Outrage over £30m torture hush money

[EternalOptimist]

I personally would volunteer to take 13 amps through the nut-sack if it meant seeing Blair going to jail for 30 years

so I think we should stand up and salute these guys for taking one for the team.


well done , Imran, Abdul and Idi. (and the rest)

If anyone from HMGTorture is watching, you can come round and pick me up anytime. I would like to exercise my right of substitution at this point, and let you know that a fellow called AtW will do the neccessary (ps. he's scared of water)

[xoggoth]

I don't think the British tortured them. Certainly don't approve of state torture (*note) but quite why we are paying yet again for US actions I have no idea. If they must pay useless drug addict crap like Binyam Mohamed maybe they should then deduct the cost of all his welfare and legal bills.

Note. Other than in the Hollywood film type scenario where Bruce Willis must find the nuclear bomb ticking away in New York but I doubt many cases fall into that category.

PS I got stopped on a small country road in Sussex by a couple of Muslims today (I got the full inshalla stuff) who wanted money for petrol to travel to Manchester and offered me a genuine gold ring as surity. Yeh right. I gave them 2 quid, I will always trust anyone to that extent, and told them to try the next vehicle. They might be there a long time.

[AtW]

why we are paying yet again for US actions I have no idea.

They were allegedly asked questions by MIx officers - if you just "question" suspect when someone else tortures them, then you can't absolve yourself from torture saying you just asked questions.

Correct action would have been to demand release of all British citizens and deal with them under UK laws.

[Mr.Whippy]

They were allegedly asked questions by MIx officers - if you just "question" suspect when someone else tortures them, then you can't absolve yourself from torture saying you just asked questions.

Correct action would have been to demand release of all British citizens and deal with them under UK laws.

Haven't really been following it, but weren't they alleged to have passed questions to the CIA (or whoever had them) rather than actually being present to witness any torture?

[AtW]

Haven't really been following it, but weren't they alleged to have passed questions to the CIA (or whoever had them) rather than actually being present to witness any torture?

I doubt they witnessed any torture (not that stupid for sure) - I believe one of those guys said he was questioned by MIx officer in person, granted the whole affair stinks - paying off was sure smart way to get out of it, though I detest the fact that essentially criminal case is settled with cash.

[xoggoth]

Can't say I have gone into the details either (CBA!) but don't think they were British citizens, just British residents. Lower degree of responsibility, if we have any at all.

[EternalOptimist]

They were allegedly asked questions by MIx officers - if you just "question" suspect when someone else tortures them, then you can't absolve yourself from torture saying you just asked questions.

Correct action would have been to demand release of all British citizens and deal with them under UK laws.

well, I dont know the ins and outs of the cases, or the ins and outs of the operations of the intelligence services. But, AtW, do you really go about your life 'demanding' things of other individuals and organisations ?

I dont mean in principle, I mean in reality

[AtW]

But, AtW, do you really go about your life 'demanding' things of other individuals and organisations ?

This was essentially a diplomatic issue - one state (USA) hold in custody citizens/subject of another state.

Word "demanding" in this diplomatic context is appropriate given gravity of situation (your subjects/citizens are tortured by another state).

[EternalOptimist]

This was essentially a diplomatic issue - one state (USA) hold in custody citizens/subject of another state.

Word "demanding" in this diplomatic context is appropriate given gravity of situation (your subjects/citizens are tortured by another state).

ok, so in your mind, some low level operative, who was having quick shufty, just to see how this stuff works, was in fact a diplomatic representative of HMG.
I seriously doubt that anyone involved saw any major gravity in the situation (apart from the guy getting whazzed, obv). I suspect that a lot of this stuff is casual in the extreme, and a lot of it is incidental and ad hoc.
Maybe we should have a new AtW law 'only those who represent HMG in a diplomatic role can witness , influence or note, horrible things, just in case we ever get found out'

[minestrone]

I don't think the British tortured them.

oh FFS, they clearly tortured them, Bush has admited it, the British administration has admited it by the way of paying them money. If you are a member of a terroist organisation fighting the British goverment and you get caught you are going to get tortured, thems the rules.