“It is a matter not so much of concealing as of withholding and what is withheld is not so much the truth as the facts.”
—cabinet secretary, Sir Burke Trend, 1963
The magazine Private Eye provoked panic in Whitehall when it identified C, the letter used to denote the head of MI6, hitherto secret papers released at the public record office yesterday [Wed 16 Feb 2000 01.44 GMT] reveal.
The
magazine broke existing media conventions by naming Sir Dick White as
C, standing for Chief, in a column by Claud Cockburn, in August 1963. In
a small paragraph headed "Note to foreign agents" he named Sir Dick as
the "head of what you so romantically term the British Secret Service".
The steady decline of our right to protest is just one more indicator of a backsliding democracy.
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Describing what he witnessed as "sobering," Mr George stated: "The
International Court of Justice has deemed Israel an apartheid state. I
don’t feel qualified to make such a judgment, but I can confirm I
witnessed extreme segregation and discrimination."
He added: "There are broadly two communities of people, living unequal
lives – one with rights, freedoms, and access to services; the other
with restrictions, no right to vote for the government controlling their
lives, and daily hardship."
...
He stressed that achieving peace requires addressing this inequality:
"Seeking peace after decades of conflict can only work if it benefits
both Israelis and Palestinians.
“Achieving this will require political change and herculean diplomatic effort. Peace can’t come until this inequality ends."
Mr. George proposed a "Two-Stage Solution" as a necessary foundation for future peace:
1. Full democratic rights – votes for all
2. A truth and reconciliation process.
"
People in this country are disillusioned by a two-party system that thrives on despair. Politicians may regret spending their lives convincing their constituents that nothing will change. Instead, they should inspire some hope that a more equal world is possible.
”
—Jeremy Corbyn January 2025
Privatisation does not save money for the NHS. It diverts money away from the NHS. This is the very same NHS that will end up delivering the expanded care. It is NHS staff – and NHS resources – that will provide the private sector’s “spare capacity”. This is what Dr. Tony O’Sullivan, co-chair of Keep Our NHS Public means when he says that “feeding the parasite undermines the health of the NHS host”.
Privatisation rests on an illusion that their services are provided out of thin air, hiding the human and economic cost required to satisfy the private sector’s endless greed.
You know the worst thing about this government? It’s the war on woke. Woke means caring for people and it can only be a good thing to care for people no matter what.”
Chinese
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jun/24/jeremy-hunt-fac...
“True is such a twentieth-century concept. The question is, can I get you to believe it, can I get it repeated enough times to make it as good as true.”
—? The Golden House 2017
It matters because it involves standards, rules and integrity in public office. And once those values start to erode - can the public ever expect to get them back?
“Time shall unfold what plaited cunning hides:
Who cover faults, at last shame them derides.”
Cordelia; King Lear Act 1 Scene 1
—William Shakespeare
