After I protested internally and in writing about UK complicity in torture, I found myself suddenly faced with eighteen allegations against me by my employer, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, including an allegation that I had criminally expedited visas for women in return for sexual favours, or to put the same allegation more bluntly, blackmailed visa applicants into sex.
My world collapsed. Like Strauss-Kahn, I ended up on suicide watch. I don’t know if DSK is innocent; he could indeed be a monster; but should he be innocent, I know the absolute hell he is going through.
After an official British government investigation, I was presented with the file of a single visa applicant, for a young lady named Albina Safarova. From her passport photo, she was very beautiful. On the back of her application, the visa officer had written “HMA [Her Majesty’s Ambassador] authorises issue.”
But if I had authorised issue, my signature should have been there; it wasn’t. What was there, was a letter from the lady’s visa sponsor, a man named Dermot Hassett. In his letter of support for the application, he stated that the circumstances of the application were known to the British Ambassador, Mr Craig Murray. On top of which, there was a letter from the visa issuing officer, Lorraine Clarke, who stated that she had issued the visa after being informed by two named British diplomats that Mr Hassett was a friend of mine.
So far, so damning. But I had never even heard of Mr Dermot Hassett or of Ms Albina Safarova. I had never met him. I had never met her. I was mystified. I eventually passed the papers on to a seasoned investigative journalist, Bob Graham. He tracked down Dermot Hassett, who told him that the British Embassy had advised him to add the phrase about my knowing the circumstances of the application to his letter of support. They said that would guarantee the visa would be issued.
I have no reason to believe that Dermot Hassett and Albina Safarova were anything other than unwitting dupes. But this application was directly and officially shown to me as evidence of my sexual inolvement in visa applications. I have no doubt at all that it was fabricated evidence to damage my reputation and lessen the impact of any potential public revelations I may make about UK complicity in torture or extraordinary rendition.
I was cleared on all charges, but that did not matter because the British government had damaged my reputation forever by promoting the allegations to the media. Those who deny the very possibility that modern western governments connive in quite deliberate conspiracies of injustice, have no idea what they are talking about. If you threaten them in any political way, they can certainly fabricate evidence against you.
I know; they did it to me.
“Good luck Craig in your endeavours to get the wankers.”
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I echo that. I’d dearly love to see Craig take the FCO to court. But, given the stress he initially endured, and the stress he has no doubt endured over the last eight years, I’m reluctant to push the court idea. No doubt Craig will let us know what he’s planning in due course.
I’m sure you know that you have lots of supporters here Craig but I too would recommend like Dreolin moving on. Don’t let the bastards take even more of your life, it’s a finite resource. As mentioned they could always sacrifice someone who probably was made to do stuff under duress, you know that’s how these things often pan out.
The problem with rape cases is that it’s incredibly difficult for an accused individual to prove his innocence once the alligations have been spread all around the court of public opinion, and this happens long before the case even goes to trial, the damage has already been done, and DSK has lost his job.
Clearly rape, or accusations of sexual abuse or misconduct, are an incredibly powerful weapon in the hands of unscrupulous people who desire to smear a public figure or damage his reputation beyond repair.
The US police and prosecutors are normally extremely slow in pursuing rape charges because they are notoriously difficult to prove in a court of law without evidence and witnesses, or physical signs that an attack, or rape has taken place. So the speed with which the US authorities acted in relation to DSK is very surprising indeed. The chambermaid, must have been an extraordinarilly believeble and good witness to convince the police to act so promtly.
Strauss-Kahn has been setup, stuffed and screwed. As Craig admits, lubricity allegations stick like shit to a clean blanket. Conspiracy theorists suggest Strauss-Kahn was stitched-up as a right-wing plot by Sarkozy’s UMP party. To me that manipulation by a well placed carnal banana skin is far too simplistic and even diversionary.
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Strauss-Kahn was fully aware the IMF has been ineffective in addressing the recent imbalances and current instability in the global economy. He wanted reform beginning with an immediate expansion of the current system of special drawing rights or money that can be issued by the IMF fund. Strauss-Kahn grew to detest a system dominated by holdings of US dollars which he said created a global recessionary bias after the recent financial crisis because it places the burden of adjusting to payments imbalances on nations which run a deficit. In fact he wanted a new global currency that would stop the rot of ersatz capitalism, fundamentally corrupt, inequitable and doomed to failure. Why should a countries citizens support markets and too-big-to-fail financial firms.
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An example is of course Ireland where its citizens now realise the cost of bailing out bondholders (whether in Germany, the US, the UK or even Ireland) is being borne by them. It is a massive, unjustified and unjustifiable redistribution of resources.
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Currently the IMF is lending money to ensure Irish taxpayers bail out Irish bank bondholders, but with little concern for economic growth and welfare. The international lending terms imposed on the Government and its citizens are onerous in large part due to the Government’s continuing policy of bailing out the Irish banks. Raising interest rates to Ireland to tame European inflation is senseless. The budgetary “correction”, arising from higher taxes and *lower services* to pay for interest on the debt, is increasing.
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Be assured Ireland’s predicament is a warning, a red light to us UK citizens that the noose is tightening and we, the British people will be strangled, left dangling above our impoverished children.
Hmmmmm.
Dreoilin finally admits to errors in her post, and to knowing someone in the French national assembly who was afraid of lifts and elevators.
On foot of which the NYPD do the fastest arrest in their whole incompetent history and the world’s media sing Psalm 94 in harmony.
Hey ho.
Angrysoba merely provides further evidence that he’s simply a troll.
Now back to the issues.
The point about all this stuff is that DSK is being fitted up for annoying the banksters just as Gadaffi is being fitted up for emmmmm… annoying the banksters…Berlusconi gets out of gaol free and all the other dictators keep on dictating…
It’s difficult to make it any simpler than that.
So once again for those who arrived late. It’s not about Feminism. It’s not about liberal interventionism. It’s just using fools as tools, same as ever.
“sexual dealings”
Ah!
Dat sorta ting.
I am really surprised how many people are tying themselves in knots trying to believe that Strauss-Kahn is a victim of some plot. If Sarko wanted to railroad him he’d do it in France where he has control, are we supposed to believe the alleged victim was planted in the hotel 3 years ago with this situation in mind?
Experience of the real world tells us there are predators who push the limits again and again, each time finding that vested interests will cover their tracks. This time the predator went to far. His lawyers are aiming for claiming consent because the DNA has him bang to rights.
Handwriting on the back of an application form and DNA samples backing the story of a traumatized and injured person have nothing in common.
‘In any investigation, my Bunter, it is most damnably dangerous to have a theory.’
‘I have heard you say so, my lord.’
‘Confound you – you know it as well as I do. What is wrong with the doctor’s theories, Bunter?’
‘You wish me to reply, my lord, that he only sees the facts which fit into the theory.’
‘Thought-reader!’ exclaimed Lord Peter bitterly.
Dorothy L Sayers, The footsteps that ran.
Pingback: IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn : France's would-be president , accused of sex attack - Page 19 - TeakDoor.com - The Thailand Forum
“I am really surprised how many people are tying themselves in knots trying to believe that Strauss-Kahn is a victim of some plot. If Sarko wanted to railroad him he’d do it in France where he has control, are we supposed to believe the alleged victim was planted in the hotel 3 years ago with this situation in mind?”
It’s already been pointed out that the midget is not the instigator. That’s been pointed out in this blog, others and in French political commentary. Sarko couldn’t do in France what the Americans did cos DSK was too much liked.
But anyway. It’s DSK’s IMF position that the banksters are aiming at, not his presidential ambitions though they do get the two birds for the one stone.
The whole point about that hotel being a regular stay for DSK is that all they had to do was find a vulnerable employee who could easily be turned. Threats to immigration status, bribes etc. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
That’s the strong case.
The weaker case is that knowing of DSK’s animal heterosexuality all they had to do was put a female within sight of him and let nature take its course.
Either way. His perp walk happened because he weren’t doin what the banksters wanted. No Feminism nor liberal intervention required.
Next!!
Dominique Strauss-Kahn has most certainly been set up because, disgraceful though it is, very influential elites such as him just don’t get prosecuted for the type of offences he is alleged to have committed. Usually, if the authorities are involved at all, it is to cover it up and ensure that nothing gets into the media or gets reported by the media. In North America thay call such cover-ups – “bimbo control”. I know with certainty that MI5/MI6 are expert in covering things up for high establishment figures, and I would expect that US Intelligence in New York is just as proficient.
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Am I suggesting that Mr. Strauss-Khan is innocent? Not necessarily. As Craig says, I don’t know whether Strauss-Kahn is a monster or totally innocent. All I am suggesting is that he was not arrested because of the alleged offences, but because somebody even more powerful than him wanted him ruined.
**
Is it just a false “honey trap” SMEAR as happened in Craig’s case, or is there more to it? Possibly there is more to it; particularly if there is a past history of sexual abuses, where intelligence agencies may actually have helped with the cover-up. Intelligence agencies like flawed people of influence who commit these types of crimes on a regular basis because they can be blackmailed and controlled – and thrown to the wolves if necessary at any time the agencies decide to shift from cover-up mode into lets nail him mode. I don’t know the answer. I do know that high establishment figures don’t get nailed for this sort of crime (serious though the allegations are) and they most certainly don’t get hauled off an aircraft, and thrown in jail without bail. What is it really about? The question to ask is – who benefits????
Herbie, I agree that it’s an easy mistake to see conspiracies where there is just plain human weakness and bad behaviour. But coincidences tend to catch one by the sleeve. Take a look at this article, for instance:
Bankers Cheer as IMF Head Faces Sexual Assault Charges
http://www.counterpunch.org/whitney05162011.html
It just seems odd. Why would someone so rich and powerful throw it all away by forcing himself crudely on a hotel chambermaid? He must have known exactly what the stakes were, and the situation was hardly a novel one for him. The only way I can make it work would be if he were deliberately tempting fate – seeking an adrenaline rush by doing something suicidally self-destructive. (Like Hugh Grant, on that famous occasion).
And look at the timing. Just as DSK becomes really, really unpopular in high places for seeking to change the whole direction of IMF policy – WHAM! It reminds me uncomfortably of the way the Swedish authorities stirred in their sleep and decided to reinstate the charges against Julian Assange that they had assured him, months before, were dead – TWO DAYS after the great and the good in the USA vowed to take him down.
Hi Tom,
Just for clarity. I was quoting MrJohn in the first 4 lines of my last post in order to disagree with them.
I agree with what you’re saying.
For me the central issue is that the banksters got an outcome they desired and there’s clearly an element of active orchestration on their part required to achieve that.
Whether DSK actively contributed to his demise in attacking this woman or she has been threatened into lying about what happened is neither here nor there in the grand scheme of things notwithstanding any distress to the woman involved if the claims are true.
Even if the claims aren’t true she will still have been abused by powerful people for their own political and economic ends and will be immensely distressed for that alone, and perhaps to an even scarier degree, as we saw in the case of the younger of the Swedish women in the Assange case.
In short, women are naive to think that this is some sort of victory against horrible nasty men.
It ain’t.
The banksters are quite happy that feminists distract everyone from the main issue, and as usual they play their part wonderfully. That’s why Feminism has been encouraged. It’s useful. It can be used or ignored as needs demand.
They’re merely being used in a power struggle between powerful interests. DSK as head of the IMF would have been better for the world economically than will now be the case, despite any personal libido issues.
Feminists and liberal interventionists, even when they think they’re fighting a moral cause are simply being used as tools in an altogether more important game.
I’ve not seen enough of the story to be *certain* that DSK has been set up – I’d be interested as to why Herbie and Roderick seem convinced. Thanks Tom though for the interesting link – certainly the circumstances are sufficient to warrant some suspicion. That the IMF might be led down a progressive economic path – what a thought!
‘erbie – didn’t follow what you were saying, but no-one gets deleted here for writing nonsense. But please be nice to people – @dreoilin regularly offers interesting and thoughtful input here. I’m sure you realise genuine feminism and neo-conservatism have very little in common, and are regularly opposed to each other.
One has to be careful with hobby horses, in my view – it’s fine to choose to be opposed to feminism, but it isn’t a given that all high profile sexual assaults are brought about by malicious or lying women.
@Herbie – our posts crossed 🙂
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> In short, women are naive to think that this is some sort of
> victory against horrible nasty men.
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Errr, I don’t think there are many women who do think that. Believe it or not, most women – like most people, strangely – would rather have justice done. So, if there is a case to answer, he should be brought before a court, but if he is innocent of the charge, then one hopes the legal system will exonerate him. I am suspicious in the Assange case of foul play, but we cannot ignore the charges in case they turn out to be correct. Good people do bad things, I suppose – even though I am firmly in favour of the presumption of innocence.
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We’ll just have to disagree on the idea that someone is ‘encouraging’ feminism so that they can be ‘used’ to support the economic status quo. I think the balance of political and worker power in the world is sharply skewed in favour of men, which makes genuine feminism* a worthwhile cause to support.
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* I say “genuine” since I think the view you have of feminism of a grumpy bunch of men-haters does exist, but I don’t regard that as feminist. However, an all-gender movement which is opposed to patriarchy and discrimination, but is in favour of men (!) sounds pretty reasonable to me. I don’t see how that supports the status quo – such groups should be in favour of all forms of domination, including economic ones.
I think she charged him $500 and he kicked her back door in an she wanted more and has ran off crying rape. Dunno – could be wrong. That would be my hunch. Not guilty m’lud.
He ran out of he shower with a boner and shagged her up the ass? Oh do fuck off.
Hi Jon,
I hear what you’re saying about Dreoilin, but I hope I don’t have to be too nice to the Larries and Angrysoba too.
My view is that irrespective of whether or not DSK actually attacked this woman, his arrest, humiliation and resignation required active intervention by the banksters.
They got what they wanted. He may have actively assisted in his demise, but that in itself is not enough for him to now be in the position he’s in. Were he still a good boy pro-bankster he’d have been quickly shuffled off out of the country and the woman paid off to keep quiet.
The feminist arguments merely distract from what this is really about.
I’m all for the sovereignty of the individual etc, but there are much greater issues which affect us all and which ultimately transcend any individual damage to this woman, whether by DSK or the pressure of bankster agents upon her to make it up.
We saw precisely the same issues at play in the case of Assange.
At best, feminism is not helping us to understand and change the world. It merely distracts us from what’s going on. If it were truly progressive and not merely something that powerful interests could use as they see fit, it would be marginal to mainstream discourse which it quite clearly is not, despite recurring protestations to the contrary.
Feminism Inc has been incorporated.
There is a racist element in maybe DSK refused to pay her?
“Dreoilin finally admits to errors in her post”
–Herbie
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There was no “finally” involved. I was only back the once, after your delightful challenge.
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“and to knowing someone in the French national assembly who was afraid of lifts and elevators.”
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I’m sure everyone is rolling on the floor laughing. “Wit” and omniscience? What a combination!
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“The weaker case is that knowing of DSK’s animal heterosexuality all they had to do was put a female within sight of him and let nature take its course.”
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What the hell does that mean? That he’s a rapist at heart and it’s all just “nature’s way”??
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Another thing, do you classify any woman who comments on alleged rape as a feminist? How would you know how I feel about feminism?
.
“Dat sorta ting.”
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Is that your version of an Irish accent? Are you a racist Herbie? Along with your other ‘talents’?
.
“The feminist arguments merely distract from what this is really about.”
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Which ‘feminist’ arguments? Where?
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———————————-
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“Why would someone so rich and powerful throw it all away by forcing himself crudely on a hotel chambermaid?” –Tom
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Mrjohn said it up above. Maybe this time he went too far, having engaged in somewhat similar behaviour before. Similar but not as bad. And what if this woman ran downstairs dishevelled, obviously traumatised, possibly bleeding, and blurted her story in a staff area, possibly with several witnesses? The hotel management would be obliged to call the NYPD, and they in turn couldn’t afford to ignore her, surely? How many people would have had to be silenced? Maybe the fact that DSK was trying to take the IMF in another direction is sheer coincidence … At the moment, we have no way of knowing.
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If she WAS a victim of rape, and if she testifies, that poor woman will have several traumatic months ahead of her. Possibly years. And Herbie’s description of her and other brave women as “tools” adds insult to injury.
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I DO think Assange was set up. In this case, I am 50/50. We have the woman’s statement of what happened. On the other side, regarding a set-up, we have nothing but speculation.
By the way, that Libyan woman who said she was gang raped by Gaddafi’s thugs seems to be widely believed in this part of the world – at least by Channel 4 who interviewed her about two nights ago. I haven’t seen any allegations that she was a plant by NATO-backed “rebels”.
Excerpt:
“In the wake of DSK’s arrest, other women are coming forward. The young writer Tristane Banon — who didn’t press charges in 2002 when, she claims, DSK tried to rape her — is pursuing charges now. (Her mother, Anne Mansouret, a Socialist candidate, now says she’s sorry that she discouraged her daughter from going to the police.) Piroska Nagy, with whom DSK had an affair at the IMF, is back in the news, reminding the world that when the IMF board declared there was “no evidence of coercion or abuse of his power,” it ignored her own statement that she had been pressured and coerced into sleeping with him. Suddenly, it’s common knowledge that women journalists and IMF staffers took care not to be alone with him.”
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Full article:
http://www.thenation.com/article/160792/dsk-deja-vu
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So much for smart remarks about people who are “afraid of lifts and elevators”.
Here is an intelligent assessment of the Khan affair -without any “conspiracy” element:-
http://rt.com/news/imf-undesirable-strauss-kahn-us/
Mr Courtney, this is for you:
http://www.myspace.com/tom_heneghan_intel/blog
@Herbie, thanks. My personal view is you should be nice to AngrySoba too; I disagree with him on a lot of things, especially Israel/Palestine, but an opposing perspective genuinely held is interesting and useful.
I think we need to be careful in letting DSK off for (alleged) bad behaviour. If he did force himself on the maid, he should be charged, regardless of whether his policy change at the IMF was progressive. Ditto in the Wikileaks case – I personally think Assange has been set up, but he still ought to to answer the charges set against him, and he should be charged if there is reasonable evidence. It doesn’t (and shouldn’t) matter that we think they are “good men”.
This underscores my view of a dilemma that progressive causes have generally. Government transparency or socialist economic policy etc, should be obtained fairly and democratically, whereas corporatism and elite financial control will usually be obtained through media control, legal gagging, imperial action and cloak-and-dagger games. Therefore, for what progressives are asking, we are at a significant disadvantage.
A Former Assistant Secretary of the U.S Treasury under Reagan and former editor of The Wall St Journal, Paul Craig Roberts, tells how it all works and why he never gets into lifts or elevators alone….
“The Establishment Eliminates A Threat”
http://www.opednews.com/articles/The-Establishment-Eliminat-by-paul-craig-roberts-110520-790.html
Breaking News No 94
Poor old dead Father Ted revealed as anti Irish racist!!
There was shock in Dublin today as it was revealed that Dermot Morgan’s well known catch phrase “dat sorta ting” was officially declared racist against the eternally pure and god-fearing Irish people.
“Sure we knew he wasn’t even proper Irish in the first place” said a spokeswoman for The Purity Party, “feckin Welsh bugger”!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT9xuXQjxMM
Don’t answer me directly, Herbie, I might bite. Or wrongfully accuse you of rape.
I learned today that a friend has just been arrested and charged with harassment. His crime? He was getting friendly with a cleaner at work, and asked her back to his flat (she didn’t go), and offered to help her out financially because she claimed to be in difficulty. This has been construed as an offer to pay her for sex. He wasn’t lewd towards her, didn’t lay a finger on her, impede her progress, or even insult her. He was being inappropriately nice. (As English isn’t her first language, there may also have been communication problems.)
Now, as it happens, he did exactly the same for me last year (I’m male) when I went through a bad patch, and – guess what? – he never molested me! I even slept on his couch for a few weeks; he got a key cut for me, and paid me for cleaning for his flat. It’s true he does occasionally make smutty quips, but I’m happy to match him on that level.)
You might think this junk accusation would be thrown out with the trash. But in addition to being arrested, he has been called in by his boss and forced to resign from his part-time professional job. His career may be irreparably damaged. He’s doing well to stay sane.
Hurrah for feminists! – stamping out the scourge of single men offering to help women in difficulty, in case it’s misinterpreted as a unwanted come-on. Pah!
Very sorry to hear it. It seems astonishing to me that asking someone out is harassment, provided you accept a refusal with good grace.
Hi Jon
I don’t think we would ever have heard of DSK’s sexual life unless the banksters wanted it so.
Sure, we would have heard whispers, gossip etc but not the detailed info that is now emerging through mass media, indeed acting en masse.
There’s nothing progressive about a situation where the banksters use seemingly progressive causes when it suits them and ignore them when it does not.
That’s the dilemma.
Ultimately then these seemingly progressive causes are incorporated into just another tool for regressive power.
All these problems were pointed out when the left moved to embrace identity politcs, and nothing much has changed on that score.
We’d be better to move back to an understanding of the dynamics of economy etc rather than in the intervening time delude ourselves that power cares that any individual is raped.
It’s pointless to prop up a justice system that is corrupt by accepting occasional crumbs of justice as and when it suits them.
Ultimately one must make a temporary compromise if one is to achieve anything of value.
That understanding seems to have died sometime in the early 1980s.
Hi Dreoilin
The “racist” thing was much to shrill and ridiculous to respond in any other way than by lampoon.