My mole told the truth – the delay was the reformating of a four page A4 report (merely 2,700 words) to spread it super-thinly over ten pages, using line spacing, large font and paragraph breaks.
It is a work of breathtaking insouciance. It brushes over Werritty’s meetings with other defence ministers on the pretext that, as this was in the context of Atlantic Bridge, that makes it OK! In fact, that is precisely what makes it unacceptable.
It also mentions only the Fox-Werritty meeting with Matthew Gould, UK Ambassador to Israel, in the MOD and fails to mention that they met him at least once again in Israel, or to answer a single one of the questions I asked about how this meeting was set up or what other contacts Gould had with Werritty.
The statement that the Cabinet Office were unaware of Werritty’s existence is a downright lie. Also interesting that it makes no mention of other government departments, particularly the FCO. And no mention at all of Werritty’s Israel Lobby funding or Mossad.
This is less whitewash, more transparent bollocks.
My investigation continues…
I’ve been trying to get information on the Atlantic Bridge and its dealings. It’s own website is down, presumably because of findings from the Charity Commission, and it is not possible to get an earlier snapshot of any of its pages. I was able to find this on Director of Operations Kara Watts from an annual exhibitors (ALEC) website:
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The Atlantic Bridge is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization founded by Dr. Liam Fox MP, current British Conservative Shadow Secretary for Defense. The Atlantic Bridge seeks to nurture, strengthen and promote the special partnership that exists between the UK and U.S. by reinvigorating the network of conservative links that underpinned the Thatcher-Reagan relationship of the 1980’s.
Booth Number: 318
Kara Watt – Director of Operations
The Atlantic Bridge
Room 341, Portcullis House
The House of Commons
Westminster, London
SW1A 0AA
Mobile Phone: (0)75 2590 1643
Business Phone: (0)20 7219 2617
E-mail: [email protected]
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Even the findings of the Charity Commission’s report is not available.
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http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/RSS/News/pr_atlanticb.aspx
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There is a link to the Atlantic Bridge Education and Research Team which has been removed. By whom? To what ends? Surely this information should be available! Somebody is hiding something and hopefully it will bring down other members of the shady Atlantic Bridge ‘charity’, like William Hague, George Osboren, Michael Gove, et al. They should all be asked a simple question: “What do you understand about the meaning of charity?”
Have just posted a comment which vanished into the ether!
@John, hmm, don’t know what happened there. Normally that means it is sitting in the approve queue. However that is empty… just try again, and don’t put more than one link in. (I always copy a comment to the clipboard before posting, in case it goes walkies!)
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Edit: ah, is it the ALEC one, just prior to your last post? I suspect another mod must have released it.
Sorry Jon. Just as I posted the comment about previous post vanishing into the ether it appeared as if by magic to make me look a twonk!
AB’s site closed down when the charity did. Look out for something called Transatlantic Bridge, to which I suspect the funds were transferred.
I doubt this will repeat AB’s little slip of displaying the names of its associates ( Hague, Gove, etc), though.
And it will probably be much more closely linked to Atlantic Bridge Inc (US) – at least until their nonprofit regulators complete their investigation of that.
Komodo, it will almost certainly re-emerge under some other name. What bothers me most is why the Charity Commission findings are not available. What happened to freedom of information?
John Goss: re freedom of information, some animals are more equal than others. And the Charity Commission has form, dating back over many years.
Something tells me that a durable whitewash, with a good undercoat isn’t needed to cover this up.
All they need to do is, shout anti-Semitism three times, click their heals and we will all find that we are in Kansas again.
That or they will say this isn’t typical ministerial behaviour. Fox was a bad apple that has been removed. And it will be business as usual when he is replaced by someone else who takes his orders from Israel.
What Havantaclu said. And what Monbiot said yesterday: under FOI (not Friends of Israel…)
“What this case highlights is the asymmetry of information in public life. The public sector is now so transparent that we have a right to read the private emails of climate scientists working for a state-sponsored university. The private sector is so opaque that we have no idea on whose behalf the people who appear every day on the BBC, using arguments that look suspiciously like corporate propaganda, are speaking.”
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Informative piece here:
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http://www.monbiot.com/2011/10/17/show-me-the-money/
PMQ’s (1330) now playing:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-15365245
@ Arsalan You are not in Kansas anymore! You are on Pandora! Lol
Havantaclu, for the last 45 years I’ve been telling myself “I must work harder” and I’ve just pulled my tripe out writing to the Charity Commission regarding their link.
Email to Charity Commission (19/10/2011)
When I click on your link ‘Atlantic Bridge Education and Research Team’ on the page which investigated Atlantic Bridge there is no information available, just the following:
Server Error in ‘/’ Application.
The resource cannot be found.
Description: HTTP 404. The resource you are looking for (or one of its dependencies) could have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable. Please review the following URL and make sure that it is spelled correctly.
Requested URL: /Our_regulatory_activity/Compliance_reports/RC_reports/rcr_atlanticb.aspx
Version Information: Microsoft .NET Framework Version:2.0.50727.4961; ASP.NET Version:2.0.50727.4955
Under the freedom of information this link should not have been removed and it looks suspicious as to why it has in the wake of the current revelations of Liam Fox and Adam Werritty. Can you explain why please?
I got an electronic response telling me they try to respond within 14 working days. Well I go to Romania on Saturday so when I get back . . .
FWIW Fox’s statement. I could not be bothered to read through this BBC apologia.
Another stone is turned over.
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Second Conservative minister accused of blurring role of adviserClimate change minister Greg Barker under scrutiny after consultant handed out business cards bearing Decc’s name
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Rajeev Syal and James Ball guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 19 October 2011 .
Greg Barker, minister for climate change.
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Another Conservative minister has been accused of blurring the role of a close adviser after an outside consultant with clients including BAA, Sky and Morgan Stanley was given a job in his department and handed out business cards bearing its name.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/oct/19/second-conservative-minister-accused-adviser
FWIW Fox’s statement. I could not be bothered to read through this BBC apologia.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-15365245
I watched the first part of the Fox statement. He began by saying a fortnight ago he was in Misrata where a man showed him photographs of his dead children and the next week he had to resign. One was a human tragedy, the other a personal misfortune. And that should put things in proportion. Where he should have gone was Sirte where he could see hundreds of examples of dead children due to his NATO bombing. The man is a creep. He makes my blood boil.
John Goss – I wouldn’t be surprised if the man had no empathy at all – only what suits his sobstory at the time!
The whole document smelt like Dr Fox wrote it himself. Must be from the ealrlier days when he claimed to have commisioned an investigation unto himself.
Havantaclu You are describing yet another psychopath in other words.
It’s good that yet another quisling has been outed, but I doubt whether those who place these people will lose too much sleep. Murdoch’s media will do its bit, as will the BBC and the legions of scurrying minions to bamboozle the public with the next show. Gadaffi’s slaughter has in fact already partly done so.
The danger is that David Cameron and most of the cabinet are also similar foxy creatures. That should give cause for concern to all serving soldiers, and indeed to the rest of us.