The Gray Monk

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February 17, 2004

Spy versus Spy

One of my favourite cartoon strips from the "Old" Mad Magazine (Alfred E Newman and his "What? Me worry?") used to be Spy versus Spy. These days I live quite close to the "secret" installation known as GCHQ, with its huge glass "Doughnut" building on view from the M5 and other "local" roads. A lot goes on there, but the more interesting bits are actually somewhere else - like deep underground in a couple of places around this area.

Well, we have lately been treated to the spectacle of the "spooks" celebrating that nice Mr Blair's having allowed their Trade Unions back into the site after that nasty Mrs Thatcher threw them out when they threatened to disrupt the intelligence gathering for the Falklands War. And guess what? one of them has decided that her view of the world order takes precedence over the safety and security of the troops she is supposed to be supporting.

Again from An Englishman's Castle I learn that Katherine Gun is to be tried for her efforts to disrupt the requested surveillance of signal traffic from some members of the UN Security Council. I have no doubt that she will get away with it, the liberal justice system will undoubtedly decide that her "moral stance" is laudable, completely ignoring the fact that she took the money to do as she was told. If she didn't want to do it, she should simply have resigned. Instead, she took a line of action which could have jeopardised the safety of every soldier, sailor or airman who did do as he/she was told and did their duty.

A generation ago, she would have been shot or hung for treason. Perhaps its time to reconsider this tendency? At present, there is nothing of this debacle in the UK Press. I wonder why?

Posted by The Gray Monk at February 17, 2004 02:30 PM

Comments

Posted by: MommaBear at February 17, 2004 03:00 PM

Posted by: The Gray Monk at February 20, 2004 11:28 AM