The Mail on Sunday is doing a very good job on the odious Jack Straw’s involvement in torture and persecution. I think that at last the truth has entered the established narrative. There is a little box in the report about my own evidence to Scotland Yard. I will type it out here as the Mail’s box format here is not internet searchable:
“Torture” Evidence Handed to the Yard
Further pressure was piled on Jack Straw last night over the “rendition” of Libyan dissident Abdel Hakim Belhadj after sensitive documents were handed to Scotland tard detectives.
Craig Murray, former British Ambassador to Uzbekistan, passed the documents to police as part of the inquiry into the behaviour of Ministers and intelligence officials over the detention of Mr Belhadj in Bangkok in March 2004.
The opponent of Colonel Gadaffi was flown to Tripoli, where he claims he was tortured.
Mr Straw, who was Foreign Secretary at the time, has denied ever condoning the use of torture to extract information.
But the documents appear to cast doubt on that position.
One memo, headed “Uzbekistan: Intelligence Possibly Obtained Under Torture” contains minutes of a meeting Mr Murray held with senior Foreign and Commonwealth officials on March 8, 2003 to discuss his concern that the UK could be in breach of international law by possessing intelligence obtained by torture.
The minute, dated March 10 2003, quoted Linda Duffield, then the FCO’s Director of Wider Europe, apparently justifying the use of such material as part of the fight against terrorism.
A second memo, dated March 14 2003, and written by Simon McDonald – the Straw’s principal Private Secretary – to Ms Duffield says Straw has read the minutes and “agrees that you handled this very well”.
Mr Murray is understood to have told police that during Mr Straw’s time at the FCO diplomats were told to only refer to the policy on torture verbally.
Mr Murray said last night “My evidence stated that Jack Straw introduced a policy of allowing evidence obtained by torture to be used. I also told them that written evidence had been destrpyed, and we were told to not commit details into writing.”
There is a slight misquote in the above. It should say Jack Straw introduced a policy of allowing intelligence obtained by torture, not evidence. In fact it was specifically stated such intelligence would not be produced as evidence in court (people were imprisoned without charge or rendered instead). The instruction not to put things in writing was given to me personally, I don’t know if others were told the same. As I was the only one protesting, perhaps not.
These links are to the documents in question.
The first two were obtained by Freedom of Information Act request. Details of the CIA’s colllusion with the Karimiv regime’s torturers have been redacted by the FCO. Last week Jack Straw came out and argued strongly for the effective abolition of the Freedom of Information Act. Now there is a coincidence for you.
Leveson has rolled over. These ministers are now considered to be ‘core participants’.
List of ministers who will be giving evidence to Leveson inquiry includes David Cameron, Nick Clegg, Vince Cable, Jeremy Hunt, Michael
Gove, Ken Clarke, Theresa May and George Osborne.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17951137
Leveson:
the lawyer had stated that it was hoped advance sight of evidence might assist the inquiry by giving witnesses “some time in their busy schedules” to properly prepare for giving testimony.
“There can be no question of access being sought for the purpose of preparing evidence,” he said.
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ROFPMSL. Pull the other one.
This may be why some leading lights of the coalition (who absolutely never had any dealings with Murdoch or anyone who knows him) suddenly decided they needed a look at the possible charges they might face if they should be unjustly accused of peddling influence to Rupert (whom they never met)*
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http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Section-19-Order-26-April-2012.pdf
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*legal safety net
More evidence of Jeremy H…agina’s uprightness, transparency and dedication to Parliamentary standards. Nearly missed this one –
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2139113/Jeremy-Hunt-facing-new-sleaze-probe-failing-declare-7k-donations-media-firms.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
:)You cun’t post things like that on here, Komodo!
Clark,
Thanks there ma8. However substitution to wienie envy somehow detracts from the particular rabid hatred of these man hating harridans. so “Pennis” it shall remain.
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Mary,
Daffy would be more appropriate, this Louise characters self love and self importance obviously is boundless and eternal.
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“There can be no question of access being sought for the purpose of preparing evidence,”
Now this is the kind of inexactitude that denotes time given for cooking up a story before hand for the reasons of preparation for the day of the performance in public.
F…king brilliANT!
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Boris kept London for Tories, elsewhere Labour are clawing back into gravy train of British politics. Nothing new under the sun.
Re: Louise Mensch
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Wherever you look you see MPs are confined by either business or personal interests. And what about acting on behalf of the public who elects them into the office? During Newsnight on Wednesday this Tory MP was downplaying the universal truth that Murdoch is not fit to run media company and that ironically Labour happened to hit on target. It was also interesting to watch how Chief Editor of Times tried to brush out any suspicions of Murdoch’s integrity. How on earth such openly biased ass maggot was allowed to run one the world’s biggest newspapers.
Bit of a dubious honour to be granted “core participant” status; maybe they’re trying to decide whether to resign in advance. I like this bit:
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Uzbek in the UK, I know, tedious, isn’t it? See how clever our duplicitous rulers are, pretending they’re on opposite sides? It’s just so much more resilient than outright dictatorship! The voters will keep on getting their politics from the same media that colluded with the politicians and intercepted their voicemail, and meanwhile the politicians will pass more laws authorising interception of communications!
Just to liven it up a bit.
WHERE IS ADAM WERITTY? AND HOW IS THE INVESTIGATION INTO RICHARD CONROYS DEATH GOING?
Yep, I thought as much, both disappeared.
If it is true that Richard was investigating international drug trafficking using the Termez border and bridge, then one wonders what has happened to the investigation into his death.
As for Adam W. he seems to have been disappeared
http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2009/08/newsnight_inves/
Komodo The earthworms that I dug up today (when planting a hornbeam hedge to replace a horrible C. Leylandii version) are higher species than these lying Tory types and their predecessors, NuLabour. I reckon that the Health Ministers will be discovering that they have not declared certain matters.
I missed out the rotten yellow crowd, the LDs, without whose support, Cameron would not be theoretically i/c.
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Ed Davey just came up in a list of’pointless’ LD MPs in that quiz which precedes the 6pm News on BBC1.
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Yesterday Peter Oborne called Ed Vaizey ‘Hunt’s brainless sidekick’:)
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‘Here are the News International crowd: Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Peter Mandelson, David Miliband, David Blunkett, John Reid, Tessa Jowell, Michael Gove, George Osborne, William Hague. David Cameron, John Whittingdale and Jeremy Hunt (as well as Mr Hunt’s brainless sidekick, Ed Vaizey) should also be added to this list.’
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Earlier Oborne hinted that Whittingdale had links to Murdoch going back years??
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/leveson-inquiry/9241162/The-Murdoch-and-News-Corporation-scandal-wasnt-about-Conservative-Party-sleaze-but-it-is-now.html
To listen to the odious reporting on the BBC news, wasting good news time with regurgitating results of an election that saw 75% of voters NOT INTERESTED, apathetic and fed up with the system and representation we have.
Norwich turnout 24%, abysmal, and Labour is ‘jubilant’ so they say, wouldn’t with receiving such a minority mandate.
But this is normal, even in General elections and even in Scotland where they have an STV system for local elections, voters are not eager to vote.
So should we select at random?, rather than elect this scummy fait a compl. How daft are these party political addicts to cheer a minority administration with no mandate whatsoever but their own agenda?
Truth is I’m, now so fed up with the whole process that I do not want to know anymore. we are seeing the wholesale abuse of democracy, its getting whipped, spit roasted and tortured by these sad characters and than they turn around and brag that its the oldest democracy in Europe.
Here’s a lovely tweet I just spotted from “Jay Stoll”
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@jaystoll
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IR and History at The LSE. President of @LSEmite. #fightchiari ”
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http://twitter.com/#!/jaystoll
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Jay Stoll Jay Stoll @jaystoll
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Shabbat Shalom everyone.. apart from Ken Livingstone.. anti-Semites dont deserve Jewish well wishes. Hope you have a bland Friday, vile goy.
That’s Jay Stoll, President of the Jewish Society at the London School of Economics, who thinks it is okay to describe Ken Livingstone as a “vile goy”
Re Louise the Unmentionable – How can anybody take seriously a politician (presumably that is one experienced and active in the business of government) who manages to find time to write bonk busters as a side-line.
“There is a slimy, selfish inability to take responsibility in a dignified and honourable way that has taken hold. The present Conservative government seems, in every aspect, to embody this.
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From Theresa May’s spurious claims about cats, to Jeremy Hunt’s shadowy connections to News International, to the shattering mismanagement of the economy at George Osborne’s hands. If someone of import at least displayed a willingness to fall on their sword in penance for their failures, then there might at least be some confidence in the political system.”
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From a ‘Mad Man’s Blog’ – Thank-you Matthew, for your laconic relevance.
Andrew Dismore, one time Labour MP until 2010, chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights, and Vice Chairman Labour Friends of Israel, has become a member of the London Assembly by booting off a crony of Boris’s, Brian Coleman.
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Do you think that there are Friends of Israel lobbies within the London Assembly?
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Dismore
Re Louise – I’ll answer my own question – perhaps it’s because she’s full of the bull shit facility with words that out-bull-shits that of media presenters who went to less prestigious private schools – and who, like all their ilk are over-awed by the apparent verbal dexterity of somebody perceived to be a bit more up the pecking order.
Does anybody in medialand ever read George Orwell these days? Politics and the English Language?
Yours in despair.
Mary,
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I am very upset to learn senior journalist Brian Whelan, who, as you know, revealed the government’s plan to locate an anti-terrorist missile system on the roof of his block of flats, is being threatened with eviction after blowing the whistle.
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http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/london/im-being-evicted-says-east-london-resident-who-blew-whistle-on-missiles-7710810.html
Brian Whelan has taken legal action against the housing management company, Little Apple Holdings. He said: “At present I’ve instructed Jules Carey from Tuckers, who is a top human rights lawyer, to approach the solicitors acting on behalf of Little Apple Holdings…
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We’re legally challenging on what grounds they’re putting missiles on our roof…how the MoD came to this arrangement with the property management company, why we weren’t consulted and what the legal basis is to create a military barracks in a private residence.”
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http://www.eastlondonlines.co.uk/2012/05/eviction-for-bow-olympic-missile-whistle-blower-audio-video/
I spotted Guto Harri on the screen. He is Boris’s PR man and was previously the BBC Chief Political Correspondent.
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Margaret Gilmore was on the other day speaking for RUSI. She was previously the Senior BBC Home Affairs Correspondent.
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There is also the former BBC Science and Environment reporter Christine McGourty who is now the PR Director of Energy UK. I expect that there are many more ex BBC types who have found niches like these three.
Reports on Osborne having a hissy fit in Brussels yesterday are completely missing from the UK corporate media. Why?
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EU bank talks collapse as UK’s Osborne walks out in fury
http://www.euractiv.com/euro-finance/eu-bank-talks-collapse-uks-osborne-walks-fury-news-512458
Alastair Cambell on newsnight again tonight – the BBC has absoloutely no credibility left, if indeed they ever did
Osborne, in his own words, “People *will* listen to what I say…
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– is that the ‘Gideon Oliver’ coming out or ‘Bullingdon Club’ chaffing? Thanks Mary.
Boris re-elected. Ken Livingstone says he’s bowing out of politics.
The BBC are a pathetic joke.
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Alistair Campbell an evil weak bullying slave-droid.
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He is a grotesque drink-sodden hubristic bullying liar-slave to The Bastards.May he never sleep easily.His vain weak lies have caused hundreds of thousands,if not more,innocents to be murdered.
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Blair,Mensch,Harri,BoJo et al?
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Fuck ’em all,the nasty little weak vain horrors.
http://iamthewitness.com/books/John.Beaty/Iron.Curtain.Over.America.htm
A book well a head of its time.
1951
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9242474/Foreign-patients-owe-the-NHS-40m.html
Being the bastion of the free world I find it entirely sensible to offer free health care to everyone who truly requires such.
But why does our society not promote healthy lifestyles that are now so uncommon.
why o why
Another You Could Not Make It Up
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2139404/Sir-Martin-Sorrell-condemns-firm-Argentinian-TV-advert-shows-athlete-training-Olympics-steps-British-war-memorial-Falklands.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
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Hague livid. Called it a stunt.
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Sorrell – Real Business 15 April 2010.
‘Sorrell: we’ll come back if Tories win
Entrepreneur and WPP chief executive Sir Martin Sorrell is considering relocating his business back to Britain if the Tories are elected next month.’
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🙂