Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[Sheilbh]

Separately more details have come out about that escaped prisoner who was in the army. He was being held on remand for terrorism charges but also chargs related to spying for Iran. Lots of disruption around as there's checks at ports etc.

Apparently he escaped while working as a chef in the prison kitchen and basically hung on to the underside of a delivery van.

The whole thing is a pretty wild story.

[HVC]

You'd think a spy would be in a higher security prison, or at least have some of his privileges curtailed.

[Sheilbh]

Yeah. He was in a high-ish security prison, Category B but not maximum security (Category A) which feels on balance more appropriate for a potential spy who is also facing terrorism charges

[mongers]

Is it though this guy was a spy/potential agent before he joined the Army, rather than say the usual 'radicalisation narrative'? 

If so he possible has a great range of skills and adaptability than normal, hence his colditz* like escape.


* Really his escape could be seen as a tribute to the wartime MI19** and character of those british officers class.

** a guess, the actual number of the escape organisation eludes me at the moment.

[Sheilbh]

I'm not sure it's only come out that it was Iran today and there don't seem that many details (he's held on remand so hasn't gone to trial yet). Although he's in signals which makes me seems like the choice a spy would make - but it'd be weird for a young man signing up to already be a spy.

From what I've read the allegations include what sounds like a bomb threat on base in order to gain access to the army's joint personnel system wherre he was accessing personal detais of soldiers, it is alleged, for the purposes of terrorism. I can't find it now but I seem to remember reading yesterday that he was getting details about senior personnel including addresses and security.

In addition it sounds like there's straps found under the van he escaped under so wasn't just holding on under a van but strapped in, which would require outside help.

[Josquius]

I'm not sure it's only come out that it was Iran today and there .

In addition it sounds like there's straps found under the van he escaped under so wasn't just holding on under a van but strapped in, which would require outside help.

Well this makes it less cool.

[HVC]

Sideshow Bob would be proud

[Sheilbh]

Well this makes it less cool.

I mean the guy seems to have been fairly handsome so British gay twitter has mainly been like this for the last 24 hours


It feels very old school though. Spies, help from outside, increased security at ports - no doubt it'll end up like George Blake with him popping up in Tehran tomorrow getting loads of medals

[Sheilbh]

Interesting to see Blair back in the news so much.

First he "annointed" Starmer at a session on his Future of Britain conference (though there was one interesting disagreement), then you have Starmer's re-shuffle which is perceived as having promoted the Blairites (not sure if I agree with that reading, but there we are.

Then today Sanna Marin is leaving Finnish politics to join the Tony Blair Institute, saying "I also believe that it can benefit the whole of Finland. I believe that I can serve those voters [in Finland] well and maybe even better in the new assignment."

And recently there was an (unfortunately paywalled) report by Tom McTague into the Tony Blair Institute - what it is, how it's funded, what it does. It's pretty massive, with 800 employees (earning up to about £500k pa - Blair doesn't take a salary), and in the UK context has a policy wing which is the only UK think tank with American-style money.

So despite having left electoral politics 16 years ago, Blair's influence in the UK and arguably globally is strikingly high - especially when you compare him with other British PMs after their time in office.

[Sheilbh]

Big story in Westminster of two parliamentary researchers being arrested for breach of the Official Secrets Act - basically spying/passing information to China.

The name of one has come out and he was a researcher working for the China Research Group which is a caucus of broadly quite China-sceptical/hawkish Tory MPs and also for Alicia Kearns, the chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee. The CRG includes a number of MPs who have been individually sanctioned by China. He was not ever security cleared because neither of thtose roles necessarily gives him access to classified information, but obviously he would still have been very exposed to conversations among senior MPs.

He also apparently organised regular pub sessions for other young SpAds and researchers interested in China.

Sunak apparently raised his "very strong concern" over the "obviously unacceptable" issue directly with Li Qing at the G20. China have said it's "slander" and the UK needs to "stop spreading false information.

I read the story in the Times over the weekend and got really annoyed at all of the off the record comments from MPs who need to grow up. Mainly because they were moaning that they weren't kept fully aware that there was an ongoing investigation etc. Because if there's one group of people I'd trust with details of a sensitive investigation into espionage it's MPs who regularly share screenshots of WhatsApp chats with friendly journalists

Given that they're MPs and the groups they're in, I think they should probably assume that China, Russia etc are interested in them.

Former head of MI6 has said that the new National Security Act (largely passed by Tom Tugendhat who previously chaired the CRG before becoming a minister and was, presumably, one of the targets) would help. In particular flagged that there are things the public would think of as spying that aren't actually illegal under the OSA, like "working for a foreign intelligence service" but that are now illegal (that feels late ).

But this is one of a series of warnings from intelligence chiefs or stories of Chinese influence. I still don't think we're fully awake to it - I feel like Canada and Australia have had similar but are further along in realising that they are a target.

[garbon]

Does Dominic Cummings still have his strange blog?

[Sheilbh]

I think he was an early mover to Substack and charging people. Still see snippets shared every now and then.

Just checked his Twitter and it seems like his latest thing is the need to destroy the Tory party, for a new party.

Edit: Oh and lots on AI

Edit: Just read his (free) one on a new party - as ever lots to argue with, but some very good points:

NO. Plough the old Tory Party into the earth with salt.

[Sheilbh]

Really grim story in The Times in the last few days on sexual harassment in the medical profession, particularly seeing retired, terribly respectable surgeons basically doubling down

[Josquius]

I think he was an early mover to Substack and charging people. Still see snippets shared every now and then.

Just checked his Twitter and it seems like his latest thing is the need to destroy the Tory party, for a new party.

Edit: Oh and lots on AI

Edit: Just read his (free) one on a new party - as ever lots to argue with, but some very good points:

NO. Plough the old Tory Party into the earth with salt.

It's always weird when people like this talk about how the established parties are bad and the tories need to die.
They're saying the right thing but usually their proposed alternative is basically to ramp up some of the key issues with the tories to 11.

[Josquius]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-66804798

A day or two olds news but a big political happening of the moment is labour announcing an actual sensible policy to asylum seekers.

Hopefully they'll go in hard on how the tories are all about impractical performative cruelty rather than actual practical solutions.

As expected however the tories are all over the word EU even being mentioned. After recent years I'm worried but hopefully people aren't so thick as to fail to realise we can't just pretend Europe doesn't exist.