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.
A visit from Bahrains ruler seems to have persuaded the US that their arms ban can be lifted, just a little bit…. This at a time when official reports show that torture and harassment of Shia’s, by their sunni rulers, ‘really happened’.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2012/05/2012515155335968439.html
Peter Oborne is now in front of Leveson. From Wiki :
Oborne has argued that much of late 20th/early 21st century disenchantment with politics is due to a postmodern design of political agendas and programmes with subsequent implementation that denies the existence of an ‘independent reality’. That is, that there is something that is called truth. Truth gives way to (mere) credibility. Commensurate with the evaporation of truth is the condensation of narrative as a setting for events. This worldview is then put to use in legitimating claims of acting in ‘good-faith’ or within/according to ‘The rules’ (said ‘rules,’ of necessity, formulated, accidentally or otherwise, to admit more than one interpretation) when such actions are confronted by moral challenge.
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No very high opinion of today’s politicians, then (and highly critical of the UK Israel lobby).
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10.06am: Barr (Counsel for the enquiry -K) turns to Oborne’s book, The Rise of Political Lying, in which he quotes Tony Blair as saying: “The truth becomes almost impossible to communicate because total frankness relayed in the shorthand of the mass media becomes simply a weapon in the hands of opponents.”
Might be translated by some as admitting it’s too dangerous to tell the whole truth. Is that your understanding, asks Barr.
“It explains quite a lot of the conduct of Mr Blair,” says Oborne.
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Bang on.
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/may/17/leveson-inquiry-harry-evans-peter-oborne-live
Oborne’s kicking ass…
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10.47am: Oborne says collusion between politicians and the press was one of the reasons why the public was so “grievously misinformed” about the threat from Iraq” in the runup to war.
He says the Hutton inquiry “failed to examine properly the way in which respectable newspapers became instruments of a political faction in a mission to tell falsehoods and mistruths to the British people.”
(link above)
Patrick Mercer – in Fox/Werritty territory – being reported to the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner by Labour MP Thomas Docherty:
http://order-order.com/2012/05/17/labour-report-patrick-mercer-over-security-cash-mystery/
Budget deficit cut by £11 Bn….woohoo. Joy unbounded. Let’s have a great big street party.
{http://www.heraldscotland.com/mobile/comment/letters/time-to-ditch-the-austerity-medicine.17436980}
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….and bugger the expense. £11 Bn and counting…
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cmselect/cmpubacc/1716/171603.htm
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Last December’s figures, the PAC’s own, and by no means the highest estimate. And don’t expect any serendipitous cashback, either:
On two matters – additional money for ceremonies and the dropping of the sports participation target – the Accounting Officer declined to engage with us on the grounds that these were Ministerial policy decisions. It is important to note that where policy has changed the Accounting Officer remains accountable to Parliament for the value for money of public expenditure incurred.
Whilst we applaud the progress made so far, we heard that responsibility for delivery of the legacy is shared across many different parts of Government, and this rings alarm bells about the effective integration of the various legacy plans and about clear accountability to us and the taxpayer. When we return to the examination of the Olympic legacy we expect clarity over precisely who will be accountable to Parliament for delivering the benefits to taxpayers from their significant spending on this programme. We were concerned that the Department was unable to quantify what funding has been set aside by London boroughs for the socio-economic regeneration of East London as in the current economic climate such funding must be regarded as uncertain.
Nice catch about Mercer, Mary, even if it is on (redacted)’s site. Couple more redacted names on Gordon Brown’s communication with this firm…you’ll need 150% zoom as the .pdf version is either no longer up or you need to register to get it:
http://www.bodyguarding.co.uk/Clearwater-Files/View-category.html.
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Clearwater Special Projects Ltd doesn’t look to me as if it’s quite the major league player Brown and Mercer would be interested in –
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{http://companycheck.co.uk/company/05578624}
Just to confirm GF’s account and clarify it, Mercer is chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Specialist Security. There are several other APPG’s with “security” in their title. And “Mr Kevin Horak, Managing Director, Clearwater Special Projects Ltd.” is apparently a member of the “staff” of this Group. Is Horak paid to be there? And, if so, what is the difference between his emolument and his payments to Mercer? Was Mercer suitably rewarded, say, for grafting Horak onto the committee? Horak specialises in close personal protection. Is he there in an advisory role? Does “special” security cover this role?
So many questions.
http://allparty.org/groups/security
So little in the public domain.
Lost a post re Mercer/Horak.
Perhaps the BBC read this blog or Guido Fawkes’ Order Order. They have picked it up now. Wonder where Mercer is ‘travelling’ to at the moment.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18106736#
Another YCNMIU An extra quid to post a parcel to ‘affected’ postcodes within London during the Olympics
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http://postandparcel.info/47704/news/companies/royal-mail-expecting-delivery-delays-around-london-olympics/
Ok, my post hasn’t reappeared, so here’s the gist again. Beeb please copy. Kevin Horak, the boss of Clearwater Special Projects Ltd is listed as a member of staff of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Special Security. Does he receive taxpayer money for this service? Dunno, but it might be worth asking. Mercer is the chair of this committee. Mercer certainly gets money from Horak, and this is apparently for providing Horak with useful contacts. It smells. Note that the APPG on SS is just one of three or four APPG’s on various flavours of security.
Mary, it is hoped that the totally brilliant and negligibly cheap Olympics will increase consumer spending until the bad recession is defeated and we all live happily ever after in lala land. Specifically, spending on petrol (traffic jams), moving house (ethnic cleansing from the Lea Valley), buying souvenir images of grotesque one-eyed aliens, and eating billions of McDonalds burgers, with swimming pools full of cola, while enjoying our modish new N*K* trainers for afters. Yes, Mary. And postage. Who the hell wants to send parcels to most of London, anyway?
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Memo to self: fit top box to motorcycle and enlist as courier for durationCraig, this page is taking far too long to load now. Let us know where you are and who to make the extradition request out to, and we’ll get you back. All is forgiven.
And see also “Maritime and Coastguard Agency” – who seem to be paying Horak as well….
http://www.closeprotectionworld.com/general-discussion/26298-clearwater-sso-course.html
Same Clearwater- same address.
˙pɹıǝʍ ¿ƃuıdʎʇ ǝlıɥʍ uʍop ǝpısdn ɹoʇıuoɯ ɹıǝɥʇ ƃuıuɹnʇ pǝıɹʇ ǝslǝ ǝuoʎuɐ sɐɥ
Brooks and co are resorting to this sort of thing. That the QC Alison Levitt is biased because of a sting by the tabloid press against her.
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/phone-hacking/9273276/Phone-hacking-Rebekah-Brooks-could-challenge-charging-decision-because-prosecutor-was-victim-of-tabloid-sting.html
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PS Are you sick of the Zuckerberg/Facebook hype all over the ‘media’. Big profits from the advertising revenues are forecast. Another bubble?
Sadly Facebook may well be the only time the miss informed masses venture on to the internet. Another bubble it is a big Ponzi farce, I bet Mark Zukkerburg could not transfer his estimated 10 Billion dollars into real money Gold.
The cia will be into this set up, no doubt the brainwashing and double print ( as seen in a paper near you) people will have concoted new ways to have us and future generations revelating the joys of perversion, self absorsion, and inanimate. All from the mind control centre well situated in the ME.
Mark if ya reading take you 10 billion and build one new Palistinian state end the conflict, heal the wounds and lets have us all working for the mother earth.
ʎuunɟ ʇou ‘ɹǝʌǝןɔ ʇou ‘ƃıq ʇou
NOOOOOOOO! The spambots now have a random phrase-grab routine and are holding conversations of their own.
How do they do it Komodo? Rather creepy to see my words repeated in segments by atomatons. Perhaps its Mandeville and the other Olympics cyclops Wenlock at work?
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Wendel, not Grendel, our, absurdly sinister, official, olympic mascot
http://members5.boardhost.com/medialens/msg/1337323481.html
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There’s rather a good post below that about William Morris’s opinion of Q Victoria’s golden jubilee –
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‘Hideous, revolting and vulgar tomfoolery.’
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‘This poster – finely litho printed at A2 size (594mm x 420mm) on 300gsm art paper – sets a quotation by radical nineteenth century designer William Morris against a background of his own wallpaper design. The quote – ‘Hideous, revolting and vulgar tomfoolery. One’s indignation swells pretty much to the bursting point’ – was written by the fiercely anti-royal Morris on the occasion of Queen Victoria’s jubilee in 1877.
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A collaboration between Bad Books and Bracketpress, the poster is available for a limited period (hurry up, the Jubilee celebrations are grinding into action…) and is perfect as either a neatly-framed statement of intent or tacked up in the front window (to annoy those Royalist neighbours). It is available to purchase immediately for a Paypal-clickable £10 (including tube-rolled and prompt packaging and postage) from the Bracketpress website at: {http://www.bracketpress.co.uk}
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We fancy that at the height of the coming media-led frenzy that is Mrs Windsor’s jubilee – an excuse to celebrate her 60-year career as the largest recipient of state handouts in Britain – it would be amiss not to mark the occasion with a display of your position on this glorification of privilege and birthright.’
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PS Nothing has changed – Her coronation took place on 28 June 1838, and she became the first sovereign to take up residence at Buckingham Palace.[38] She inherited the revenues of the duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall, and was granted a civil list of £385,000 per year. Wikipedia. How much is £385k in current value?
Komodo…he is overseas at the moment…all will be revealed when he gets back..it will be a very interesting story !
Has Craig tracked down Werritty? 🙂
The relative value of Q Victoria’s annual civil list payment of £385,000 in today’s values – anything between £27m and £1.02 billion.
http://www.measuringworth.com/ukcompare/
Frazer, thanks again for keeping us informed.
defending the indefensible
fox n werrity
http://www.prweek.com/uk/news/1132632/government-record-lobbying-defended-mark-harper/
I hope Craig has got a damn good excuse for playing hooky. Werrity would do.
Thanks, Frazer.
I was looking at Ingham’s surreptitious record of the Murdoch-Thatcher meeting in 1981 (on the Guardian blog site – facsimile of record) and noticed in Murdoch’s scrawled note of thanks for the meeting, that he proposed to meet Thatcher again in New York the following month (28 Feb 1981). This would have been during her visit to Washington and New York during which she bonded with Reagan…and before the riots back home that greeted the worst unemployment figures ever…
Peter Orborne testimony is dynamite, it shows that the media and our PM’s have had such cosy and close relationship for decades and that reality and truth were blurred when ever they fancied bending it.
Thanks for the update Frazer, hope you are watching his backside…
Criminal charges? DON’T YOU KNOW WHO I AM???!!! department
Medusa-headed temptress Rebekah Brooks (call me ungallant, but her roots are brown) intends to challenge the CPS decision to prosecute her for concealing evidence, on the grounds – get this- that the NoW once wrote a story about the CPS Principal Legal Advisor:
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/phone-hacking/9273276/Phone-hacking-Rebekah-Brooks-could-challenge-charging-decision-because-prosecutor-was-victim-of-tabloid-sting.html
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Or maybe she’s hoping a plea of insanity will work?
We seem to be copying each other’s posts Komodo. I missed yours about Lord Fink and ED and F Man and you mine on Alison Levitt. Both she and Lord Carlisle are of the same(censored) ethnicity as you can probably guess. They (censored) don’t seem to be sticking together lately.
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‘4.02am Brooks and co are resorting to this sort of thing. That the QC Alison Levitt is biased because of a sting by the tabloid press against her.
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/phone-hacking/9273276/Phone-hacking-Rebekah-Brooks-could-challenge-charging-decision-because-prosecutor-was-victim-of-tabloid-sting.html
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PS Are you sick of the Zuckerberg/Facebook hype all over the ‘media’. Big profits from the advertising revenues are forecast. Another bubble?’
At 4.02 am, I am generally dreaming about buffalo, Mary…sorry to tread on your toes.