The Octopus: Secret Government and the Death of Danny Casolaro

Book review
Lobster Issue 32 (December 1996) £££

[…] example, to show their methods – the deaths of the British journalist Jonathan Moyle in Chile, Ian Spiro, said to be working either for the CIA or MI6 – or both – and Abbie Hoffman. Moyle’s in there because he was interested, apparently, in some of the same people as Casolaro; and Spiro’s in […]

Tittle-tattle 1

Lobster Issue 43 (Summer 2002) £££

[…] was assistant editor of The Economist. Lloyd and Leonard Jr. keep interesting company at the FPC. Independent columnist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown (see above) is ‘senior researcher’ and career MI6 officer Meta (now Baroness) Ramsay is on the advisory council. Alongside Lloyd and Ramsay are Sir Michael Butler, the former British permanent representative to the European […]

Ken Livingstone’s questions

Lobster Issue 16 (1988) £££

[…] in the Information Research Department in each year since 1971.”And got an answer. IRD is the one bit of the secret state, not officially a part of MI6, which the state can’t refuse to answer questions on. The figures are: 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 117 99 91 91 88 85 85 […]

Rebranding SIS

Lobster Issue 40 (Winter 2000/1) £££

[…] as internally. For this reason, the public is told: ‘…..fraud investigators from the Benefit Agency are being taught how to use surveillance techniques by former SAS and MI6 officers. The company, AMA Associates, a security agency, has coached nearly 1000 government fraud officers on a Professionalism in Security (PINS) course accredited by Portsmouth university…….’ […]

Spinning the Spies: Intelligence, open government and the Hutton Inquiry

Book cover
Lobster Issue 49 (Summer 2005) £££

[…] subtle than that. In any case, the JIC precisely certified as ‘genuine’ intelligence which was ‘false and dubious’: it has almost all had to be ‘withdrawn’ by MI6. () Indeed, as the Australian analyst Rob Barton has told us, the JIC Chair, John Scarlett was still trying to get ‘false and dubious’ intelligence put […]

Shorts

Lobster Issue 23 (1992) £££

[…] should be said that IFF Director, Marc Gordon, denies this. David Owen’s memoir, Time To Declare (Michael Joseph, London, 1991) will be remembered for chapter 15, ‘ MI6, GCHQ and the Falklands’. For the first time a senior British politician acknowledges the existence of these agencies and talks (a little) about their work. Owen’s […]

Brands and Britannia: Some aspects of national image and identity

Lobster Issue 54 (Winter 2007/8) £££

[…] intelligence force, answerable to the Home Secretary, freeing SIS to continue with its core functions, answerable to the Foreign Secretary’. This would avoid a ‘wholesale take-over of MI6 priorities by MI5-led anti-terrorism operations,’ which, he said, many intelligence operatives fear.Note: In the ‘old’ days spook lobbying and territorial warfare were invisible. Given other associations […]

Notes From the Underground: British Fascism 1974-92

Lobster Issue 23 (1992) £££

[…] been trying to purchase mailing lists of Tory activists. The NF Constitutional Movement were well represented at such gatherings, and George Kennedy Young (former deputy head of MI6), who had almost succeeded in taking over the Monday Club a decade earlier, was heavily involved in Tory Action. The most damning piece of evidence of […]

Fifth Column: A brief sojourn East of Suez: a last gasp for British great power status

Lobster Issue 54 (Winter 2007/8) £££

[…] into play some awkward facts. The UK’s largest Muslim minority is from Pakistan. Western engagement against Islamism in Western Asia would naturally create conflicts of loyalty. While MI6 might enjoy itself understanding the intricacies of Pathan tribal politics, it was MI5 that was going to have to pick up the pieces. As we move […]

Your Right To Know: How to use the Freedom of Information Act and other access laws

Book cover
Lobster Issue 49 (Summer 2005) £££

[…] an absolute exemption for information that was supplied directly or indirectly, or relates to the following security bodies: the Security Service (MI5), the Secret Intelligence Service ( MI6), GCHQ, Special Forces …the National Criminal Intelligence Service…a certificate from a minister is all that is needed for the exemption to apply…….The security services in the […]

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