It is ten years since I ended my FCO career by going on the Today programme and blowing the whistle on CIA/MI6 complicity in torture. It was on my 46th birthday, and I was in my second year as an Ambassador and my seventh as a top Whitehall civil servant, a member of the Senior Civil Service.
Looking back now, what is most striking are the blatant lies by the FCO that they were not obtaining intelligence from torture. As the BBC reported:
In one he claimed MI6 had used information passed on to it by the CIA but originally obtained in Uzbek torture cells – something strongly denied by the Foreign Office.
I do not think there is a single person in public life or social media nowadays who would not accept that the FCO were simply lying. Jack Straw was blatantly to lie about it to parliament. But ten years ago the public and media knew much less than they know now. Nobody outside secret circles had ever heard the words extraordinary rendition. It was a year later – May 2005 – before the New York Times revealed the CIA was sending people to Uzbekistan to be tortured, precisely as I had stated.
It sounds incredible, but in October 2004 many people believed it was Craig Murray who was a liar, not Jack Straw. Again I do not think there is a single individual today who does not understand that Jack Straw was lying through his teeth. But back in 2004 life was hard for me.
After going on the Today programme I went on the run, in fear for my life. I am not paranoid, remember David Kelly. I first stayed with my old friend Andy Myles in Edinburgh, then I think Chief Executive of the Scottish Liberal Democrats. He was phoned the next morning by the FCO. When he denied knowledge of my whereabouts, they not only said they knew I was staying with him, they said which bedroom I was sleeping in. Ten years ago today I was hiding in Aviemore in the house of my old friend Dominic.
That was the start of a decade as a dissident where I have devoted my life to exposing, and trying to counter, the evil of the neo-conservative policy pursued by our political class at the behest of the corporations who fund them. I have suffered a huge loss in money, status and most of the other normal aspirations. But what I have gained is invaluable. I have respect and love, while Blair and Straw will forever be despised.
It is completely unacceptable to address a woman who has dedicated her life to bringing up her late husband’s previous children and supporting the cause of the Palestinians and who has cancer with ‘ Tough Titty.
If Mods don’t get it, maybe they are also suffering from post-political-momentum of the Yes campaign surplus testosterone.
Habb by any standards is well out of hand and many fellow commenters agree with me. I have not supplied the issue. His comments are well out of bounds of respect and decency. The implication of his comments to Mary is that her political support for the Palestinians justifies his insolence.
He thinks her support for Palestine is immoral and should be satirised.
Over your heads obviously, never mind.
@Guano, Craig’s tolerance of the nauseating vile Troll, is only understandable if one realises that the HabbuClown Troll is not only welcomed on this Blog, but is also slyly protected; another dark stain on the “decade of dissent”.
Jola’s been fired- apparently milibluster decided that the oban result was the final straw!
Seconding Guano’s expression of distaste for Mod tolerance of Hab’s gender=based attacks on Mary. This has been going on for far too long and it impugns Craig’s integrity as an opponent of the rank temerity related to human rights. If he can’t afford full-time and responsible moderation, maybe he should throw in the towel.
It’s time for him to recognize that there is limited speech rights to those who have no respect for that notion. they will take full advantage of the weakness of having two nodes of thought on this. He needs to take a stand for the efficacy of his blog and for his own self.
Craig: Mods. What defense do you have for tolerating this?
And what the fuck is going on with ID and email ? Stop the fucking diddling and do your fucking job.
Nearly half of BBC America bought by US Cable TV company AMC:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/11184252/BBC-America-now-almost-half-owned-by-US-cable-company-AMC.html
Another stain on the decade of dissent is the unquestioning assumption that all of the blame for routine use of torture is on the shoulders of Western governments. It takes a strange version of Islam to supply prisons with torturers and the rendition infrastructure.
Why do Muslims do this to other Muslims and why does political Islam , when left to its own devices, end up cutting off a 7 year old girl’s head for practise, stored on an ISIS member’s mobile phone in Syria/ Kurdistan.
My wife has recently applied to a Muslim Brotherhood run college for a child-care course. We know what their program is for childcare. Political Islam reaches out to Western audiences as promoters of civilised society, while in reality they are practising the worst excesses of Genghis Khan.
And also remember Robin Cook. Dr Kelly is the most obvious example, but there is more than enough evidence out there to suggest Robin Cook was murdered by the state. He was, apparently, leaking state secrets, and that’s enough for the security services. The problem of our time, if that isn’t too pretentious, is these security services. They are beyond the law, can do anything. Nobody questions them, nobody can do anything about them. Politicians? Too scared. And if not too scared, actually a member of the security sevices. They work in the dark, manipulate our elections, and murder at will, and are – literally, factually – beyond the law. Guess who likes that kind of working environment? Psychopaths, of course. I imagine the various Mi* have vetting procedures, but ask any psychologist, psychopaths are brilliant at hiding themselves, it’s their essential skill.
Do we need these security services? Personally I doubt it. It’s accepted that we ‘need’ infiltration, and such like, but I think this is baloney. We aren’t at war, haven’t been since 1945. I do think we need a proper vetting procedure for all positions of power and responsibility, to ensure that judges, politicians etc aren’t just bought flunkies. Oddly, our security services don’t seem so bothered by this, which tells us all we need to know.
Bravo Craig. Entitled to big himself up a bit I think.
@ Guano, Mackie, Ben
I agree that Habbabkuk’s behaviour is obnoxious but I don’t think he should be banned, because
(1) it wouldn’t work, it’s simple to re-appear in a new identity.
(2) there’s a much more effective solution – ignore him.
This blog doesn’t need stricter mods, it needs self-discipline from its contributors.
MackieMackyNode; I don’t agree. It would be easy. Even anonymizers have a limited range of IP’s and after all have been eshausted..success.
It’s difficult to ignore a turd on your sofa.
What we need is adequate moderation; with consistency. Spammers seem to be their focus, as though that were a serious threat.
Please describe the ID and email problem Ben.
They come up blank when they are normally retained, but on that previous question……?
I see. No quid pro quo for me. Don’t ask for any more favors. I’m all out.
I confirm what Ben says.
Using Firefox on Linux Mint 16, every time I post, the spam sum fails and when I use the back button to return and try again, the ‘Name’ and ‘Email’ fields are blank.
Been doing it for about 10 hours.
correction, most times, not every time.
This is a bit personal from me to the guys who actually are employed at The Daily Telegraph…I realise you might not want to read it..but this is what I wrote tonight…
Tom, if you don’t feel safe in your own home..then what have you got? if you don’t feel safe walking home through the streets of London…what have you got? Look I don’t know you, and I have no reason to hate you or kill you..and I don’t really like a lot of what Dan Hodges writes either..but I would employ him before you..You are a bit of a tw@t aren’t you???
Science correspondent??? What do they actually Pay you for Writing That???
I know Dan is a twa@t…but at least he knows his subject…
And I want to go Go-Karting with him Just For a Laugh…I keep asking him…but he never turns up…
But you ain’t that bad…look at That Foxton bloke…I mean come on really…I think you might just have sqeezed in…but what about Cristina Odone..or what she is called..I mean she is at least a bit Catholic…look at these other stupid idiots polluting My Father-In_Law’s Daily Telegraph..with nonsense.
Seriously you guys are not that good..I would keep Peter Oborne too..cos sometimes some of the stuff he writes and does is really good…
And Tim..Oh Dear..You’ve already sacked Brendan…and he is the only guy..who I actually managed to get under his skin..he banned me straight away..and you fired him…that was a bit strong..that was his living…
Come on chill..if you are any good after you have been fired..well you can learn new skills..and start again…that’s what I did..and I am still here…same Girl mind..well I ain’t going to change her am I
She is My Angel..My Life..My Wife.
Our Kids are Really Talented.
Brilliant Night…
My Wife and I walked home together late at night without Fear…
The=Yes we saw that…that is completely impossible..well I couldn’t work out how they did it..,,not enough road and speed to turn a car upside down..outside a BP Garage…in a side road..We do not live in Woolwich..but we do see all these things..so wtf was that all about??? come on..stop being silly.
Tony
@H: I was hoping you were going to reply, it appears time is still pressing upon you. But this has happened between us more than once before.
If, to be fair, you feel I have left unanswered anything at all, please let me know.
*
@Ben: “It’s time for him to recognize that there is limited speech rights to those who have no respect for that notion. they will take full advantage of the weakness of having two nodes of thought on this. He needs to take a stand for the efficacy of his blog and for his own self.
Interesting point. Are you suggesting that it’s a bit much to take full advantage of free speech rights for oneself, but eagerly denounce another as some kind of “terrorist sympathiser” or some-such, as soon as views contrary to our official understands are voiced by others?
Not that long back (or so it seems), one could be denounced as a “Nazi”, “Just like Hitler” to put an end to a line of reasoning not welcomed. That seems old hat now. Today, we can suggest one is a “terrorist” of some degree (sympathiser, proponent, apologist, contributor, enabler) should they merely stray from the Establishment line. Or fail to be keen to pay tax for that matter – only for individuals, of course. Forget Vodafone.
That “stopper” is not just to put an end to the line of discussion – it puts a genuine chill up the spine of the opponent, puts the opponent against the threat of abuses (and excitable, over-zealous excesses) of the State, not just the reputation involved on some blog by the conversation at hand.
Should a person have that level of sensitivity to the speech of others, one would hope to see that person more considered in their own criticism.
@Tony Opmoc: Damn your drunken BS, some of us are trying to have a genuine discussion here.
@Ben & @´`·.¸¸.¸¸.··.¸¸Node:
If you write a post, copy it before submitting. ^A, ^C. Put it in a notepad/ text-edit first. If it gives you this “spam captcha” error, don’t bother just resubmitting, it won’t work. You need to reload the page, it will give you a new Captcha, and then you can post.
There’s nothing more frustrating that losing text, so take my advice here. Funnily enough a workmate, who is no slouch whatsoever, lost an hour’s worth of text in a webpage for just the same sort of reason. Always, always, copy before submitting, and preferably put it in a scratchpad textfile first. Takes seconds per post, can save hours of work and much wailing and gnashing of teeth. And it will, believe me – you’ll thank yourself 1000 times over if you make this your practice from now one.
Glenn_uk
Thanks, sound advice. I already do keep a copy before posting, learned the hard way. I usually use a ‘new email’ window in Thunderbird, fast and handy little scratchpad, but I’ve also installed the Firefox add-on ‘Xinha Here!‘ for more complicated posts with links and formatting. Highly recommended.
There was some problem with the servers on this blog today. The mods warned us about it today. I couldn’t post or refresh for a couple of hours from 3pm GMT, then the refresh problem was OK but the spam sum and blank fields issue continued intermittently till a couple of hours ago.
and now its bedtime …………………
Excellent choice by the Clacton Tories. Let’s hope she beats the UKIPper Reckless.
U.K. Tories tap anti-Israel activist for by-election
Views of Kelly Tolhurst, who supports BDS, go against official Conservative Party position.
Oct. 24, 2014
Britain’s Conservative Party has selected an anti-Israel activist who supports the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement as its candidate in an upcoming by-election in the constituency of Rochester and Strood, Kent.
The candidate, Kelly Tolhurst, on Thursday won an open primary in which she garnered 50.44% of the vote.
The by-election, which is scheduled for November 20, was called after the sitting lawmaker, MP Mark Reckless, defected from the Tories to the U.K. Independence Party.
Tolhurst is a vocal anti-Israel activist, according to the Jewish Chronicle, which reported that she has regularly used her Twitter account to call for the boycott of Israeli companies including SodaStream and Ahava.
Tolhurst also reportedly published posts that were critical of the Israeli army’s actions in the Gaza Strip, and backed a petition calling on Britain’s government to send a hospital aid ship to Gaza.
The Chronicle also reported that, in 2012, Tolhurst expressed disappointment that Britain had abstained during a United Nations vote on recognizing a Palestinian state.
Her views on Israel contradict that of the British government. Prime Minister David Cameron has said he is against a boycott of Israel, and even told the Knesset during a visit in March: “To those who… want to boycott Israel I have a clear message. Britain opposes boycotts.”
“I’m honored that thousands of local people have voted to select me as the Conservative candidate for the upcoming byelection,” Tolhurst said after the primary result was announced. “I will be a strong local voice, standing up for Rochester and Strood – my home.”
http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/jewish-world-news/1.622581
Gaza is sealed up again. Rafah is closed. The poor people are trapped inside Gaza including those trying to get out for medical treatment. Karni is also closed. See ‘In an article he wrote for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz last week, Gunness made an impassioned plea for the removal of the blockade on Gaza which impedes UNWRA from doing its job. “UNWRA has a plan to rebuild Gaza in two years. We need to get in 900 trucks a day. We can do it, but we need simple things like the Karni Crossing to be reopened. They built a 30-lane crossing for traffic in both directions, but it was closed.”;
http://www.guardian.co.tt/lifestyle/2014-09-30/trini-speaking-palestine
25 October 2014
Egypt imposes state of emergency in Sinai after attacks
Egypt’s President Abdul Fattah al-al-Sisi, centre, holds an emergency meeting of the National Defence Council with top officials after an attack in the Sinai Peninsula, in Cairo on 24 October 2014
President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi called a meeting of the National Defence Council in the wake of the attacks
Egypt has declared a three-month state of emergency in parts of the Sinai Peninsula after at least 31 soldiers were killed in two attacks there.
President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has declared three days of mourning in the wake of the suspected jihadist attacks.
Egypt’s Rafah crossing into the Gaza Strip was also closed, state TV said.
It was the biggest loss of life in decades for Egypt’s army, which has been carrying out an offensive against jihadists in northern Sinai.
The area has become increasingly lawless since President Hosni Mubarak was overthrown in 2011. Militants have stepped up attacks since Islamist President Mohammed Morsi was ousted by the army last year
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-29766945
From the interesting article about Chris Gunness (linked above), these facts are stated.
FACT BOX
Gaza under siege:
In the July 2014 conflict:
• 65 UNRWA schools were hit directly or indirectly.
• 60,000 houses were damaged of which 20,000 are uninhabitable (71,000 homes already needed repair or rebuilding before the latest conflict.)
• The majority of Gaza’s 110,000 homeless people are children.
• Almost every child in Gaza has a sibling, parent, family member or friend who was killed, injured or maimed for life.
• Out of 3,000 children wounded, 1,000 will have physical disabilities for life.
• Every child over six in Gaza has lived through three such wars.
Will Obomber take any action on this extra judicial killing by the IDF thugs of a teenage US national?
Israeli forces shoot, kill Palestinian teenager near Ramallah
Published yesterday (updated) 24/10/2014 20:08
RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian teenager late Friday during clashes in Silwad village near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, medical officials said.
Orwa Abd al-Wahhab Hammad, 14, was shot multiple times with live bullets. He was taken to Palestine Medical Complex where he was pronounced dead.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said that soldiers fired at a Palestinian adult who was hurling a Molotov cocktail at forces in the area.
Witnesses said Hammad was hit by an Israeli sniper from close range, insisting the soldier shot to kill.
Orwa was a US national. His uncle was killed during the First Intifada.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=735085
Labour waking up to massive problems this morning.
Losing Lamont in itself is no great loss for Scottish Labour but the manner in which she left reveals the discord with London leadership.Miliband is a bull in a china shop reformer.
I can see Scottish Labour becoming their own party and cutting the cord.
Lamont “resigns” as Labour leader in Scotland.
Sofia, Peacewisher. Not the Saker’s site THIS SITE http://www.craigmurray.org.uk is now hosted by google. Thanks mystery mod/admin for this retrograde mis-step.
It rather defeats the distributed, decentralised idealistic nature of the internet as the people’s medium, rather than corporate/government owned and controlled like the mass media, if almost every site on the internet, including their dns resolution through canonical names behind which google hide, is hosted by google itself or its owned subsidiaries, youtube, blogspot, blogger and hundreds more, forming a terrifying monopoly but even other sites not hosted by google include content, trackers, analytics, library code, which must be fetched from google servers, ringing their door-bell and leaving a calling card for even the most basic of features or functionality of the site to work at all, from on-site searches, to themes, to captchas; even most uk.gov sites are so intimately linked to off-site google dependencies, that the concept of even token privacy and of independence or autonomy is blown to pieces. Google has become a weapon of almost limitless power, used against us, or simply deprived of our addiction, our dependence, we are at its mercy; it is too a single point of failure of weakness, that entire societies and economies, essential services would be in instantaneous crisis without it, and that is by design. That one company has become so surreptitiously stealthily dominant, so invasive, so pervasive should be a cause for widespread alarm, especially as that company is a wholly integrated component of and owned by, the US spy agencies . Indebted to them too, as Google’s startup funding came from a motley assortment of government agencies, including the CIA, Mossad and NSA, and the ties with these malign organisations are extensive, and its so called ‘brilliance’, its indispensabilty results from the manner in which it attained dominance: by destruction of any and all rivals outside their control or which they could not purchase outright and incorporate. It’s all very well conceding resignedly that the TLA’s are reading everything in bulk off the wire anyway and encryption methods such as ssl/tls/https are no obstacle, so what does it matter, but to actually make monitoring of us easier, trivial for them, actually having them hosting the site is something more than capitulation, it feeds the very beast which is devouring the internet as a medium for legitimate dissent and free exchange of ideas and views and has all but destroyed it. There’s none so blind as those who will not see what has taken place. Let’s just stop calling it the internet, it is now the googlenet, Orwell’s 1984 could not have imagined anything so seemingly superficially innocuous, soma-like and yet so dangerous and malign.
BLiar rows back on criticism of Miliband. Is anyone interested?
Tony Blair Denies Saying Miliband Can’t Win
The former Labour PM claims he did not say the Tories will win in 2015 because his party’s leader does not connect with voters.
http://news.sky.com/story/1360075/tony-blair-denies-saying-miliband-cant-win
@Tony. By “hosted” do you mean “managed”. There is a difference…