 | ||||||
Global Research, August 16, 2012 | ||||||
I returned to the UK today to be astonished by private confirmation from within the FCO that the UK government has indeed decided – after immense pressure from the Obama administration – to enter the Ecuadorean Embassy and seize Julian Assange. This will be, beyond any argument, a blatant breach of the Vienna Convention of 1961, to which the UK is one of the original parties and which encodes the centuries – arguably millennia – of practice which have enabled diplomatic relations to function. The Vienna Convention is the most subscribed single international treaty in the world. The provisions of the Vienna Convention on the status of diplomatic premises are expressed in deliberately absolute terms. There is no modification or qualification elsewhere in the treaty. Article 22 1.The premises of the mission shall be inviolable. The agents of the receiving State may not enter them, except with the consent of the head of the mission. 2.The receiving State is under a special duty to take all appropriate steps to protect the premises of the mission against any intrusion or damage and to prevent any disturbance of the peace of the mission or impairment of its dignity.
Not even the Chinese government tried to enter the US Embassy to arrest the Chinese dissident Chen Guangchen. Even during the decades of the Cold War, defectors or dissidents were never seized from each other’s embassies. Murder in Samarkand relates in detail my attempts in the British Embassy to help Uzbek dissidents. This terrible breach of international law will result in British Embassies being subject to raids and harassment worldwide. The government’s calculation is that, unlike Ecuador, Britain is a strong enough power to deter such intrusions. This is yet another symptom of the “might is right” principle in international relations, in the era of the neo-conservative abandonment of the idea of the rule of international law. The British Government bases its argument on domestic British legislation. But the domestic legislation of a country cannot counter its obligations in international law, unless it chooses to withdraw from them. If the government does not wish to follow the obligations imposed on it by the Vienna Convention, it has the right to resile from it – which would leave British diplomats with no protection worldwide. I hope to have more information soon on the threats used by the US administration. William Hague had been supporting the move against the concerted advice of his own officials; Ken Clarke has been opposing the move against the advice of his. I gather the decision to act has been taken in Number 10. There appears to have been no input of any kind from the Liberal Democrats. That opens a wider question – there appears to be no “liberal” impact now in any question of coalition policy. It is amazing how government salaries and privileges and ministerial limousines are worth far more than any belief to these people. I cannot now conceive how I was a member of that party for over thirty years, deluded into a genuine belief that they had principles. Craig Murray is an author, broadcaster and human rights activist. He was British Ambassador to Uzbekistan from August 2002 to October 2004 and Rector of the University of Dundee from 2007 to 2010. | ||||||
Showing posts with label UK. Show all posts
Showing posts with label UK. Show all posts
Friday, August 17, 2012
America’s Vassal Acts Decisively and Illegally Against Assange: Former UK Ambassador
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
More Troops At Olympics Than In War Invasions?
THOUSANDS more troops are on standby to police the Olympics, it was revealed yesterday.
And the potential call-up of 2400 more personnel could mean the UK military strength deployed in London this month is DOUBLE that in war-torn Afghanistan.
The extra military staffing emerged as bungling security firm boss Nick Buckles revealed he could have to quit over the fiasco.
And forces chiefs are furious at the chaos surrounding the security contract.
A senior officer said: “Plans have been made for further contribution because we have to anticipate problems could arise given the fiasco we have witnessed so far.”
The extra 2400 will bring the total troops committed to the Games to 19,400. There are just 9000 fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan’s Helmand province.
An MoD spokesman said: “The contribution to the Olympic security stands at 17,000 – including the extra 3500 announced last week. As regards to any further contribution, plans for national security remain in place.
“But we will not discuss these for obvious security reasons.”
G4S, headed by £830,000-a-year Buckles, admitted last week they could not train the 10,000 guards their £284million contract for the Games demanded.
It will leave G4S with a loss of £50million in penalties and Buckles will this week be forced to explain the gaffe to MPs and shareholders.
He said last week he only found out about the mess eight or nine days previously.
There are now growing fears that staff could turn their back on G4S as the security firm struggle to cope with the workload.
It has been revealed that less than half the staff guarding the sailing venue in Dorset are turning up some days.
And around 180 failed to arrive to be accredited for Olympic football roles.
It has also emerged the Home Office were warned of the scandal last year yet did nothing to help as the disaster unfolded.
And the potential call-up of 2400 more personnel could mean the UK military strength deployed in London this month is DOUBLE that in war-torn Afghanistan.
The extra military staffing emerged as bungling security firm boss Nick Buckles revealed he could have to quit over the fiasco.
And forces chiefs are furious at the chaos surrounding the security contract.
A senior officer said: “Plans have been made for further contribution because we have to anticipate problems could arise given the fiasco we have witnessed so far.”
The extra 2400 will bring the total troops committed to the Games to 19,400. There are just 9000 fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan’s Helmand province.
An MoD spokesman said: “The contribution to the Olympic security stands at 17,000 – including the extra 3500 announced last week. As regards to any further contribution, plans for national security remain in place.
“But we will not discuss these for obvious security reasons.”
G4S, headed by £830,000-a-year Buckles, admitted last week they could not train the 10,000 guards their £284million contract for the Games demanded.
It will leave G4S with a loss of £50million in penalties and Buckles will this week be forced to explain the gaffe to MPs and shareholders.
He said last week he only found out about the mess eight or nine days previously.
There are now growing fears that staff could turn their back on G4S as the security firm struggle to cope with the workload.
It has been revealed that less than half the staff guarding the sailing venue in Dorset are turning up some days.
And around 180 failed to arrive to be accredited for Olympic football roles.
It has also emerged the Home Office were warned of the scandal last year yet did nothing to help as the disaster unfolded.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
US Spy Station In UK
'The report funded by the Joseph Rowntree foundation was based on an investigation led by Steve Schofield into the Menwith Hill base near Harrogate, the daily Morning Star reported.
It revealed for the first time the station's integral role in military offensives - potentially including drone strikes - and corporate snooping. The investigation found that the cost to the British taxpayer of hosting the base has been grossly downplayed while the alleged benefits to the local and national economies have been hugely exaggerated.'
It revealed for the first time the station's integral role in military offensives - potentially including drone strikes - and corporate snooping. The investigation found that the cost to the British taxpayer of hosting the base has been grossly downplayed while the alleged benefits to the local and national economies have been hugely exaggerated.'
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Thursday, August 25, 2011
UK TASER 3 People To Death
'The Metropolitan Police shocked 53-year-old Philip Hulmes to death, the third man to be killed by the British police in eight days, while trying to arrest him in Over Hulton, near Bolton.
The police broke into Hulmes's house after receiving reports that he had locked himself and intended to commit suicide. Hulmes was then tasered to death as the police officers tried to arrest him.'
NOTE: Taser International recently lost a $9 million dollar law suit. These escalating deaths by taser, of innocent people, are unacceptable and should be considered murder. Taser, the ENFORCEMENT agency, the governing agency that allowed it AND the individual who pulled the trigger should be included in any lawsuits.
The police broke into Hulmes's house after receiving reports that he had locked himself and intended to commit suicide. Hulmes was then tasered to death as the police officers tried to arrest him.'
NOTE: Taser International recently lost a $9 million dollar law suit. These escalating deaths by taser, of innocent people, are unacceptable and should be considered murder. Taser, the ENFORCEMENT agency, the governing agency that allowed it AND the individual who pulled the trigger should be included in any lawsuits.
25 Year Old Beaten & Killed By 11 Cops
'The mother-of-three claimed: 'What the police did was outrageous. He was handcuffed, on the floor with his legs restrained and they didn't even have the decency to pull up his pants.
'They seemed to be kneeing him in the back of the head. I counted 11 cops. They were all sat on him, giving him a kicking and giving him side digs. There was one woman officer, the rest were men, and she was getting her kicks in as well.'
British people have to face the fact that they are now policed by ever increasing numbers of head-cases-in-uniform who are nothing more than narcissistic, sociopathic, psychopaths who have been carefully chosen through personality testing on the basis of their psychopathic state, not on their ability to do the job as it was done in the now ever more distance past.
This policy of employing psychopaths as police officers, giving them Tasers and failing to prosecute their now daily violence, has been implemented systematically to transform the police, which once included a large number of decent, intelligent people, into armed thugs that only want a vehicle to express their psychopathic nature.
The idea is to terrify the population into line using a modern version of the Nazi SS and Brownshirts called 'the police'.
The same has happened in North America and around the world, and if we sit back and accept this outrage it will only go on getting worse, because that is the plan.
'They seemed to be kneeing him in the back of the head. I counted 11 cops. They were all sat on him, giving him a kicking and giving him side digs. There was one woman officer, the rest were men, and she was getting her kicks in as well.'
British people have to face the fact that they are now policed by ever increasing numbers of head-cases-in-uniform who are nothing more than narcissistic, sociopathic, psychopaths who have been carefully chosen through personality testing on the basis of their psychopathic state, not on their ability to do the job as it was done in the now ever more distance past.
This policy of employing psychopaths as police officers, giving them Tasers and failing to prosecute their now daily violence, has been implemented systematically to transform the police, which once included a large number of decent, intelligent people, into armed thugs that only want a vehicle to express their psychopathic nature.
The idea is to terrify the population into line using a modern version of the Nazi SS and Brownshirts called 'the police'.
The same has happened in North America and around the world, and if we sit back and accept this outrage it will only go on getting worse, because that is the plan.
Deeply Corrupt British Police Love To Brutalize People Too
This is what happened ...Jody McIntyre being pulled from his wheelchair by narcissistic goons in uniform. This was Jody McIntyre's reaction at the time when interviewed by an off-the-peg, standard-issue, off-the-conveyor-belt, establishment-serving BBC excuse-for-a-'journalist'.
Jody has more intelligence than this highly-paid BBC dark suit will have if he lives to be a thousand.
Monday, August 22, 2011
#Wind Industry Scam. Not Cleant, Not Green, Not Cheap!
What is the maddest thing going on in Britain today? There may be many competitors for that title.
The Government’s plan to ring our coasts with vast offshore wind farms.
The Government’s offshore wind farm plans would, by 2020, cost £100 billion – scarcely a state secret, since the Government itself announced this three years ago – plus £40 billion more to connect these windmills to the grid, a figure given us by the National Grid last year.
Helm did not tell us that this £140 billion equates to £5,600 for every household in the country. But he did admit that the plan was “staggeringly expensive”, and that, given the current extent of “fuel poverty” and the state of our economy, he doubted “if it can in fact be afforded”.
Helm did not tell us that this £140 billion equates to £5,600 for every household in the country. But he did admit that the plan was “staggeringly expensive”, and that, given the current extent of “fuel poverty” and the state of our economy, he doubted “if it can in fact be afforded”.
This is capable of generating 882MW at a capital cost of £400 million – just £500,000 for each megawatt. Thus the wind farm is 22 times more expensive, and could only be built because its owners will receive a 200 per cent subsidy: £40 million a year, on top of the £20 million they will get for the electricity itself. This we will all have to pay for through our electricity bills, whereas the unsubsidised cost of power from the gas plant, even including the price of the gas, will be a third as much.
NOTE: Wind Turbines do not function 70% of the time and have not replaced even one fossil fuel plant.
There is an expensive downside to industrial turbines. Physicians worldwide report people near turbines suffer migraines, sleep problems, nausea, exhaustion, irritability, heart palpitations, stress, depression, anxiety, epileptic seizures, high blood pressure, tinnitus & vertigo in otherwise healthy people!.
The WHOOSING, SCREECHING, VIBRATION and LIGHTS cause “Vibro Acoustic Disease” & “Wind Turbine Syndrome.” The Turbines and hundreds of flashing red lights obliterate the night sky, our tranquility, continue to distract drivers and have killed hundreds of Raptors & Golden Eagles soaring at that height.
Wind turbines produce significantly less power than predicted, are hopelessly uneconomical, require conventional power back up forcing power stations to run inefficiently, resulting in higher CO2 levels! They blemish the landscape, damage the local economy, are a detriment to tourism, obliterate property values and are rightly regarded as an environmental monstrosity.
In early 2009 the Socialist government of Spain reduced alternative energy subsidies by 30%.
"At that point the whole pyramid collapsed. They are firing thousands of people. BP closed down the two largest solar production plants in Europe. They are firing between 25,000 and 40,000 people...."
"What do we do with all this industry that we have been creating with subsidies that now is collapsing? The bubble is too big. We cannot continue pumping enough money.
...The President of the Renewable Industry in Spain (wrote a column arguing that) ...the only way is finding other countries that will give taxpayers' money away to our industry to take it and continue maintaining these jobs."
And that country, sadly is the United States...giving away your money for foreign interests.
A must read wind site from Oregon:
The Government’s plan to ring our coasts with vast offshore wind farms.
The Government’s offshore wind farm plans would, by 2020, cost £100 billion – scarcely a state secret, since the Government itself announced this three years ago – plus £40 billion more to connect these windmills to the grid, a figure given us by the National Grid last year.
Helm did not tell us that this £140 billion equates to £5,600 for every household in the country. But he did admit that the plan was “staggeringly expensive”, and that, given the current extent of “fuel poverty” and the state of our economy, he doubted “if it can in fact be afforded”.
Helm did not tell us that this £140 billion equates to £5,600 for every household in the country. But he did admit that the plan was “staggeringly expensive”, and that, given the current extent of “fuel poverty” and the state of our economy, he doubted “if it can in fact be afforded”.
This is capable of generating 882MW at a capital cost of £400 million – just £500,000 for each megawatt. Thus the wind farm is 22 times more expensive, and could only be built because its owners will receive a 200 per cent subsidy: £40 million a year, on top of the £20 million they will get for the electricity itself. This we will all have to pay for through our electricity bills, whereas the unsubsidised cost of power from the gas plant, even including the price of the gas, will be a third as much.
NOTE: Wind Turbines do not function 70% of the time and have not replaced even one fossil fuel plant.
There is an expensive downside to industrial turbines. Physicians worldwide report people near turbines suffer migraines, sleep problems, nausea, exhaustion, irritability, heart palpitations, stress, depression, anxiety, epileptic seizures, high blood pressure, tinnitus & vertigo in otherwise healthy people!.
The WHOOSING, SCREECHING, VIBRATION and LIGHTS cause “Vibro Acoustic Disease” & “Wind Turbine Syndrome.” The Turbines and hundreds of flashing red lights obliterate the night sky, our tranquility, continue to distract drivers and have killed hundreds of Raptors & Golden Eagles soaring at that height.
Wind turbines produce significantly less power than predicted, are hopelessly uneconomical, require conventional power back up forcing power stations to run inefficiently, resulting in higher CO2 levels! They blemish the landscape, damage the local economy, are a detriment to tourism, obliterate property values and are rightly regarded as an environmental monstrosity.
In early 2009 the Socialist government of Spain reduced alternative energy subsidies by 30%.
"At that point the whole pyramid collapsed. They are firing thousands of people. BP closed down the two largest solar production plants in Europe. They are firing between 25,000 and 40,000 people...."
"What do we do with all this industry that we have been creating with subsidies that now is collapsing? The bubble is too big. We cannot continue pumping enough money.
...The President of the Renewable Industry in Spain (wrote a column arguing that) ...the only way is finding other countries that will give taxpayers' money away to our industry to take it and continue maintaining these jobs."
And that country, sadly is the United States...giving away your money for foreign interests.
A must read wind site from Oregon:
Thursday, August 18, 2011
UK Considering No Go Areas
'New powers allowing police to clear the streets and create "no-go" areas for the public are being considered, the home secretary, Theresa May, has said.
May said it was time to consider whether the police needed a power "to impose a general curfew in a particular area" in the aftermath of last week's riots. The home secretary said the government was also contemplating tougher powers to impose curfews on individual teenagers under the age of 16.'
May said it was time to consider whether the police needed a power "to impose a general curfew in a particular area" in the aftermath of last week's riots. The home secretary said the government was also contemplating tougher powers to impose curfews on individual teenagers under the age of 16.'
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