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Suspect to investigate self in torture case

So, on the matter of British complicity in torture, you know, our residents having their genitals mutilated by some Moroccan psychotic at the behest of the CIA and with the involvement of MI5, the Prime Minister insists it is the job of the Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee to investigate, not a separate wider inquiry by, say, a judge.

How much faith should we have in ISC and it’s abilities to get to the bottom of matters in a satisfactory fashion? Erm…

The Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) is made up of senior MPs and peers handpicked by the prime minister. The chairman, now Kim Howells formerly of the foreign office, is invariably given as a sop to a minister who has been sacked. It meets always in private and its reports are handed to Downing Street before publication so the prime minister and his advisers can censor them before they are published. So ponderous and careful is the process that the committee’s latest annual report covers the years 2007-2008, and was sent to Downing Street on 16 December but was only published today.

Published, that is, with what most of what parliament and the public wants to – and should – know redacted, with censored passages marked by asterisks.

It meets always in private and its reports are handed to Downing Street before publication so the prime minister and his advisers can censor them before they are published.

They’re going to get away with this, aren’t they?


Posted on March 12th, 2009 at 12:22pm under Human rights, New Labour, T.W.A.T.

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• 6 Comments

6 Comments

  1. Mike on 12.03.2009 at 12:56 Permalink | Reply

    They’re going to get away with this, aren’t they?

    Fucking right.

  2. Dunc on 12.03.2009 at 14:15 Permalink | Reply

    Of course. They always do.

    It’s called the ruling class for a reason.

  3. Ensuring the right result | Sim-O on 12.03.2009 at 14:27

    [...] comment of Justins’ applies equally well here, I think… They’re going to get away with this, aren’t they? Sphere: Related [...]

  4. The Ink Slinger (5 comments.) on 12.03.2009 at 16:37 Permalink | Reply

    ‘Fraid so.

  5. Philip (248 comments.) on 12.03.2009 at 17:55 Permalink | Reply

    The chairman, now Kim Howells formerly of the foreign office, is invariably given as a sop to a minister who has been sacked

    This is a vile calumny. Howells is much more likely to have been a values-oriented appointment.

  6. Niluccio (2 comments.) on 14.03.2009 at 00:29 Permalink | Reply

    Not necessarily! Amnesty and others are determined to see that they don’t.

    Anyway, I’ve posted on the BBC Binyam interview here:

    http://blogs.amnesty.org.uk/blogs_entry.asp?eid=2790

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