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Thread: Claire Short

  1. #31
    Biggles's Avatar Looking for loopholes
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    My understanding is that spying is perfectly ok, as long as one doesn't get caught. (I am talking here about spying on other countries, rather than working as an agent for another country in one's own country. The latter tends to carry a sentence heavier than most other crimes put together).

    Periodically diplomats are asked to leave a country for "activities incompatible with their status". If a spy/diplomat is caught in the UN planting bugs then he will be asked to leave and the country concerned will mumble a few apologies.

    If the transcripts were picked up using equipment in the UK then that is a matter for the UN to get better jamming devices.

    The political issues surrounding the everyday activities of intelligence gathering is the embarrassing factor for Tony Blair. He made a grand show of working with the UN whereas the Short revelations make it look like he was working against the UN. Of course this may just be appearances and Tony Blair may still have been hoping to work with the UN, but that is probably neither here nor there now.
    Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum


  2. The Drawing Room   -   #32
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    Clare Short has been sent a letter by the Cabinet Secretary warning her that sho should not give interviews about security matters. Now she has been told that this letter was configential and she should not have revealed it's contents either.

    This sounds like the old "Keep this to yourself, we don't want everyone to know yet" method often used by some businesses to prevent people from discussing sensitive matters - if you discuss them after being told it is treated as a breach of confidence and, depending on the seriousness the result can range from a warning to dissmissal. Someone tried that one on me - I replied that if they didn't want me to discuss it then they shouldn't tell me. It doesn't look like Clare Short is going to fall for it either.

    Tony Blair says he is disappointed that she has discussed the letter. I bet he is.

    Meanwhile the Conservative Party have withdrawn their support for the Butler Enquiry, saying he has drawn up the terms of reference far too tightly. Well there's a surprise.
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  3. The Drawing Room   -   #33
    Skillian's Avatar T H F C f a n BT Rep: +1
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    Just wanted to add don't assume Claire Short revealed this information for the benefit of the public. She has her own agenda too.

  4. The Drawing Room   -   #34
    lynx's Avatar .
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    Originally posted by Skillian@1 March 2004 - 19:19
    Just wanted to add don't assume Claire Short revealed this information for the benefit of the public. She has her own agenda too.
    Obviously, Blair promised her something so that she didn't resign before the conflict started. No doubt she later found out that she had been lied to (and who hasn't?) and then decided she must resign. This left her looking foolish. Tony Blair should have remembered the old saying: "Hell hath no fury like a a woman scorned".
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    Political correctness is based on the principle that it's possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

  5. The Drawing Room   -   #35
    sArA's Avatar Ex-Moderatererer
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    Originally posted by Skillian@1 March 2004 - 21:19
    Just wanted to add don't assume Claire Short revealed this information for the benefit of the public. She has her own agenda too.
    And your thoughts on that are....?

  6. The Drawing Room   -   #36
    Skillian's Avatar T H F C f a n BT Rep: +1
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    Just really that she clearly has no love for the Prime Minister, and would like to see him fall.

    The increased pressure on Tony Blair, rather than the enlightenment of the British public, is the consequence that Claire Short is concerned with.

  7. The Drawing Room   -   #37
    Originally posted by skillian
    The increased pressure on Tony Blair, rather than the enlightenment of the British public, is the consequence that Claire Short is concerned with.
    Although I'm sure it played a part in her decision, I don't think that making Blairs life difficult was her main motivation.

    If she were that mercenary and without principle she would have towed the line, not made a fuss about the war, and kept her job in the cabinet.

  8. The Drawing Room   -   #38
    sArA's Avatar Ex-Moderatererer
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    Originally posted by Skillian@2 March 2004 - 02:31
    Just really that she clearly has no love for the Prime Minister, and would like to see him fall.

    The increased pressure on Tony Blair, rather than the enlightenment of the British public, is the consequence that Claire Short is concerned with.
    Hmmm....seems like wild speculation to me.

    I thought that you would have some insider knowledge or at least evidence of previous agendas which have shown Ms Short to be saying one thing whilst really doing another.

    I am not a fan of Claires, nor am I a member of the Short bashing league, but I cannot help but have admiration and respect for the ONLY person who seems able to challenge Blair and his cronies. She has bigger balls than any of the other 'rebels' in the Labour party at the moment.

    Alternative agenda or not...hats off to someone who is willing to put their personal career on the line for the sake of a point of principle...rightly or wrongly. toeing the party line is one thing, but it should only go so far and it saddens me that in today's political climate, people are pilloried for speaking out and bringing issues to the forefront for debate.

    The whole problem at the moment is that everyone is so scared of a 'Presidential' Tony that he can pretty much do exactly as he likes without fear of dissent...hmmm....isn't that a little worrying for the future of democracy?

    Maybe if more people had spoken out...the 2nd world war would not have resulted in the holocaust...we will never know, but surely a politician's job is not only to serve but also to question.

  9. The Drawing Room   -   #39
    lynx's Avatar .
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    Sara, referring to your 9 month old thread which has just been resurrected, your last post gives me reason to be glad you are still with us.

    I have to admit that I have in the past rather thought of Clare as being part of the "loony left" with regard to her style and presentation, and I never thought much of what she had to say. I am surprised to say that my feelings towards her have changed quite dramatically over the past few months.

    I rather feel that she put her personal career on the line 12 months ago when, after decrying the moves for war, she decided to stay in the cabinet at the time when Robin Cook decided it was time to leave. It remains to be seen what persuaded her to stay at that time, although I do remember that it was after a personal meeting with Tony Blair. I suppose it must have taken even greater courage to resign at a later stage.

    Other than that I think I am largely in agreement with your sentiments regarding the health of democracy in 21st Century Britain. I refer not only to Blair's style of leadership, but also to what can only be described as extreme measures proposed by David Blunkett.

    Although many despotic regimes over the ages (and currently) have been largely based on greed and power, it is interesting to note that the worst large scale attrocities have all been perpetrated by governments with so called socialist tendencies. It is to be hoped we are not seeing the rise of another.
    .
    Political correctness is based on the principle that it's possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

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