Comments on: ASIO can’t be bothered: less accountable, less productive

By: james mcdonald

james mcdonald — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:32:35 +0000

It’s often been pointed out that it was spook professionals cooperating on both sides who succeeded in calming down the Cuban missile (or the Cuban and Turkish missile) crisis, where the politicians left to their own devices would have blown us all up.

But Kruschev’s purpose, in his drunken, maniacal, apocalyptic way, was actually to end the Cold War stalemate by forcing the world to decide between war and peace. He partially succeeded in de-escalating it, but the spooks who mainly controlled US foreign policy, and the other spooks who mainly controlled the entire Soviet government, managed to bring things back to the slow-simmering status quo that benefitted that whole class of public servants.

By: baal

baal — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:05:25 +0000

James I’m sure you understand perfectly well

By: james mcdonald

james mcdonald — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:37:00 +0000

All right BAAL, tell us about the woofle-dust. Make us understand. You know you want to.

By: vovo

vovo — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:04:25 +0000

What are the units for your graph’s vertical axis? Clams? Shekels?

By: baal

baal — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:00:48 +0000

Best not mention Alan Ramsey, it just reminds how good he was, compared to the effing bloggers

By: james mcdonald

james mcdonald — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:44:04 +0000

A proud tradition Bakerboy. It goes back to the Yalta conference, when senior spooks realised for the first time that they might not only have a role to play in peacetime, but could even become major peacetime policy makers. Some, like the Soviet checka, managed to take over their governments wholus bolus. Some became growth industries worth billions. All had more motive to sustain the Cold War at a steady simmer than to end it. I’m not one of those idiots who think 9/11 was an inside job, but there were a lot of people facing the prospect of getting real jobs before that one popped.

By: bakerboy

bakerboy — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:26:30 +0000

I have to be careful what I say here as I’m still subject to the Official Secrets Act but Howard realised after 9/11 that terrorism and intelligence were great vehicles for putting the frighteners on the plebs and thereby keeping them onside. Rudd seems to have discovered this trick and is doing a Howard. By announcing big funding for ASIO, it gives the impression that there is a significant in-country threat (pls don’t mention the village idiots who have been charged with terror related offences, they’re not a real threat just Walter Mitty types fantasising.) Howard misused the intelligence services while in government but can never be brought to account as no one (including me) is game to blow the whistle.

By: AR

AR — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 06:57:33 +0000

Spooks (everywhere) demonstrate their outstanding efficacy with the ‘woofle dust argument’.
Thusly - Spook “You don’t realise how well we are protecting you from dragons & zombies by spreading woofle-dust to keep them at bay”
Outraged taxpayer “But there ARE NONE!!”,
Spook’s riposte “That just proves how good we are.”
Twas ever so - imagine, like Drug Warriors if there job was suddenly legislated out of existence to morrow - what would their legions do” And the manufacturers & purveyors of all those vitally necessary expensive toys. And status. And… and…

By: EnergyPedant

EnergyPedant — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 06:06:42 +0000

Factor of 7 increase in budget over 8 years. They must be buying some really cool equipment for those sort of dollars. Either that or informants get paid really well. Doubling the staff and paying them double would only get a factor of 4.

By: james mcdonald

james mcdonald — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 04:29:28 +0000

And that’s the spook shop that is accountable.
Couldn’t they just, instead of a report, print a little brochure saying “Arrrr, there be terrorists in that tharrr waters”?