Thursday 26 February, 2004
Spying
Call me naïve, but when Claire Short said this morning in her interview with BBC Radio 4 that UK routinely spies on UN officials in their meetings (she mentioned Kofi Annan), I was shocked. Maybe not surprised, but shocked. Spying and espionage sounds so... well, James Bond or cold war.
This all has come about after the charges against Katharine Gun - a translator in GCHQ who leaked some secret emails from US spies - were dropped because of "lack of evidence". She's never denied her leaking the story, but apparently this was not enough. Prosecution says that the reasons were legal - but more likely they are political as the trial would have once again dug too close whether UK and US had a legal right to go to war.
It's very difficult to see where all this is going. Looks like UK and US are openly breaking the international (and national) law, and nothing is done to stop it. I'm not even sure nothing can be done to stop it. This is something that disturbs me greatly and makes me very angry, but I feel powerless. It feels like a great chance is coming, and that the world has changed forever.
Posted by kolibri at 26 February 09:53, 2004Although it must be said that the way the US and UK have broken international law in this case is perhaps a little better than some other countries break it. Sort-of morally right, kind of... but legally very naughty indeed.
# 2 - Kolibri (on February 26, 2004 10:03 AM):
Hm? What morally right is there about spying on Kofi Annan's private conversations?
Or did I misunderstand you?
# 3 - Mikki (on February 26, 2004 03:16 PM):
Yes, by all means, please elaborate.
Make it good.
# 4 - Rel Fexive (on February 26, 2004 09:22 PM):
Hmmm?
Oh.
I wonder if I have my own wires crossed.
*checks*
Yes, I do. Looks like I was talking about the war, not the spying. Why? Frell knows. Just ignore me, everyone else does ;)
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