The FCO claim that records of extraordinary rendition flights to Diego Garcia were destroyed by water damage is an insult to all our intelligence. The FCO is refusing to say where the records were at the time, or what else was damaged in the (presumed) flood. This is of a piece with, but much more serious than, the “accidental” shredding of all Tony Blair’s parliamentary expenses claims. It is not that they expect us to believe them – they just don’t care. They have the power, and we don’t.
Just as much an insult to our intelligence is the new scheme of security measures at airports. These are all to do with maintaining the fear levels that keep the population compliant, and nothing to do with aviation security. If you have some kind of bomb inside an electronic device, you need a power source to trigger it. The last thing a bomber wants is a flat battery.
It is over twenty years now since I went on a MI6/SAS hosted course at “the Fort” near Gosport. One of the things we were shown and had explained to us, was a laptop which had been converted into a very effective bomb incorporating a slim sheet of semtex. That laptop could switch on and work absolutely normally. The laptop battery was the power source for the detonator.
Explosives detectors at airports would today pick up the semtex. That a mobile phone with no power source could be a bomb, in a way not immediately spotted by x-ray or explosives detector, is a nonsense. If you want to cause real damage on a plane, buy two one litre bottles of 50% strength premium vodka in duty free and set fire to them. You would be surprised at the extreme heat that can produce in a confined space.
On the new DRIP “emergency” data retention: it has been commented elsewhere that although the LIBLABCON at Westminster patently don’t have enough time to consider properly and vote with informed consent – unfortunately/fortunately around ten percent of the UK population WILL soon (September) be able to think & vote, partly, about their considerations on the effect of this new ‘temporary’ terror law on our life, correspondence & liberty.
The unwarranted headlong last minute non-transparent panic-push for DRIP might just ‘blowback’ and nudge the undecided millions into choosing the rUK and a freer Scotia? Leuk twice or ye loup ance…
DRIP (pdf)
YouKnow –
As the form of the Bill has been stitched up collectively by the three (two? Can’t see the Libs looming very large at the next election) major parties, and given that UKIP have yet to express any opinion that favours submission either to the EU or the ECJ, the next election will probably not affect the issue in the slightest.
Sorry, I read elsewhere that DRIP – which according to the draft will be enacted in England, Wales & Scotland, might be another straw weighing on the back of the looming Scottish referendum ‘No’ campaign.
And don’t forget the USS Liberty…
“Maybe for the first time since Jewish terrorists in 1946 planted explosives in the King David Hotel, killing 91 and wounding 46 persons, and a Jewish religious student in 1995 assassinated Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in a public square in Tel Aviv, extremist elements within the Jewish Israeli society are being seen in the light that the Palestinians have been pointing out for decades. These Israelis are not only threatening Palestinians, but are now a threat to Israel’s future, no less a threat than violent Palestinian voices are to Palestine being able to realize its freedom and independence.”
http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/07/10/where-violence-is-the-norm/
Ah, misunderstood you, YouKnow. Apologies. Yes, it might, suitably presented.
“Sicko Anon is on to his usual form”
How so, Mary? It’s well documented that there was a palpable sense of disappointment around here when the Western powers chose not to bomb Syria, and it’s obvious, now, that the likes of you and Ba’al positively get off on the thought of Israel going overboard in its response to Palestinian rocket attacks. Numerous psychologists have dealt with this odd aspect of the nature of the over-politicized individual – hoping their opponents will do their worst to justify their own position. Stop cutting and pasting and do some reading!
Anon, speak for yourself, if you aren’t already. I felt relieved and triumphant when the Commons voted against an attack on Syria. I’d written to my MP, reminding him of the Dodgy Dossier and the Downing Street Memo.
The one(s) constantly arguing for attacks is/are Resident Dissident/ESLO. And the apologists for Israeli barbarity are you and Habbabkuk. So fuck off.
” palpable sense of disappointment”
Must be a typo, or brainfart. Who, exactly, expressed disappointment?
“It’s well documented that there was a palpable sense of disappointment around here when the Western powers chose not to bomb …”
A couple of twits made a couple of remarks to that effect. I don’t call that “well documented”.
So to agree with Clark, fuck off with your nonsense.
I wasn’t accusing you, Clark, and I’ve never been an apologist for Israeli barbarity. I’ve written before that Israel is its own worst enemy and that frequently the treatment it metes out to the Palestinians is both brutal and inexcusable. But not blaming Israel and the Jews for all the faults of the world and not being obsessed by Israel to the detriment of all other human rights causes around the globe is obviously deemed a little bit too ‘zionist’ for some of the sadder of the sad obsessives around here.
Ben, if you would put the peace pipe down for one minute and try to recall the Syria threads, that huge concern for the well-being of the Syrian people suddenly went out the window once it became apparent that there was to be no Western intervention, and has barely been heard of since – ie there was no real concern for the wellbeing of the Syrian people beyond the political advantage you could draw from a Western intervention . The only thing most of you were bothered about was jacking yourselves off silly about the prospect of a NATO bombing campaign. And the more of you who tell me to fuck off the more I know I’m right.
Another ridiculous comment from Anon. I lobbied my MP not to vote for more war. That was a waste of my time. Her name is in this list of those who voted for it.
http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/division.php?date=2013-08-29&number=70&showall=yes#voters
Stunning scenes. Michael Gove overheard shouting at Tory rebels outside Commons chamber: “You’re a disgrace, you’re a disgrace”.
— Tom Newton Dunn (@tnewtondunn) August 29, 2013 LOL
How disgusting to say that anyone can ‘get off’ on the killing of innocents including little children. Beyond words. Suggest a mouthwash.
Clearly an admission albeit in a round the houses fashion that the mad rabid zionists have always done their worst to the Palestinians, and the palpable disappointment is because of seventy years of genocide, mass murder, and land theft and still the shithole of zionistan is no further forward and reliant on the charity of its benefactors and sponsors for its very survival despite the constant torrent of unconscious drivel to the contrary.
Meanwhile the damage done by the “rockets” of Hamas best start a crowd funding rush to fill up the pothole in case a mad mercenary Jewish extremist drives over it and shoots his tadger off with the wrongly placed pistol in his belt.
However rabid mad zionists are winning the war by crushing the terrorists! More handy work of the untethered rabid mad zionist scum
This is some of the returns on tax funds of US taxpayers and 400 tonnes of explosives that have so far rained on Gaza the most densely populated open air concentration camp on the planet. All the wile the blackmailed bastards at the helms of power are playingthe three fucking wise monkeys; see no evil, hear no evil, and say no evil.
the likes of you and Ba’al positively get off on the thought of Israel going overboard in its response to Palestinian rocket attacks
You’re insane. Nothing more to be said on the matter.
Anon; You are tail-gating on Hab’s ad homs about my THC proclivities….
“that huge concern for the well-being of the Syrian people suddenly went out the window once it became apparent that there was to be no Western intervention”
Again I ask for clarification. Who said they were disappointed?
It’s your raison d’être, Mary. But you’re only concerned with your preferred ‘side’, of course. That’s what revolts me about people like you, who claim to be concerned about human rights and laughably tag words like ‘For Truth and Justice’ alongside their names as if they actually give a shit about any victim who does not serve to reinforce their prejudices. Not one of your million posts has done anything to change the life of a Palestinian.
Remind me, when was the last time you expressed the least bit of concern for the victims of Muslim violence? I mean, there’s no shortage of cases for a self-professed human rights activist to draw upon.
Weird how official documents are so often lost, whilst data on every UK citizen is retained, without incident, forever. It seems anything to do with Bliar is lost, routinely. I wonder why? At the time I was amazed about Blair’s expenses claims going missing, and wondered why this was just accepted. I see though that there is much about Bliar we aren’t being told. Perhaps historians will complete his disgrace, and I fear it won’t be pretty.
I’m also curious as to this ’emergency’ that all 3 parties seem to agree is serious enough to rush through legislation. Were I a cynical man, I’d think that they were saving their own hides, because they knew that they were up to something illegal, and that they personally might get their collar felt. Thus, emergency powers rushed through.
Is this a new phenomenon? Making stuff that was illegal suddenly legal through the magic of legislation? In Australia, immigration minister recently used some obscure law already on the statute to justify their dismal asylum policy, after the Hight Court ruled their actions illegal. This just strikes me as cheating. Oh, we’re doing bad stuff that our judiciary says is illegal, shit let’s find some clause in the terror laws, or some law left over from the 50’s, or some anti-communist law, or whatever. That’ll sort it.
Shitheads seem to have taken over in the 3 main English speaking countries in the world. And none of them appear especially bright. I’ve noticed this recently, lots of super-competitive, not-bright, authoritarian dolts are in positions of authority way above their merits. The curse of the self-selecting alpha-male strikes again.
“The curse of the self-selecting alpha-male strikes again.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Principle
Yesterday we learn about the terrible loss of files documenting New Labour’s illegal rendition flights due to ‘flood damage’, today Ed Milliband agrees wholeheartedly to support the as yet unseen Emergency Permission to Carry on Spying on Everyone Forever Bill.
Is it just me, or could that be more than a coincidence?
Anon once again hits a few nails squarely on the head with his excellent posts at 22h04, 22h38, 22h49 and 23h10! Congratulations are due.
And, as usual, the Excellences concerned respond feebly with fake indignation,insults and evasions.
They are truly transparent and laughable.
Perhaps you would like to fill the vacuum Anon left like nuggets on a horse trail, Hab
Where is the evidence for allegation? As per usual…..nada.
Anon: You are consistent, in fairness. It appears you believe lefties, commies – whatever – pretend to sympathise with the targets of neo-con attrocities. But they want to see those with whom they sympathise bombed and targeted anyway, because then… could you fill in the rest?
You claim massive disappointment from these lefties whenever attrocities are not as bad as they might have been. You claim this is expressed here, and you have claimed it repeatedly.
Not once have you ever provided an example of the same, despite being asked for it again and again. Let’s try afresh – can you substantiate your accusations concerning Syria, just as a for instance? Don’t get all slippery and vague, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
Or are you no more than a cowardly accuse-and-run sort of mud-slinger?
Habbabkuk and Anon,
Congratulations fellas!!!
2 of the most inhumane,bigoted and fucked up posts i’ve ever read on this blog.
Grotesque sock puppets.
Anon’s only shtik is whataboutery, whatabout the Shoah, whatabout Pol Pot, whatabout Klinghoffer, whatabout Saladin, whatabout Neanderthal extinction, whatabout Krakatoa, whatabout the late Devonian die-off, whatabout the Hittites etc. etc. etc. I never would have thought it was possible to write in a high nasal whine. This is the kind of emotional manipulation that only works with neurotic mothers consumed by free-floating anxiety. He clearly can’t interact any other way. We’re re-enacting his childhood traumas for him.
How kind of the Scottish people and its government. All we have heard from Cameron is support for Israel and condemnation of Hamas.
Scottish Government calls for end to Gaza blockade. Offers medical help.
Treatment offered in Scottish hospitals for injured Gazans.
Scotland’s hospitals stand ready to treat civilians affected by the continuing and increasing violence in Gaza, External Affairs Minister Humza Yousaf has said.
Mr Yousaf has written to Foreign Secretary William Hague to express his concern at the violence on both sides of the conflict, and to ask him to exert pressure on the Israeli Government to end the blockade of Gaza, which the Scottish Government views as collective punishment. The Scottish Government has called for an immediate end to hostilities including a cessation of both rocket attacks and air strikes to de-escalate the situation.
In the letter Mr Yousaf sets out the offer made by Scottish hospitals, and asks Mr Hague to consider doing the same in England.
Should medical evacuation (medevac) of casualties be possible, Scotland’s hospitals will be willing to offer treatment to patients requiring specialist care.
Mr Yousaf said: “We are deeply concerned by the situation in Gaza and the escalating violence on both sides, and particularly the humanitarian impact on civilians. Scotland stands ready to offer whatever assistance we can – and it is in that spirit that we make this offer, to give specialist medical help to civilians caught up in the conflict should medical evacuation be possible. The Scottish Government also believes that the continuation of the blockade in Gaza is exacerbating the suffering experienced by the people there. For that reason, I have today asked William Hague to exert further pressure on the Israeli Government to bring that blockade to an end.”
Minister for Public Health Michael Matheson said: “Compassion and the relief of human suffering have been central values of the NHS since its foundation 66 years ago. That is why Scotland stands ready and willing to help the innocent victims of this humanitarian crisis. Should medical evacuation become possible, we will work closely with doctors in Gaza to determine what kind of specialist care we are able to offer.”
http://news.scotland.gov.uk/News/Medical-help-for-Gaza-e9d.aspx
Bitte Sehr
Ha ha ‘the late Devonian die-off’. Was that a dinosaur false flag?
“It is not that they expect us to believe them – they just don’t care. They have the power, and we don’t.”
That sums up a great deal of government propaganda, your the point needs to be said loudly and often.
So one of Cameron’s justifications for the emergency snooping legislation is the need to protect our island from paedophilia, In the same week that the Home Office admits to losing the records about suspected paedophiles at Westminster. How did he keep a straight face?
In security matters the whole issue of deliberate fear inducing theatrics (FITs) needs more attention.
Perhaps the best example of this was in 2003 when Blair and Blunkett sent tanks to Heathrow Airport in response to a security alert, but every time I see confiscated nail scissors in display cabinets at airports, I just just wonder whether a smashed bottle bought in the duty-free would not make for a better offensive weapon on an aircraft. Why was it never suggested that duty-free be sold in plastic bottles?
Thanks for the reminder re. Tony Blair’s expenses, Brendan. For those who have forgotten what a thoroughgoing fraud the man has always been –
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1181415/MPs-EXPENSES-Blairs-43-000-expenses-shredded-incompetence.html
No doubt the revolting Michael Martin was central to this.