President Trump touched a raw nerve with former CIA Director John Brennan by insinuating he leaked the “fake news” about Russia possessing compromising data on the President. Days later Trump spokesperson Ms. Kellyanne Conway had a contretemps with Meet the Press host Chuck Todd. She claimed Press Secretary Sean Spicer was offering “alternate facts” about the size of the Inaugural crowd.
We are not talking about ‘spin’ which is different ways of looking at the same situation or set of facts. Fakes news and alternate facts are fabrications devoid of reality. The British excel in the latter and utilized them for three decades during the armed conflict in Ireland. Their use was unquestioned by most US and Irish media, journalists and politicians who believed , naively of course, the British were sincere in seeking an end to the conflict.
The shared language nurtured a collaboration between Britain’s MI-5 & MI-6 and America’s CIA (formerly the OSS) and the FBI. This decades old ‘special relationship’ is complicated and conflicting agendas and trust issues arise did arise; the Suez Canal crisis a good example. No surprise then that it was a former British MI-6 operative, Chris Steele, working for the CIA who cited the existence of compromising info on President Trump in Russian hands. The blessing of Steele’s credibility by the New York Times was swift. Its Public Editor proclaimed Steele was “… respected in his craft…” as though describing a diamond cutter or electrician.
As a result of this long collaboration, the U. S. deferred to the British spooks for intelligence about the conflict in Ireland. Anyone see the fault in this logic?? The British shared nourishing tidbits like fake news and alternate facts about NI for several reasons. First, funding was needed for MI-5 and MI-6 bureaucracies so that ‘enemies’ like Sinn Fein could be labeled, monitored, smeared and murdered. Second, data needed to be collected or ‘created’ so the UK could guide US policy to a ‘security’ agenda i. e. turn the Catholic civil rights movement and protests into a Communist plot. Third, whenever British lawlessness and violence was required distracting events were created and cover-up measures employed to portray an alternate reality for media and governments alike.
Here’s how it has worked.
BLOODY SUNDAY—The Widgery Report was filled with ‘alternate facts’ and fake news about shots fired at the soldiers, armed protestors and criminal agitators. After 40 years of lying the truth of those 13 murders was documented. Now the obstruction strategy is in place to make sure no soldier, commander or politician is held accountable.
STORMONT SPY RING & OMAGH BOMBING—After the 1998 Accord the unhappy security services were anxious to smear Sinn Fein and restore London rule. A fake spy ring at Stormont story was created which suspended local rule. Only later was it revealed that at the center of the spy ring was a British spy. In Omagh, Co Tyrone several months after the Agreement was signed, dissident Nationalists planted a bomb and gave a 30 minute warning. MI-6 and police were monitoring the bombing team for days and had an informer in their midst but let the bomb detonate. The security services reasoned the deaths were a small price to pay to break the peace treaty and keep the military/security services payroll economy. The fake news story about lying untrustworthy IRA terrorists and loyalist fears about troops leaving didn’t scuttle the Agreement but not for want of the British trying.
MacBride Fair Employment Principles & Adams Visa Denial
State and local governments were considering linking the Principles to pension investments and purchases. The UK hired various religious from institutions they subsidize to be witnesses at hearings who lied about anti-Catholic discrimination and the Fair Employment Agency that was designed to fail. The image of a religious war was a bonus feature of this alternative ‘facts’ campaign. Irish-American groups sued the U. S. Department of State for denying a visa to Gerry Adams then an elected Member of Parliament, and a published author who had never been arrested. Compelled to justify their denial, the Attorney General provided copies of articles from Britain’s Fleet Street rag press, previously fed to them by the Ministry of Defense. The fakes news in these articles all proclaimed Adams was an IRA chieftain.
Royal Ulster Constabulary & Assassinations of Elected Officials
Prime Minister Thatcher lied about British democracy and the rule of law in N. I. to President Reagan and in an address to Congress. She created this alternative reality to overcome a ban on the sale of arms to the RUC. The police were providing targeting info to loyalist bigots and psychopaths who carried out the killing of Catholics, helped the killers escape and protected them from prosecution. The police were invaluable in assisting Army SAS units in the assassination of 6 freely elected Sinn Fein Councillors and 11 campaign workers. This legacy of lawlessness beginning with Ballymurphy killings in 1971 and suppressing democracy by extra-judicial assassinations is the ‘alternate reality’ the British are currently covering up by stalling and obstructing inquests and investigations.
All of this deceit has been crafted for one purpose: to keep Americans ignorant of the facts and the reality of Britain’s malice. The Churchill bust (it’s probably bugged) is now back in the Oval Office. Nothing says “Welcome to America” like the visage of an alcoholic, anti-Semite and a deceitful bullying imperial racist. Prime Minister May recently returned to London acutely aware that Americans are suckers for fake news and the “special relationship” fable has kept the U. S. firmly in British hands.
That is the real fight we have ahead of us Michael.
The brits have already put up their defences, brokenshire now claiming going after state murders who got away with their actions is re writing the narrative of the conflict.
Good point, the fact that the truth will re write the narrative says it al really.
The truth must come out.
There can be no return to Stormont before this is resolved.
I know we would all like to see all of this resolved before Stormont starts up again, Jessica, but realistically that is not how it will happen.Sinn Fein might currently be making the right kinds of noises about getting changes in place before resumption , but how are all those changes going to be realised in a relatively short space of time?.It has taken ten years of stop/start idiocy , nonsensical nothings and financial skullduggery to bring this thing to a head and there is still denial by unionism which will probably result in them voting in the very same people who shafted them in the first place . Brokenshire has an agenda which is the exact opposite of what a huge number of Nationalist voters require. In other words he is no mediator in the mix between nationalism and unionism .The british government and unionism want the same things and that is to pretend that they had no input into the problem that was the “Troubles”. As far as they are concerned they have never done anything wrongful and if they have it is in the business of saving the union at all cost…even if that means thieving, dishonesty and murder.That’s how it’s always been.
So if Sinn fein is promising to deliver all those things that should have been delivered ten years ago , how is that going to actually happen? Talk is still cheap but i can’t see how the trick will be pulled off. There might be a new leader but what difference will that make?Bill of Rights? Hate Laws? Language Acts? Are these people going to suddenly change heart and grant these things or will they take just a little nibble and hope for more cake later?Who is actually going to enforce any of this anyway…or will it just be back to that same old bullshit?
They most definitely wont be resolved in a relatively short space of time Harry, not a chance.
In order to stand by their word of no going back to the status quo, Stormont could not come back within 24 months regardless of the election outcome or even how the negotiations go.
It has to go to direct rule until these issues are resolved and the pressure will need to be on the british government to resolve them from that position.
“Brokenshire has an agenda which is the exact opposite of what a huge number of Nationalist voters require. In other words he is no mediator in the mix between nationalism and unionism .The british government and unionism want the same things and that is to pretend that they had no input into the problem that was the “Troubles”. As far as they are concerned they have never done anything wrongful and if they have it is in the business of saving the union at all cost…even if that means thieving, dishonesty and murder.That’s how it’s always been.”
This is exactly why Stormont cannot come back.
This has to go to the street and there is no better timing now with brexit so close.
This is not about getting Stormont back, it is about fixing things for good, at least in my mind it is anyway.
To go back to Stormont would simply mean the british could have peace of mind to get on with brexit while paying the parties to do their dirty work for them acting as a proxy in the mean time.
That would be one hell of a wasted opportunity in my eyes and I would oppose it all the way.
“Brokenshire has an agenda which is the exact opposite of what a huge number of Nationalist voters require. In other words he is no mediator in the mix between nationalism and unionism ”
Seen this morning in his statement on the decision of the occupied DPP to prosecute former brit terrorists.
His, late, arrival to watch the McKenna cup in Pairc Estler last evening was about buttering up the feckless fenian’s to make them believe they’re treated equally, more lying and fakery, in the part of Ireland I grew up in, this is known as codswallop.
My problem with it all is that i suspect that Sinn Fein actually want to get into the hotseat so fast that there will be a new pot of fudge cooked up to sell to us all to get them back in . “The All- NewTweaked Agreement” might well get cobbled together to get the show up and running and spare everyone’s blushes.I could nearly bet that the much talked about Language Act will slip way down the agenda for starters…..but let’s see what happens, eh?
What do you think no return to the status quo means then Harry?
Am I being naïve in thinking it means what it says on the tin?
That there can be no return to Stormont before the long outstanding issues that prevent the institutions from functioning are resolved.
What else could it mean?
paddy
I agree mostly, but I think they will have to get something concrete before a return to power sharing or their hardcore support will be unhappy.
I feel they will have to get something on an ILA at least.
And I am going out on a limb here but I think it may be something the DUP will be prepared to agree to,at least on paper.
The whole business of reneging on what was agreed at St Andrews seems like a
pre-negotiation strategy to me.
If they cannot bring something solid home then we might, as jessica says, be in for a prolonged spell of direct rule.
I think that we really are in for a long run of Direct Rule .Sinn Fein will continue their project in the republic as the months and possibly years tick by. Sinn Fein have always played out a long game anyway. They have a forum there and that is what they’ll hope to extend. The other parties , specifically the DUP, will be left wto cool off in a bunch of little local council rooms without any ministers or SPADS in local government and with only a handful of them squeaking away in the back row of empty Westminster chambers.That’s how I think it might pan out initially.
Sorry paddy,you seemed to be saying that the SF ‘pot of fudge’would be cooked up to enable another bout of power sharing.
Are you saying that will not succeed?
I still think it could go either way myself. If the DUP agree to some form of ILA then SF might decide to go back in, at least temporarily.
Yes …either one of the two scenarios gio.The thing is it will be a Sinn fein choice as to whether they might give the duP another chance at the levers of powere or simply take them away for a few years.That’s what i mean .it will be totally up to whatever Sinn Fein thinks might work best for themselves..They might want to resume their seats in Stormont at some stage but they have much less to lose than the DUP in thta their entire focus
….is on Stormont with very slight involvement at Westminster…
My favorite ‘fake news’ was the BBC in May 1981, reporting from Milltown cemetery and the 1000 people in attendance at the funeral of the MP for Fermanagh and south Tyrone, what they failed to report was, there were 100 groups of 1000 persons attending the funeral, sure, they didn’t want our licence fee to pay for their misleading anyway I suspect.
I wouldn’t worry too much about that Churchill bust – they normally keep it in storage, and just bring it out to impress when they have a Brit visitor.
When the British government were campaigning against the MacBride Principles they even paid a Catholic Alliance alderman to go to Washington to tell the US about the ‘dangers’ of fair employment practices.
Can you name him Sherdy since, he would have had to declare this as income, if not, he lied to their revenue commissioners and should be pursued.
My wishful reading of Article 50 is that the Free State government can ask them for anything they want in 26 months and they have to comply, down to return of the six counties and reparations in perpetuity.