What comes out to me from the “Black Spider letter” correspondence of Prince Charles published today is how utterly obsequious Tony Blair and New Labour ministers were to him. No sign whatsoever of radicalism from the former “People’s Party” as they fell over to ingratiate themselves with the heir to the throne. I rather enjoyed Charles quite sharp tone to Blair.
I am fundamentally opposed to the existence of the monarchy. It will hopefully be replaced by a better system, but no human system is perfect. Given that we have a monarchy at present, you will perhaps be surprised to learn that I do not see anything wrong in Charles’ letters, which put forward views which are much what we would have expected him to hold. Of course there is interaction between the monarchy and government, and of course we should get rid of this hereditary element. But Charles’ lobbying is hugely less damaging and pernicious than the corporate lobbying I witnessed throughout my Whitehall career. At least Charles is not lobbying them for corporate advantage and giving large political donations at the same time.
While in my view he did nothing wrong in writing the letters, he and government are both very wrong in arguing they should be private. It is when it is secret that such attempts to wield influence between two branches of government – and monarchy is a branch of government – can be most simply perverted to ill ends. That such publication will not occur again because government has legislated to keep it secret, is an example of the privileged arrogance that prevents this from being a genuine democracy.
Altogether not that big a story and it gives Rusbridger and the Guardian the chance to pose as radical. I find the fact that what is published is so anodyne and unobjectionable rather suspicious – what has not been published? Rusbridger is of course the editor who complied enthusiastically with a GCHQ instruction to smash the Snowden hard drives. The existence of other copies does not justify this any more than it justifies book-burning.
By coincidence, a very worthwhile article by Michael Gillard that had been excised from the net has recently been republished, setting out how Rusbridger in 2002 conspired with Andy Hayman of the Met to bury an investigation into police corruption, including the burglary of the Stephen Lawrence inquiry. By a further coincidence I was having a pint with Laurie Flynn in Sandy Bell’s four days ago.
Hayman went on to be the promoter of the stream of lies about the murder of Jean Charles De Menezes and the publicist of numerous fake terrorist plots, before having to resign in a scandal involving nubile police officers at public expense in tropical islands.
Rusbridger and his extraordinary wig go on and on as a pretend opposition outlet, their reputation much dented by recent hysterical unionist output which exceeds the Daily Express. But Rusbridger’s continued usefulness to the establishment is not in doubt. The pose of publishing the most harmless of Prince Charles’ letters does little to help a threadbare disguise.
RepublicOfNonsense
“..at least a president can be voted out.”
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In Europe, certainly. In some other places,however, they usually employ less gentle methods to replace Presidents.
“If the usual suspects think that the behaviour of the West justified the atrocities committed against their own people by Saddam, Ceaucescu, Gaddafi (and I daresay others e.g. Assad, Putin, Stalin) – and the recent comments here suggest they do then it speaks volumes for them and their lack of respect of universal human rights. Quite what they are doing on the blog of a human rights activist really does defy explanation – they will excuse any abuse of human rights providing the perpetrator opposes the evil US, UK, forces of Zionism, Khazars, Rothchilds etc.etc.”
The lack of respect for human rights comes from NATO countries, who, in the cases of Saddam and Muamur were running stable countries. Iraq and Libya are failed states and in comparison to what they were a hundred times worse. Everybody knows that in both cases Saddam and Gaddafi were about to issue currencies in challenge to the petrodollar.
It was different with Ceausecu. The Romanian people suffered while food was exported to pay off debts due to borrowing from the Yanks. The country had just become debt-free when a sort of revolution took place. When Ceausecu and wife could see the generals were taking over they fled. Romania is supposed to be a Christian country (at least there are a lot of churches there) and Ceaucescu and wife were shot on Christmas Day following a short kangaroo trial in Targoviste less than a fortnight after the troubles were stoked.
In that respect all three were removed without being able to argue against the mock trials. Since then NATO countries (particularly the USA) have been executing people, guilty or innocent, using drones, as well as torturing innocent people. People like Resident Dissident must believe this is right because like the fascist genocide in Ukraine they never criticise these even worse human rights abuses committed and illegal wars committed by the west.
Resident Dissident
““When justice eventually prevails Gaddafi, Saddam and Ceausescu will not go down in the history books as tyrants, but as those who opposed the tyrants.”
Worth noting that apart from Anon1 there has not been a smidgen of criticism of this piece of stinking shit.”
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I’m very happy to endorse your and Anon!’s amazement and dismay at that stupid comment.
But re Romania, doin’t forget that Mr Goss wet on a subsidised cycling tour there. Perhaps a state-employed whore was part of the package.
Goss
You are delusional if you think that all the abuses of human rights under Gadaffi and Saddam are attributable to Nato. Or that Ceausescu starved his people because of US debts (didn’t stop him building luxury palaces or make him send the Securitate to work out in the fields did it?)
I am quite prepared to criticise human rights abuse regardless of who is doing the abusing.
You defence of Gadaffi with whom you now appear to be on first name terms is very revealing. Presumably you were tied in with the WRP at one time – perhaps with Thornett’s Workers Socialist League (or weasels as everyone else called them) who also shared your interest in Derek Robinson and LOngbridge and infiltrating the Labour Party) and who surprise surprise is now supporting Left Unity. You never did say who you posted as before you started drawing your pension?
Yes Mr Goss NATO has a lot to answer as,the main protagonists under the guise of defending democracy.
The UN is in the same boat,for it to regain much of its respect,it first must sell its shiny real estate in NY and move its headquarters back to Europe.
For in remaining in the US it allows the thieves kitchen to cook up plots and schemes that can be carried out across the world.
Habba
I think the logic is that if the Central bank employs someone who has had ever worked at Rothschilds or a subsidiary of Rothschilds, someone who has bloodline as traced by Mary or similar or was once caught with some Jaffa orange juice then it is a Rothchild’s central bank. By a similar logic Mr Goss once claimed that Reuters was controlled by the Rothchilds even though it was sold to the Canadian Thomson Corporation a few years back.
Brulliant! have a listen, Start with the ‘Mhairi Black’ track …..
John Goss also needs to explain how a currency issued by either Saddam Hussein or Muamur Ghadadfi, neither trusted by any of their neighbors, could have been a “challenge to the petrodollar”
“In Europe, certainly. In some other places,however, they usually employ less gentle methods to replace Presidents.”
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But nonetheless they are removed are they not,Royalty however.
As the caption says, ‘English: A doctor performing a health check on Saddam Hussein after his arrest. The publication of this image was considered by many to be a breach of the Geneva Convention.”
I feel your hurt – it was up there as a human rights abuse with all those leaks about Asma’s internet shopping from those naughty WikiLeaks people
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2173705/Asma-al-Assad-As-nation-burns-Assad-wife-imports-sofas-London-270-000-spending-spree.html
Mary
16/05/2015 8:56am
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Let’s have a look at what Human Rights Watch had to say about Bahrain in its 2014 report. Selected excerpts.
“Bahrain’s human rights record regressed further in key areas in 2013 and the government made little real progress regarding reforms it claimed to pursue. Security forces continued to arrest scores of individuals arbitrarily in towns where anti-government protests regularly take place. Continuing reports of torture and ill-treatment in detention were consistent with the findings of the 2011 Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI). The government’s failure to implement key recommendations of the BICI stand in contrast to its claims it is making progress on human rights. The judicial system, headed by ruling family members, has yet to hold any senior official responsible for serious human rights violations that have occurred since 2011, including torture-related deaths in detention.
“High-profile critics of the government remain in jail on charges that relate solely to exercising their rights to freedom of expression and assembly. Authorities continue to arrest and prosecute dissidents, including human rights defenders, on security-related charges. The arrest of the deputy head of al-Wefaq, the largest opposition group, prompted all the other opposition groups participating in a deeply flawed national dialogue process to suspend their involvement. The process resumed in February after a one-year hiatus. Of the 27 participating groups, 18 are linked to the government and they had still had not agreed on an agenda at time of writing.
“In August, the government passed a set of laws that further restrict the right to freedom of assembly and may further restrict the right to freedom of expression.”
“Authorities often deny holding detainees when family members seek to locate them and initial interrogations typically take place without the presence of a lawyer, in violation of Bahrain’s constitution and code of criminal procedure. The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights documented approximately 200 cases in a six-week period between July and mid-August during which authorities falsely denied holding detained individuals for two to ten days.
“Many detainees complained of ill-treatment in detention, sometimes rising to the level of torture. Four former detainees told Human Rights Watch that they were severely beaten, and in one case sexually assaulted, while in detention at the Interior Ministry’s Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) in 2013. Bahrain’s constitution forbids the use of torture and use of evidence secured by torture, and Bahrain is a state party to the United Nations Convention Against Torture.”
“In April, authorities indefinitely postponed the planned visit of UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Juan Mendez.”
“One defendant, rights and opposition activist Naji Fateel, who received a 15-year sentence, claimed he was badly tortured in April during his first three days in detention. He alleged that authorities handcuffed and blindfolded him, beat him severely, subjected him to electric shocks, and suspended him from the ceiling. Political activist Reyhana al-Mousawi, who received a five-year sentence, alleged she was subjected to electro-shocks and forced to sign a confession.”
“The targeting of medical professionals continues to be a concern. In January, seven physicians and one nurse were dismissed from their positions at the Ministry of Health and convicted for providing medical care to protesters in 2011. The continuing presence of security forces around hospitals prevents neutral medical access, in violation of medical ethics and the right to health.”
“Since 2011, Bahrain established an ombudsman’s office in the Ministry of Interior and a Special Investigations Unit in the Public Prosecution Office, but neither of these offices took steps to hold senior officials accountable for serious human rights abuses or address what the BICI characterized as a ‘culture of impunity’.”
“In May, a Bahrain appeals court reduced the seven-year sentence of a Bahrain police lieutenant convicted of the April 2011 murder of Hani Abd al-Aziz Jumaa to six months. The lieutenant is the highest ranking security official known to have been convicted for abuses.”
http://www.hrw.org/world-report/2014/country-chapters/bahrain
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Now let’s have a look at this report from Reuters. Selected excerpts.
“Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa has skipped a Gulf Arab summit with U.S. President Barack Obama, and will instead join Britain’s Queen Elizabeth at a horse show and also discuss bilateral relations with her.
“A Bahrain royal court statement said the king would leave for Britain on Thursday at the invitation of Queen Elizabeth to attend “the joint yearly celebration at Windsor” — an apparent reference to the Royal Windsor Horse Show.
It added: “His Majesty the King and Queen Elizabeth II will hold a meeting to review the longstanding mutual ties between both royal families in addition to the progress and development of bilateral relations and cooperation in various fields.”
“A media representative at the horse show told Reuters that King Hamad was expected at the high society event which begins on Wednesday at Windsor Castle outside London and will be attended by the British royal family.”
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/13/us-usa-gulf-bahrain-idUSKBN0NY1T420150513
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What’s my Head of State doing, inviting this blood- and torture-soaked man to this country? Why should I regard her as anything other than the grossest of hypocrites? Why should I regard the UK government as anything other than the grossest bunch of hypocrites? Why should I regard the denunciation of torture by Saddam Hussein, Gaddafy, Ceausescu, or anybody else, by the Western media, as anything other than the grossest hypocrisy, while this man is allowed to nibble cucumber sandwiches and rub shoulders with the highest levels of the British state?
Kind regards,
John
Tim
“John Goss also needs to explain how a currency issued by either Saddam Hussein or Muamur Ghadadfi, neither trusted by any of their neighbors, could have been a “challenge to the petrodollar””
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Off you go, Mr Goss!
NB – to be fair, I think that was just another of his now famous “John Goss moments”. His claim about the indigenous inhabitants of the Falkland Islands refers.
Tim
“John Goss also needs to explain …………….”
Best of luck with that
“Why should I regard the denunciation of torture by Saddam Hussein, Gaddafy, Ceausescu, or anybody else, by the Western media, as anything other than the grossest hypocrisy,”
Ever heard the line two wrongs don’t make a right – perhaps you should judge each case on the facts. It would of course be the grossest hypocrisy to excuse or deny the use of torture by Saddam, Gadaffi and Ceaucesu on the basis that Bahrain does it as well.
Habba
Could you remind us what the $ to Rouble exchange rate was when you first advised us to sell Roubles and buy dollars?
“You are delusional if you think that all the abuses of human rights under Gadaffi and Saddam are attributable to Nato.”
Where did I make claim that they were? Your lack of understanding is palapable.
My claim was that NATO’s actions amount to much more serious human rights’ abuses with depleted uranium, white phosphorus, torture, Guantanamo, extraordinary rendition to face torture, funding of coups to overthrow legitimate governments and the creation of fragmented states everywhere from Korea, Vietnam, Yugoslavia right through to Ukraine.
“Tim
“John Goss also needs to explain …………….”
Best of luck with that”
John Goss does not need to explain. You need to show it to be an inaccurate statement.
Where did I make claim that they were?
“The lack of respect for human rights comes from NATO countries, who, in the cases of Saddam and Muamur were running stable countries.”
and here
““When justice eventually prevails Gaddafi, Saddam and Ceausescu will not go down in the history books as tyrants, but as those who opposed the tyrants.”
Resident Dissident
16/05/2015 10:18pm
You’re absolutely right there. On the other hand, it’s the grossest hypocrisy to denounce torture and ill-treatment by countries not currently perceived as serving Western interests, while feting and red-carpeting equally appalling bastards and keeping quiet about their atrocities because they are perceived as serving Western interests. This seldom seems to occur to state, government, or media.
“I am quite prepared to criticise human rights abuse regardless of who is doing the abusing.” You and me both, I’m glad to hear it.
J
“John Goss does not need to explain. You need to show it to be an inaccurate statement.”
He did – he said their currencies weren’t trusted even by their neighbours – or by the tyrants themselves who salted their private wealth away in hard foreign currencies.
And of course there is the maxim that what is stated without evidence can be dismissed without evidence. Interesting the slipping into the third person.
Thanks Bert ..great stuff
I see a black door with a 10 on Downing Street
I see some millionaires press Ctrl Alt Delete
I see Mhairi walk through the door with her degree
Bert and Johnstone
Enjoy it while you can – a suspect that in a few years time you will be cursing the great betrayal of your hopes. Just look at Salmond’s connections with Amazon and Murdoch and Mr Swinney’s history in business – eventually you will realise that the real division in our society is not between different nations but between ordinary people and those that run the major corporations – I juts hope the realisation isn’t too painful.
“evidence” on the North Korea killings from a source that the nutters sometimes trust
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-05-15/execution-anti-aircraft-gun-photographic-evidence
“He did – he said their currencies weren’t trusted even by their neighbours – or by the tyrants themselves who salted their private wealth away in hard foreign currencies.”
Proof please.
“Interesting the slipping into the third person.”
I slipped into the third person because the whole gang of trolls present repeated the perceived need. Now trot along and disprove it.
While you’re there Resident Dissident what do you think to Lavrov and John Kerry advising Poroshenko to abide by Minsk 2?
RD … “evidence” on the North Korea killings from a source that the nutters sometimes trust and subsequently links to zerohedge
I presume the few rational, enlightened and objective amongst posters would only consult such unimpeachable sources as:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/13/north-korean-defence-minister-executed-by-anti-aircaft-gun-report
http://www.channel4.com/news/north-korean-excutes-defence-chief-with-anti-aircraft-gun
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/13/us-northkorea-purge-idUSKBN0NY01J20150513
John Goss, you said ” Everybody knows that in both cases Saddam and Gaddafi were about to issue currencies in challenge to the petrodollar.” I at least did not know this. Both countries were then issuing their own currencies, and had been doing so for some time without these being taken up in international trade to any measurable extent. If you tell us how the challenge was supposed to work then I might be able to disprove it,
I understand that you are a poet – and so might believe that beauty is truth. As an economist I am condemned to follow the dismal science.
Good night
John Spencer-Davis
“..while feting and red-carpeting equally appalling bastards”
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You would have a point – except that I’m not aware that Resident Dissident has “feted and red-carpeted” any tyrants.
Perhaps you could supply some quotes to back up your accusation against Resident Dissident?
Best regards,
Habbabkuk