Jack Straw, so called Justice Minister, denies that he had any foreknowledge of the arrest of Damian Green. Jack Straw denied directly to the BBC in the documentary "The Ambassador's Last Stand", and denied to the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, that he had any part in the false accusations laid against me or in my removal as Ambassador for raising human rights concerns. Yet, as detailed in Murder in Samarkand, I have obtained documents in Jack Straw's own handwriting, directing the process, and he held at least three meetings with Sir John Kerr to organise it.No, not sure I do either.
On being sacked, I very openly leaked a number of government documents concerning UK policy, the use of torture material by our intelligence services, and the government's attempts to frame me. Most of these documents were classified more highly than the documents leaked to Damian Green, like this one for example:
Yet when I leaked a number of highly classified documents, openly on the internet with my name and address, did the police come knocking at my door? No, they did not. They consulted Home Secretary John Reid, who consulted Foreign Secretary Jack Straw. They concluded that they should seek to kill the story, and not generate publicity by arresting me.
Does anybody really believe that Ministers decided whether someone as obscure as I should be arrested, but were not consulted on whether Damian Green should be arrested?
Monday, December 01, 2008
Can It Really Be True That Jacqui Smith Knew Nothing?
Former UK Ambassador to Ukbekhistan Craig Murray has entered the fray in the Damian Green case with some potentially explosive allegations. He attacks Jack Straw for denying all knowledge of the incident, although I suspect his fire is slightly misdirected. Instead, his anecdote blows to pieces the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith's contention that Home Secretaries never interfere in police matters. Let me quote most of his post...
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19 comments:
You are being even thicker than usual. I'd have thought even you could notice the bit in bold. What is that, if not politicians meddling in whether someone should be arrested or not.
Brave move Iain, but then Jack Straw won't sue, will he?
You'll probably have to be less forthright when you're in the House!
They way you have formatted this Iain, it looks like you are calling Jack Straw a liar but it's actually part of the quote.
Unless you actually want it that way...?
Jack has form, that's for sure.
I would not believe me if he told me it gets dark at night without checking first.
The Penguin
Iain,
Assuming these documents exist, the allegation appears to be that Jock Reid counselled against going to the Old Bill. Are you seriously suggesting that deciding not to make a complaint comnstitutes "interfering in a police matter"? because it strikes me as a pretty elastic definition. Surely "interfering in a police matter" requires at the very least the existence of a police matter with which to interfere.
iain, Doesn't this paint a very lurid picture of the workings, behind the scenes, of our wonderfully public minded government.
I, for one, have never trusted anything Straw says and Smith has been under his 'control' since being appointed.
It just shows the duplicity of those that 'govern' us.
I believe that Smith knew everything and that she would inform Brown, the control freak, of all decisions.
I come back to Woollass who, on the Today programme, told us that Green had been CHARGED with Conspiracy!! He was quickly corrected. But that was, in my view, a Freudian slip. That was what they (the Ministers) believed Green would be charged with!
Green did not play ball.
Heads will roll.
The longer it runs - the better. The lad's solicitor is an absolute idiot - did you see his briefing? He's using it as Hollywood for his own career - tosser.
Craig Murray's a bit of an idiot though - met him last year and got the impression he knew best. The Green thing is completely different.
Is it just me but when a interviewee uses the name of the questioner it's at best a stall or just creepy?
Dick the Prick,
I am sorry you found me a bit of an idiot, though I guess we all can be sometimes (as your pseudonym seems to imply).
But I can't agree the two cases are completely different. Both are ostensibly about the release of classified information.
In my case, the classifications were much higher. The fact I am still walking the streets is indisputable evidence that it is bunkum for the government to claim that there is an unstoppable automaticity to police action in such cases.
As for Jimmy, I am not sure what rock you have been living under but I don't think anybody doubts the existence of the documents, particularly as I have published letters from the Treasury solicitor asking me to remove them as they are Crown copyright! When you think about it, that is pretty strong evidence of their authenticity.
Craig - soz about the slur. It wasn't so much the variance of the information that I was disputing but rather the authority of office held.
Whilst I accept that Ambassador is a senior civil service rank, I can't accept that it gives rise to any legitimacy other than that which is proscribed through democratic mandate.
The lad needs to be sacked - should have been a quick meeting. However, to infringe and impinge upon a privy councillors' duty is not able to be consented by a civil servant.
I'm perhaps disgracefully cynical, but I cannot understand how you could not know that the Uzbekistan 'government' were not just a mafia and its territory used as a conduit for a whole manner of shite.
Sure, you acted out of great principle but I'm left with the thought - didn't you accept that beforehand?
Again, apols.
Craig,
You must forgive me if I'm not entirely up to speed on the minutiae of your story, although I have been googling to catch up. Fascinating stuff.
Dick the Prick,
I leaked the documents after I had been sacked, not before.
Not claiming I was in the same position as Damian Green at all.
Sorry this is getting repetitive, but I am a self-confessed, active leaker of government secrets. Why was Damian Green turned over when I was not, if there is as claimed no political direction in these things?
If Iain wants to delete this specious tangent I quite understand, but what theory on booze? Except I like drinking it, I can't recall having one.
Ofcourse there is a political direction - ofcourse. But as Eric Idle said and Lord Hutton proved -'a nod's as good as a wink to a blind bat'.
I really can't see the similarities. You did what you did because you kinda sacked yourself after shouting at walls. The strategic importance of Uzbekistan hasn't in any way reduced.
I guess I should buy your book but to the layman Yorkshireman - I'm left with the thought - what the hell did you expect? You were a critical voice in the crucible of intelligence activities with more dirty money swilling about than water to drink.
I think the case at present shows an administration with no balls, when you were on the campaign it had nothing but. Who'd kill a chap from Dundee anyway - give him his pension and send him home - 5 years later - job done!
Craig,
I assume the distinction is that they wanted the police to identify the source of the leak so they could plug it. In your case the only issue would have been retribution.
I'm prepared to believe that what ministers are saying is literally true, but I did notice Jacqui Smith was being very careful in an interview earlier today to deny having known in advance "about what happened" but not to deny knowing Damian Green was being investigated by the police.
I suggest Damian Green makes a data subject access request under the data protection legislation, for all the information the Home Office hold on him. As I recall, that's more powerful and has less exemptions than the FOI Act.
Finally, in a way it's worrying if the police decided not to consult ministers about the arrest - if their reason was to protect ministers by keeping them clear of responsibility. I'm concerned that that might have happened here.
She denied this in the Marr interview.
I must confess that Craig Murray is a personal hero of mine and I completely agree with take on this matter. Are you coming back to Scotland to speak on anything soon?
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