Re: David Davies on torture,full report.

Mr Fair wrote:
On Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:24:15 +0100, William Black
<william.black@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Mr Fair wrote:
On Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:53:11 +0100, William Black
<william.black@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Mr Fair wrote:
On Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:05:32 +0100, William Black
<william.black@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

John Bennett wrote:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jul/08/david-davis-torture-
statement
Read the comments.
I'm not sure the comments matter.

What matters is that our rather shadowy and terribly sinister secret agencies have undoubtedly been up to stuff that is almost certainly illegal.

The rules are quite specific. They are only allowed to get up to this sort of thing with the permission of very senior politicians.

In this case either the Home Secretary or the Foreign Secretary or the Prime Minister.

Seems reasonable but what if a rogue/suspect PM got into power?
I think its generally accepted that Harold Wilson's phone was tapped,
and that the secret agencies would regard such behavior as being acceptable in the circumstances...the end justifies the means...so
they feel they have carte blanche to do whatever is required in the national interest.
As they can't do it these days without permission of a very senior politician (and they say they don't do it to MPs anyway, remember the fuss when a rather junior got bugged when interviewing a prisoner last year?) they'd either have to break the rules or get someone to sign up.

Intercept evidence isn't admissible in court anyway.
I don't think they are too bothered about the niceties of permission
or admissibility...they regard themselves as the guardians of the
national security so any means is acceptable ultimately.
After all what are the chances of finding out *who* in a roomful of
cloak and dagger merchants?
Well yes, that's part of the problem.

How would you make them more accountable?

I wouldn't even try. We are not dealing with a Boy Scout Troup here,
but highly skilled professional double dealing obfuscates.
The gist of the thread is that almost certainly illegal acts have
taken place, so a senior head should roll unless there is a whitewash.
I suggest that neither will occur since the cloak and dagger boys are
a law unto themselves and always will be...they will all plead
innocence regardless. Suspicion might fall on the involvement of
senior politicians, and therefore a whitewash when no head rolls, but
this could be without any foundation due to the nature of these agencies.

So whatever happens, in you're view they're always going to be above the law.

Why did they bother bringing them into the light with all those laws in the 'eighties and 'nineties?



--
William Black

So I looked at the script
It was six weeks filming in the desert.
No girls, no dialogue, just guys with guns.
They said "Do you want wages or a percentage?"
It looked like a certain turkey.
When they came the second time I was ready.
I haven't had to work since...

Eli Wallach on his roles in
"The Magnificent Seven"
and "The Good the Bad and The Ugly
.

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