Ian Blackford MP, investment banker and now SNP Westminster parliamentary leader, has received an “intelligence briefing” from the security services and is satisfied with MI6 assurances that Assad attacked Douma with chemical weapons. The whirring sound you hear is Willie Macrae spinning in his grave.
The other whirling sound you hear is Charlie Kennedy spinning in his. Charlie – who was a friend since 1979 – once told me that the scariest walk he ever took was to get the security service briefing on the Iraq War. He was scared in case the intelligence was actually convincing on Iraqi WMD – what would he do then? Charlie said that when he saw the actual intelligence he was astonished by how weak it was, and left with a clear mind – and a lifelong distrust of MI6.
But Charlie Kennedy, though we disagreed on Scottish independence, was a very decent man of great principle. Not an Establishment hack like investment banker Ian Blackford MP.
The SNP is attempting to be all things to all men by attacking the government for not having a parliamentary vote on the attack on Syria, while accepting the British establishment narrative. I am not sure if Blackford is saying there should have been a vote because he missed the chance to vote for the war, or if he is going to accept that the attack was illegal in international law.
Nicola Sturgeon joined Boris Johnson on day one of the Salisbury attack in blaming Russia with no evidence and cheering for Britnat jingoism. Blackford promotes the entirely dodgy Douma narrative. The SNP leadership could not be more divorced from the views of its own grassroots membership.
This cannot last.
Brilliantly said Craig.
How can we now take anything Mi6 is puting out to be truthful, when they have been shown to be at the centre of PSYOPs to con the public with lies? eg The Fabricated “Isis” Terror at Westminster last year. (Our heart of government, involved in a Met and intelligence PSYOP). They probably even had some of the muppet MP’s conned by it. I must repeat this, as the government is so corrupt.
Then the Skripal scam, with the stinking May, linking that to the bombing of Syria.
We bomb off the back of a “White Helmets” scam. Backed up by the “Violations Documentation Center”, which seems to only be interested in Syria. Anything about Yemen sir? “Oh no, we are not paid to report that”.
As far as I can see, the White Helmets are part funded via CIA type front funds. US “oversees development aid”.
Why was “Chemical Warfare Expert” Hamish De Bretton Gordon working with the Free Syrian Army in Syria? (Because Britain is doing some nice dirty work in Syria, with honest tax payers money, paid to a contractor like Mr De Bretton Gordon.)
This is the problem with “Black Propaganda” (lies). The government has lost any credibility it had. For the SNP to play along is shameful.
This writer is fed up of the lies and “Satanic Double Speak” (Please read Christopher Story “The New Underworld Order” for the frame of reference to this.)
There is something seriously wrong when newspapers are puting out headlines on Sunday such as “A Strike at the Heart of Evil” re: Syria, when the whole government action, has been based on total lies.
I appeal to everyone who is of good spirit to start speaking up. We cannot have a government that could put us into World War 3, off the back off Black Propaganda lies.
There’s enough resources on Earth for us all to live in harmony.
Hi SIS, well put. I think a lot of the population are fed up with the satanic double speak. It seems to me that, the more the UK Govt and USA disseminate more anti-Putin/anti-Russian propaganda, the more support Putin and Russia get from the general population, You never hear Putin refer to May, Trump or Macron as ‘evil’, ‘stains on humanity’, ‘mass murderers’, ‘liars’, warmongers do you. Currently, we have Putin to thank for his commendable restraint in all of this and the fact we are still here to write these blogs. However, I believe we are now in a far more dangerous situation than we were a week ago because the USA are amassing a veritable armada off the coast of Cyprus.
This is what Sturgeon has to say on the matter –
‘Air strikes have not resolved situation in Syria so far – nothing I’ve heard persuades me they will do so now. An international strategy for peace must be pursued – not a course that risks dangerous escalation. UK foreign policy should be set by Parliament, not US President.
1. Legal position seems thin. In absence of UN resolution or self defence – the two clear cut legal grounds for attack – reliance is on averting humanitarian crisis. But not easy to see how humanitarian crisis – the result of years of civil war – will be helped by air strikes.
2. A thin legal case (coupled with fact that chemical weapons inspectors are only now beginning work) makes it essential for PM to set out reasoning and strategy in full Commons debate – not just statement – and for any further action to require sanction of parliamentary vote.
This is what ian Blackford had to say on the matter a few hours ago – ‘In Feb PM told this House she was committed to finding a political solution for Syria. Why did the UK not support Sweden’s draft UN resolution, calling for an international investigation into chemical stockpiles reportedly held by the Syrian regime?’
Any sane person in Scotland knows that the British state cannot be trusted but omission and misinformation doesn’t strengthen an argument it weakens it. The conflict in Syria has had an incredible amount of coverage over the years and as punters we are left to guess and speculate about the very basics of the conflict beyond the long term aim that US and the UK wanting shot of Assad.
‘”All of us abhor chemicals weapons. We want to see an end to the war in Syria. We want to see an end to the humanitarian crisis. I don’t think the action that took place over the weekend really deals with that.” @IanBlackfordMP
I think your last sentence holds the key to World peace.
Sadly, I think we are being ‘prepared’ for a greater conflagration. The Skripal poisoning (by goodness knows what!) and the alleged chemical attack in Douma are meant to soften us up for an acceptance of further escalation in Syria. That’s my take on it anyway. The failure of the MSM to serve the public by objectively and critically challenging/holding to account the British government is abhorrent in the extreme. I have no trust in my Government or those agents that should be holding them to account.
I think it was Barden Gridge, who first posted the Rodger waters White Helmets quotes,
I had seen it already..but now it’s News – Real news –
“If we were to listen to the propaganda of the White Helmets and others, we would be encouraged to encourage our governments to start dropping bombs on people in Syria. This would be a mistake of monumental proportions for us as human beings,” ..
https://www.rt.com/uk/424247-roger-waters-white-helmets/
Is this the coming scenario?
1) Limited cyberattack on Britain, perhaps on the NHS or the fire service, perhaps on mobile phone networks, the energy network, or supermarket food distribution; perpetrator not proven; Britgov accuses Russia
2) Cyberattack by Britain on Russia (or “counterattack” for those who believe Russia attacked first)
3) Real Russian cyber attack on Britain this time; *blam*
4) This
“We’ll meet again… some sunny day…!”
Personally, I can hardly wait to get my suntan.
I’m beginning to think the world has gone so mad with that mad dog Trump at the helm, the sun tan is preferable!
I assumed he meant from an impending thermonuclear flash.
Yeh, me too.
Trump isn’t “at the helm” except nominally. He’s been captured by the deep state, in part through his own ineptitude.
yesindyref2
April 16, 2018 at 18:41
“The Truth shall set us free.”
Nice of you to quote the motto of over the door of the CIA HQ at Langley.
I thought the CIA was “Work will set you free” /s
It’s just a variation on “Arbeit macht frei”, I fear.
You’re before me in the alphabet, but half an hour behind me, we really are though the looking glass.
Your contribution appeared with the automatic page refresh when I committed my post (I guess I hadn’t refreshed the page for at least half an hour).
Never mind, great minds think alike or some such — no!, in reality it’s just a class of aphorisms, one of which elicits the other, but all cynical equally to the core.
hat’s telling is the gate, which they all adorn.
This is what Sturgeon has to say on the matter –
‘Air strikes have not resolved situation in Syria so far – nothing I’ve heard persuades me they will do so now. An international strategy for peace must be pursued – not a course that risks dangerous escalation. UK foreign policy should be set by Parliament, not US President.
1. Legal position seems thin. In absence of UN resolution or self defence – the two clear cut legal grounds for attack – reliance is on averting humanitarian crisis. But not easy to see how humanitarian crisis – the result of years of civil war – will be helped by air strikes.
2. A thin legal case (coupled with fact that chemical weapons inspectors are only now beginning work) makes it essential for PM to set out reasoning and strategy in full Commons debate – not just statement – and for any further action to require sanction of parliamentary vote.
Now does that sound similar to the description given by Craig Murray above?
You might add that it doesn’t sound much like anything Homer Simpson said on the matter either. What’s that got do with anything though when Craig Murray was talking about Ian Blackford?
It’s the seemingly articulate and smart people that confuse me most in the world, and the same ones that always seem to let us down.
I mentioned Nicola Sturgeon because Craig Murray mentioned Nicola Sturgeon in the above article.
If you don’t like that then Here’s what Ian Blackford tweeted 5hours ago ‘In Feb PM told this House she was committed to finding a political solution for Syria. Why did the UK not support Sweden’s draft UN resolution, calling for an international investigation into chemical stockpiles reportedly held by the Syrian regime?’
And this ‘Is the PM as concerned as me at at US President’s language that Syria action was “mission accomplished”? Does she agree with President or UN Sec Gen that there is no military solution, it must be political”?’
Now does that sound like the kind of thing that Craig Murray has written above?
I applaud Craig Murray on pulling up the MSM for the sin of omission but I am pulling him up here for exactly the same thing.
I’m left somewhat puzzled now.
To answer your question, though, it sounds like a pile of incoherent doublespeak.
What exactly is Blackford talking about, a political solution to what? Syria as I understand it has already been given a clean bill of chemical health by the OPCW. The US and UK between them probably have more chemical weapons than the rest of the world put together. Maybe he could have asked for a political solution on that…
But here’s the real problem. The Syria crisis would be over if it wasn’t for the US and it’s allies pumping arms and support in for the rebels/terrorist bastards. Everybody knows that. If you press me I will find quotes showing that leading Americans actually have bragged about that in the past.
I really don’t know what sort of planet you’d need to be on to talk about a political solution in the above context. How do you think that echoes in the ears and minds of Syrians themselves who know this whole thing was basically engineered by the US and Saudi Arabia, amongst others?
And isn’t it so very odd that they jump from political solution to staged gas attack and military strikes just when Assad’s victory looks like a formality and he is basically conducting clean up operations? Something like 3 quarters of the rebels have come to terms and given up. He has already found a political solution, for the most part, except amongst the Al-Qaeda crackpots that the Saudis continue to support.
I’m genuinely puzzled. I’m as puzzled as I would be if The ghost of Harold Shipman appeared and said he wanted a political solution to the pensioner problem.
‘What exactly is Blackford talking about, a political solution to what? Syria as I understand it has already been given a clean bill of chemical health by the OPCW.’
The OPCW are due to be in Douma on Wednesday, the site of the alleged chemical weapons attack.
Blackford has contradicted himself so often on this that it’s embarrassing. Same goes for Nicola and for McDonald the Defence spokesperson. There are some folk out here raging mad with them for remotely associating the SNP with May’s actions on Syria and the Salisbury incident. You throw allegations around then you should follow due process. May didn’t. Not on Salisbury, not on Syria. As for Blackford. He is a complete clown!
I’ve heard wild excuses for their woeful performance on this but the worst was the SNP had to go along with May otherwise they’d have been called traitors….like Corbyn. Jeez oh! Seriously? There was also the theory that Blackford and Salmond were saying different things in order to cover all angles. (Whit?!?) And finally, Nicola had to be careful what she said because the issue wasn’t one from her “home turf”. (Holyrood) It really shocked me when the SNP have long enjoyed taunting the other Parties about not having a branch office. Yet there was this person pleading for us to realise that these, potentially WW3-causing games going on were happening off Nicola’s home turf! Ye couldnae make it up!
Pretty much agree, Jo, but I think the malaise at the heart of the SNP goes way beyond the Syrian crisis. I’m very much pro-Independence for Scotland although I’m not Scottish.
Since Sturgeon took over her strategy has been to present herself as a safe pair of hands. That’s basically a conservative position in the current climate. As expected, she’s been walked all over by May which to me is bizarre given the mess of Brexit and the weakness of the Tories.
When May said “this is not the time” Sturgeon had a mandate to bring the roof down on her. What did she do? I’m really asking – what did she do? Nothing.
Defeat snatched from the jaws of victory.
I totally agree with you. They look like craven BritNat idiots.
Many of you will not read this as soon as I write SOHR. He is an opposition propagandist but all propaganda contains some truth,Read his report of the Douma incident. He describes bombing by Syrian aircraft on a building in Douma which resulted in deaths of civilians some from SUFFOCATION due to collapsed buildings. HE DOES NOT MENTION GAS. He has mentioned gas in reports from elsewhere. So if gas had been used here he would have mentioned it. I conclude the Douma civilians were not killed by gas dropped from a helicopter.
My guess is there was a bombing by Syrian air force helicopter (s) . Some civilians were killed, some as a result of suffocation,This was reported to SOHR who put it on his site. Later that day JAI arrived and used the situation to create videos to give the impression gas had been used and issued videos and photos helped by civil defence.They may have also used gas.
I have posted this idea previously and tonight saw a report on CH4 News with a real doctor in Damascus who said he had treated some victims that day who had suffocated I still think the events of 7 April are crucial. Also I wonder why SOHR is not quoted much by the media when once his reports were treated as gospel.He does seem to get at least some real info.Perhaps he id aa rebel who does not follow the JAI line. Perhaps someone should ask him. He lives in the UK Midlands area.
http://www.syriahr.com/en/?p=88805
http://www.syriahr.com/en/?m=20180407
Buz
I wonder how you can tell what nationality a helicopter is in a proxy war involving so many foreign nations.
I’m not watching or listening to the BBC at the moment so at least I’m spared the dubbed Allahu Akbars from the White City World Service when Mrs may sends in the next wave of bombs.
Like colonisation of Muslim countries is a favourite Middle Eastern sport.
giyane I agree. i do not know whether a Syrian helicopter was used.I am saying that even the ” rebels” propaganda does NOT say that gas was used . Perhaps SOHR jumped the gun and made his report before the White Helmets had prepared their film and got their propaganda together. Perhaps SOHR doesn’t follow the JAI line,and supports a different group of rebels.
I think there was a bombardment resulting in civilian casualities but that Syrian forces did not use gas on this occasion. At Khan Shaykhun it was a similar set up. Syrian plane flew over, dropped a bomb, White Helmets made their film to make it look like a gas attack, US bombs Syrian airfield-Result for the terrorists.
I wonder if he asks Mrs Mayhem how many deaths she would like? How many children? What the means of delivery was?
Considering his lot (including the White Helmets) have almost lost the war they started against the legitimate government the stories coming out now are likely to be even less credible. And of course the Oscar-nominated White Helmets were also started by an Englishman who has become very rich out of state-sponsored terrorism. James le Mesurier is a Sandhurst man with as much blood on his hands as Tony Blair. I would like to see the both of them where they beolong – behind bars.
I keep wondering about those reports, a couple of weeks ago, of one or more British(French?) advisors(SIS?) to one of the Syrian rebel groups (Jaysh al-Islam) being captured (by whom?), and about their fate.
I do realize the unspecificity of my wonderment.
But still.
In the councils of the corrupt the honest man is a pariah. The impression you get from the SNP leadership is that they can’t wait to join the Neoliberal club of warmongers. But worse than that, they have committed an even greater crime. They believe the inteleigence services of a nation state who’s history is strewn with lies and deceit. They believe the intelligence services of the nation which keeps us innservitude.
The only person who is emerging with honour is Jeremy Corbyn.
Nichola’s determination to demonstrate her anti Russian credentials and her prejudiced response to the Syrian chemical warfare claim may just have cost the SNP their Holyrood majority and her Westminster seats.
There will never be a better time to make the case for independence and she’s blown it.
Brexit is a red line issue but being taken to the brink of nuclear war isn’t.
Politics is not entirely a science but an art because it depends on a sense of timing. This is our time and the only person who doesn’t know it is Nichola.
The impression I get from Nicola Sturgeon is that she would quite like Theresa May’s job as Prime Minister of the UK.
I was good with that until you mentioned Corbyn and honour.
Anyone who thinks the Labour Party can be trusted after Iraq (and so much else) is basically certifiable. Even if they had a moderate like Genghis Khan at the helm, it would still be insane to support them.
Hatuey, AFAIAC, Blair, the Blairites and NuLab were Tories, so I would trust Labour just a bit more than the Tories, if Corbyn gets rid of the remnants of the red Tories.
Don’t write Corbyn off until you have watched “The Lobby” an uncover documentary by Aljazeera, which reveals the political activities of Israel within parliament and how they have tried to get rid of Corbyn, I now wonder just how much Israel is involved in Syria.
“I now wonder just how involved Israel is in Syria”
Some of us have been worrying about that for a while. Along with Trump’s son in law’s meetings with Israelis and Netanyahu’s trips to the States.
I think it’s safe to say there’s plenty going on.
Unless or until the First Minister confirms her adherence to the IndyRef voted for by Scotland’s Parliament in March 2017 for the purpose of giving Scots a choice prior to Brexit ratification, the dangerous naivety of some senior SNP figure in imagining that the British State will sit docilely by while they plan a ‘dead cert’ IndyRef some years down the line is as worrying as their willingness to toe the BritNat line of Russian culpability for the Skripal poisoning affair, and their readiness to accept that there was indeed a chemical attack by the Assad regime. Now is the time for the Scottish Government to be behaving as if we were already independent, by striking a more measured, more sceptical Scottish approach to BritNat and US foreign policy and the propaganda which accompanies it.
This is what Sturgeon has to say on the matter –
‘Air strikes have not resolved situation in Syria so far – nothing I’ve heard persuades me they will do so now. An international strategy for peace must be pursued – not a course that risks dangerous escalation. UK foreign policy should be set by Parliament, not US President.
1. Legal position seems thin. In absence of UN resolution or self defence – the two clear cut legal grounds for attack – reliance is on averting humanitarian crisis. But not easy to see how humanitarian crisis – the result of years of civil war – will be helped by air strikes.
2. A thin legal case (coupled with fact that chemical weapons inspectors are only now beginning work) makes it essential for PM to set out reasoning and strategy in full Commons debate – not just statement – and for any further action to require sanction of parliamentary vote.
Admittedly, it is not a strong in opposition to British State line as I would like but it sin;t what Craig Murray tries to make it out to be.
She is a lawyer. She should not have taken the a priori stance that there was a chemical attack by Syria with Russian compliance. Same with Salisbury.
All she had to do was wait a few days for some sort of honest reporting to come out or for the OPCW to add some information.
Blackford is guided by her overall policy and has been even more swivel-eyed than many of the neocons.
Her loss and, ultimately, Scotland’s loss.
Gordie
That’s maybe the latest quote. It’s a shame about the earlier ones! Associating her Party with May’s actions was totally insane. Oh, and you can bet Ruth will be reminding her of every word!
Yes, I am not a member of the SNP although an idependence supporter but I was blazing mad about that.
“Nicola Sturgeon joined Boris Johnson on day one of the Salisbury attack in blaming Russia with no evidence and cheering for Britnat jingoism.” is what Mr. Murray writes in reference to Sturgeon. Your quote is, obviously, not related to the Salisbury incident.
Business executives prefer not to think-over complex matters in detail. Particularly when the matter in question is outwith their specialism. So they delegate or outsource the task. And this is probably a sound thing to do within corporate practice. (I wouldn’t know, I’m more of a boffin.)
But it seems to me that it becomes habitual, and many of my colleagues cheerfully acknowledge that they ‘outsource’ things in their life that requires ‘thinking things through’ or doing a bit of research. And so in such matters as current affairs or science (but not football) they become totally reliant on the likes of Radio 4 or the Guardian to do their thinking and questioning for them.
A politician is an arse upon which everyone has sat except a man.
I believe this 2004 quote from Karl Rove is still relevant:
“We’re an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you’re studying that reality — judiciously, as you will — we’ll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that’s how things will sort out. We’re history’s actors . . . and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.”
I love that quote. It’s one of the rare moments of true honesty from Karl Rove, and thus should be admired, even if he is a Bond villian.
The SNP should remember that Scotland abandoned the Labour party when it became the war party.
“Ian Blackford MP, investment banker and now SNP Westminster parliamentary leader, has received an “intelligence briefing” from the security services and is satisfied with MI6 assurances that Assad attacked Douma with chemical weapons.”
Then Mr Blackford MP is a credulous moron. Where do we find these idiots? I’d assume an investment banker, presumably a successful one, is a high IQ individual. Thus, yet again, I have cause to remark that clever people can be such utter morons sometimes. Such is the human condition.
Also, I’ve noted a tendency recently for war-mongers to either ignore facts entirely, or to regard them as actively treasonous. So anyone who thinks that the question of whether Assad used chemical weapons is important, well they are regarded as naive useful idiots, or willing lickers of Assad jackboot. Thus we have an entire foreign policy which pays literally no heed whatsoever to objective facts on the ground. The UK is Hitler in his bunker, calling on imaginary divisions, and screaming at the traitors who surround him daily. We’ve entered clown land folks.
There is exactly zero chance Assad or Putin, or even ‘rogue elements’, ordered this attack. And if May and Trump are getting high-level intel that says otherwise, they need to sack a whole bunch of people, coz it’s bullshit intel. Really though, they both know this already, and don’t care, which is disturbing on many levels.
Having been a registered Democrat (US) from 1975 until last year, I can assure you that this sort of thing can go on for a long, long time.
Increasingly doubtful they will leAd another Indy2 Ref as mandated by Scottish Parliament
The words Britain and Intelligence are an oxymoron.
Well, there are now Mps actively saying that Parliament should NOT be consulted about war. Nick Boles the latest.
Here are few questions which should be raised if such a situation is agreed upon:
1) Should the death sentence be imposed on the top 10 MI6 officers if they sex up intelligence to go to war?
2) Should it be a statutory resignation offence for the entire Cabinet to go to war on sexed up intelligence?
3) Should every member of COBRA and the JIC be incarcerated for life if their analysis of intelligence is so crassly incompetent that a 16 year old could do better?
It is not good enough giving trust to organisations which abuse thst trust.
MI6 make up bullshit to go to war, if Nick Boles does not understand that, he must resign. PMs lie to Parliament to go to war: if Nick Boles does not understand that, he must resign. The State enacts false flags to remove citizen rights: if Nick Boles does not understand that, he must resign.
If Nick Boles thinks John Bolton is fit to determine global policy, Nick Boles is unfit to be an MP.
Parliament must scrutinise because the Executive is unethical, untrustworthy and disloyal to the voters of this country……
Let me explain I am a life long SNP voter for one reason independence and that is it.
I agree whole heartedly with your assessment and its not the first time the SNP did the same with the Syrian chemical attack first time round where there was NO evidence then and still none has been produced and she did the same this time round, your are 100% correct all things men its time they pick a side.
I’m not sure I ca agree, fully. That HMG has no actual evidence, I am sure. But I am also sure that they are saying, privately, they DO have evidence, overwhelming evidence. Like Boris attempting to mislead us in his interview on German TV, I think they are trying to say that they have confirmation that it was gas, it was the Syrians and that they COULD destroy Syrian supplies. Likewise that the Novichok could ONLY come from a Russian source that could ONLY have been authorised by Putin.
None of which is true
But – No one easier to sell to than a salesman. Sturgeon and others have simply believed that MI6 would not ‘actively’ tell lies to support government policy. But she fails to understand that they ARE government policy…
Thank you Craig for this post. I could not believe Nichola followed the chemical attack lie without waiting for the evidence to be verified by a neutral body and then when Blackford fell for the MI5 crap I was ready to explode with rage. They have been truly naive and instead of following the usual arguments based on evidence and truth, like Nichola usually does they have gone down the British establishment route. Very disconcerting and disappointing!
Alex Younger is proving to be the biggest bastard yet as MI6 director of the ghost-ridden agency.
When Nilkki Halley the US Ambassador to the UN, stood up in March and announced that the US would take unilateral action against Syria should a Chemical attack take place, it was no different than an instruction to the Jihadist to prepare one.
The Jihadist were delayed becasue of the rapid advance of Syrian Forces into East Ghouta and eventually Douma, where several Chemical Lab storages were discovered.
The USA were informed by the Russian General Gersimov in March that a Chemical attack was being prepared by the Jihadists.The USA and its allies do not care for proof, they have their agenda and the flimsiest excuses will suffice. They know that their control over the WORLD MEDIA PROPAGANDA machine will drown the voices of Truth. They do not care..
The Jihadist know they can call in the USA missiles any time ,by a hoax Chemical attack. Ghouta. Shayrat airfield and now Douma are in a long line of hoaxes.
The Skripal farce was staged as ACT 1 to give some kind of authenicity to Act 2 in Douma.
Because of time constraints both were bungled affairs and not thought thru’ to give the required plausible deniability. Mossad does a better job with their ‘off -the -shelf’ false flags and are usually subcontracted for such work.
Basil Fawlty at Mi6 organised the Skripal and Douma affairs ,looks like.
If their was any Justice in the world all these Killers ,Trump. May, Macron and their cohorts should be at Nuremberg for crimes against humanity.