrate disloyalty by the American Jewish community is that they put their allegiance to Israel over and above that to the US – and I’m afraid I see no evidence of that happening in the vast majority of cases (there may be the odd exception – Rabbi Kehane but certainly nothing of any substance).
Stephen states, “when war came those concerned were able to be loyal to their new homeland without having their allegiance questioned.”
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Uh huh. This must be welcome news to the Japanese (in particular) and German American citizens in the US around the time of WW-II. It doubtless is also of great comfort to American Muslims (particularly of the brown-skinned variety), since the onset of the Global War Of Terror (GWOT).
Glenn
You are right I should have added some qualifier to my statement regarding having their allegiance questioned. I think the also valid point you make about US Muslims further supports my view that it is quite possible for people to have links and support another country while at the same time remaining loyal to their homeland.
Stephen,
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I believe integrity does not exist on both sides of the argument. There is no integrity in deception and lies. Acting much like a jury in a murder case I feel there is a responsibility to combat, unearth and expose lies, such as WMD in Iraq or Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda link allegations and many more.
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I believe in such dishonesty we have compelling evidence that Israel and America are prepared to murder their own people or point blame at groups from countries in order to attack that country.
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I remember PM Netanyahu blaming the PRC for the Eilat attack from Sinai in which Israeli civilians died, a number of Egyptian security personnel and seven of the terrorists. The terrorists were never identified as Gazan and no Gazan family members reported any such deaths.
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Many of us concluded Barak and Netanyahu pulled off a major disinformation campaign that took Israel into a false war against the Gaza Strip after Egypt, who identified two of the bodies in their possession said the attackers were known terrorists in the Sinai Peninsula..
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In another example Robin Cook RIP explained to me the deception behind the Abu Nidal group who tried to assassinate Israel’s ambassador to Britain in 1982, Shlomo Argov. Sharon, Begin and Eitan needed a pretext to begin their war of deception in Lebanon – the idea being to enthrone the friendly Maronites under the guise of fighting the PLO. When Eitan was informed that the assassins were Abu Nidal’s men, he replied with “Abu Nidal, Abu Shmidal – we need to screw the PLO.” That’s how it began.
None of the people responsible for that deception ever paid a price for it, which ended a 11-months old ceasefire and sparked 18 years of war in Lebanon killing thousands of civilians.
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What I am saying Stephen is people are becoming sick to death of being deceived and treated like imbeciles. Even today Iran has announced unequivocal proof of terrorist attacks in their country sponsored by America, a country supposedly fighting a ‘war on terror’ which most of the intelligent world has agreed is really a war of terror.
Stephen, you’re a juggler par excellence! Like the man in the circus who keeps all the plates spinning at once. I admire you, man! You also come across a thoroughly decent person, if I may say.
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“Good point – surely the lesson of Iraq. Libya etc. is to deal with all these flashpoints with negotiations and non military measures, rather than leaving them to fester for many years and eventually erupt in military conflict.” Stephen.
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I agree completely. My point though is that in recent times, NATO/USA et al has not seemed interested in negotiations in many areas – Iraq, Libya, etc. – and have actually often deliberately rejected negotiated settlements when ones were, or became, eminently available. My point is that the NATO/USA et al do not act in good faith and so if we want negotiated, peaceful solns to problems before they blow up into war, we need to oppose NATO/USA much the time. That is not posturing. That is realpolitik.
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Godzinem, yes, excellent point.
There was a particularly vile smear in the Guardian yesterday about Assange. Arguably the worst ever printed in the UK. It was by a journalist from the Swedish paper Expressen, the Swedish version of, wait for it… the Sun. Titled, From Hero to Zero.
@Mark
“I believe integrity does not exist on both sides of the argument.”
You see that is where I disagree – I believe that that there are those with integrity and those who are liars on both sides of the argument. If ultimately you don’t have integrity on both sides of the argument then there will never be a peaceful resolution to anything and we may as well give up hope. I think the important argument is how to get people of integrity on both sides of the argument who can build trust and respect across both sides.
A few days ago I posted a link to a survey of Israeli public opinion – it is worth looking at because I think it shows that views are no where as balck and white as you maintain. Like it or not ordinary Israelis have to be part of any peace process just as much as ordinary Palestinians.
@Suhayl
“My point though is that in recent times, NATO/USA et al has not seemed interested in negotiations in many areas – Iraq, Libya, etc”
My point is that where we in the West should be highlighting that there are such alternatives and pushing the politicians in such a direction – the political forces are much more finely balanced than many here think – and if coherent plans are put forward the chances of success are increased. The current tactics of many have the opposite effect I’m afraid.
And you seem like a thoroughly decent guy too – many thanks
I agree Stephen Robin Cook RIP was a voice of integrity in my book and he was ‘drowned’..
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Suhayl is the voice of reason, he confirms, ..’deliberately rejected negotiated’…
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Pushing the politicians is like pushing the west Bank ‘fence for life’ -its breadth and length mitigates the effort. You are a good man Stephen but I have to pinch you into reality without embarrassing you. We are a jump away from getting our coherent voice heard and our power on intention is ameliorated.
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Until then I stand at the barrier, jangling the chains and rattling the barb wires while watching thirty children clutching their books, drawings and food box, children who once crossed the street to their school, now standing in line, hungry, isolated, fretful- many crying at the closed checkpoint gate, glued eyes to the other side where mum waits, and home.
All this stuff about Robin Cook makes me puke. As long as he was foreign secretary he was fully supportive of Blair’s wars. It was only after he was sacked that he started looking for a way to have his revenge, and ‘resigning’ from his meaningless little post over Iraq was his way of doing it. Until then he was just biding his time waiting for the moment when he could cause maximum damage to Blair. I rather doubt the bereaved of Serbia and Montenegro are sitting around saying ‘peace be upon him’, or those bereaved during the years of pre-war bombing of Iraq. Or for that matter the Jews of Kosovo, driven from their homes while NATO soldiers stood by and refused to intervene.
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If you want another example of the way Cook’s ambition made him behave monstrously, look at the way he dumped his wife, in the airport, when they were about to fly off on holiday, after receiving a phone call from Alistair Campbell.
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Here’s Cook before Blair sacked him, telling us how it’s good for Iraqis to have bombs dropped on them:
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/4259671/Why-it-is-in-the-interest-of-the-Iraqi-people-to-bomb-Saddam.html
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And here’s an article about the man:
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http://www.zcommunications.org/robin-cooks-ethical-foreign-policy-by-david-edwards
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From the latter:
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Sixteen years later, on May 11 1994, Cook was still attacking the Tory government, asking trade minister, Richard Needham, to provide “assurances” that Hawks approved for sale would not be used in East Timor. (Ibid, p.142) Cook reminded Needham:
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“He will be aware that Hawk aircraft have been observed on bombing runs in East Timor in most years since 1984.” (Quoted, Pilger, ‘A worse slaughter,’ New Statesman, June 1, 1999)
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Remarkably, just six months later (November 17, 1994), the verbatim parliamentary report, Hansard, records Cook defending Labour’s decision to sell Hawks to the Indonesian regime under prime minister Harold Wilson. These were, after all, “trainers” Cook said, sold “on the clear understanding” that they would not be used for any other purpose. Moreover, there was no evidence “whatever” that they had been used in East Timor. (Quoted, Pilger, Hidden Agendas, op. cit, p.142)
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The difference was that in the intervening months Cook had been made shadow foreign secretary.
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This is worth reading too, just a vignette from post-‘liberation’ Kosovo. I’m sure it would have made Cook intensely proud:
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http://emperors-clothes.com/interviews/ceda.htm
Just a quick note to say I wrote a contribution to the discussion of R Cook here, but as it had two or three links in it has been held up. So it may be worth looking back to this point in case the thread has moved on by the time it appears.
It’s my understanding that WikiLeaks revelations played a major role in inflaming public opinion in Tunisia against the regime. This wouldn’t seem to have been in the best interests of the US considering we were portrayed as turning a blind eye to violations of human rights, etc. since the ruler was playing along with “us”.
Don’t recall if there were many revelations about the regime in Egypt.
On another Stephen. Some satire.
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Unthinkable? A Stephen Fry-free Friday
Can the inexhaustible polymath not grant us mere mortals one day a year in which to gather our own thoughts?
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/nov/04/stephen-fry-free-friday?newsfeed=true
lets us accept the realm of the possible. Marwan Barghouti’s release, although it would be a force to be reckoned with, will not fill Israels own gaping casm, i.e. its lack of an alternative quality leadership. netanyahu for this lack might just get re elected ad nauseum, not for his own record, as could be said for Golda Meir’s zionist reign, but for the lack of willing candidates happy to stand against him.
We should try and influence our FoI to join in the demand for barghouti’s release, especially those of us who have some connections within these circles.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/free-barghouti-now-1.260775
Quelcrime,
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Are we sure about the ‘dump’ at the airport? At the time Margaret knew about horse lover Gaynor Regan for a year at least. We read in Margaret’s book about Robin’s drinking habits and sexual peccadilloes. Obviously distraught this was a timely reminder to Robin of what comes around goes around.
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There was always a place for Margaret in Robin’s mind. Robin said, Margaret was furious at the way he [Robin] was bluntly told by Blair’s spin doctor Campbell to choose between his wife and mistress. There lies the evil. After Blair folded to offers of wealth and succumbed to Dubya’s plan to attack Iraq in 2000 after years of sabre-rattling, the spineless Blair hatched the plot with his adjunct Campbell to give a pink slip bombshell to Robin.
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Margaret forgave him:
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1248873/MARGARET-COOK-Im-proud-Robin–youre-man-emerge-honour-Iraq-debacle.html
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Moral of the story, don’t have an extramarital affair with a Tracey Temple of her day and certainly not an MI5 trained agent and be careful divulging information such as Al-Qaida, literally “the database”, was originally the computer file of the thousands of mujahideen who were recruited and trained with help from the CIA to defeat the Russians.
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Oh and refrain from hill-walking on land owned by a senior MoD official where ‘groups of hill-walkers’ become one anonymous hero.
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You are missed Robin RIP.
“an MI5 trained agent” Mark.
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Mark, are you suggesting that Gaynor Regan was trained by MI5 (I don’t mean simply vetted by or advised by wrt the OSA, etc.) and/or that she was working for MI5 at the time she was Robin Cook’s secretary/lover? What evidence do you have for that contention? I just want to be clear about it. Thanks very much.
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Stephen, yes, so maybe it requires both people outside making a fuss and people working quietly away inside, trying to shift state policy. Maybe the two approaches are not mutually exclusive but mutually empowering.
I am ‘suggesting’ Suhayl and the clue is in Tracy Temple who worked as a personal diary secretary for former Northern Ireland Secretary Mo Mowlam.
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I am working from conscious Suhayl and I know my ‘suggestion’ may be ill-judged, I apologise for that, my fate would be ridicule – I am willing to take that risk.