More Conspiracy Guff

Craig Murray, the former UK ambassador to Uzbek who was turfed out for, among other things, standing up for human rights:
“I have the advantage of having had the very highest security clearances myself, having done a huge amount of professional intelligence analysis, and having been inside the spin machine.
So this, I believe, is the true story.”
Key quote: “In all of this, the one thing of which I am certain is that the timing is deeply political. This is more propaganda than plot.”
—
Just saw on the telly Kiwi expat (now Beeb announcer) Anita McNaught being interviewed about the kidnap of her cameraman husband in Gaza. Anita was always the most professional TV newsreader-person we had, unflappable and very sharp and mostly wasted in NZ. No wonder the BBC snapped her up.
All of which made it horrible to watch as she was interviewed (on the receiving end for a change), cool and calm and professional as she answered questions about her husband’s likely situation and what was being done about it. All under control – except for her hands. At the bottom of the screen, her fingers were furiously at work, twisting a pen in her hands over and over and over. She knew she was doing it, and clasped her hands together tight to try and stop herself, but the fingers kept twitching. Anita smiled and made sensible comments about the difficulties of the situation, looked tired and calm and on top of things, but there was no way she could stop her hands from betraying her. All that anxiety and fear was leaking out.
It upset me. I think it’s going to be an image I’ll remember for a long time.

7 thoughts on “More Conspiracy Guff”

  1. The thing that strikes me is the way they implemented it. Like they wanted to cause as much chaos as possible. I mean, think about it. You find out there’s a plot to bomb airlines using gels/liquids, with a dry run possible within the week. Do you a) act now, stopping all gels and liquids and causing chaos, or b) tell travellers that, from one weeks time, they will no longer be allowed to bring such items in their hand luggage. Option b) gives the passengers a chance to repack in their own home, and causes far less in the way of delays. Sure, the terrorists might try and move forward their plan to within one week. But, as we know, most of them didn’t have passports yet.
    I also have issue with the use of the word “imminent”. A dry run within the next week is not an “imminent” attack, IMO. It’s at best an imminent dry run.

  2. the thing i don’t get about all this is the terror. the bloody word is EVERYWHERE over here. but to me there is nothing terrific (in the horror sense) about any of this.
    there was a plot. it was/is being stopped. end of story.
    the terror is the invention of the media hyping the story. i’m not buying into it. so what if my flight is delayed. that isn’t terror. so what if i can’t pack my toothpaste in my hand luggage. that still aint terror.
    what ~m just wrote about is terror. it’s the uncontrollable fingers you just can’t stop from moving cause bad stuff is, actually, happening. i just wish the media had an ounce of the dignity it takes to front up to the public and only give away the fact that you are terrified by small uncontrollable finger movements.
    terror is not a headline.

  3. Chuck: Good point. “Red Alert! The terrorist threat is over! Be afraid of the thing that’s not going to happen!”
    Morgue: Yow. I always liked (also fancied) Anita McNaught so that’s kind of distressing. She did some great interviews for Eating Media Lunch (of all places).

  5. Scott: between your recent obsession with wide-open holes and now your ideas about getting inside Anita McNaught, I think we’re seeing a whole new side of you!

  6. hmmmn ~m just thought i’d comment as a REAL person. you seem to have your share of frikin spammers. that SUX.
    in the best text speak!
    PS: yes I hide behind e-mail addrresses that ain’t connective and web addresses that are shite! I know all these things. but i’m there for you with the frickin spammers. poo! and wees! and stink! all of these. and then some.

  7. Stoopid spam. Quite the most annoying spam infestation in a time – every one on a different entry so removing them took forever, and no email notification either. Gah.

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