Tyranny of transparency?

A French socialist has denounced Wikileaks as the voice of a 'tyranny of transparency.'

It's far better than the tyranny of secrecy that we suffer under. If Wikileaks had been active immediately before the Iraq War and the truth was known the UK would not have joined Bush's War and 179 British lives would not have been lost.

To assist the march to even great truth, I put down this question today:

Ordinary Written question to: Prime Minister for answer on 02 Dec 2010 12:00 AM
What assessment has he made of the work of the UK's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment?

This is not the most vital revelation. The truth on Afghanistan could destroy the remnants of public support for the madness. Already 70% of the British public want the troops brought back home. Throughout Europe support is crumbling. Nations may soon follow the examples of the Netherlands and Canada. it was the collapse of public support that forced the USA to end the Vietnam conflict.

The public has always been denied the truth when wars are being fought. Why wait for history to tell us that British lives are been sacrificed to a lost cause?

W.E.U.- R.I.P.

The Western European Union (WEU) is in its death throes.

Its current president and last champion Tory MP Robert Walter (pictured this afternoon) conducted the final funeral rites in Paris this week. It claims to be the only parliamentary scrutiny of European Defence Policy. The European Parliament say they can do the job. They have a reasonable stake in democracy too.

 

It has the slowest death of any organisation in politics. Lord Tomlinson came to Paris in 1978 to say 'Thank you WEU. You have done a great job. But it's time to pension you off.' 32 years later the stumbling zombie will be laid to rest.

The 38 staff had their redundancy notices today. There is enough money to honour their pension obligations. I cannot make a convincing case for continuing the life of the WEU but I regret its passing. My membership since 1997 has given me insights into world politics and contacts with European politicians that were otherwise inaccessible. The WEU has provided me with a receptive audience of European MPs for my views on Iraq and Afghanistan.

 

There will be a final meeting in the Spring when the coffin will be nailed down. It's epitaph will be that of an honourable, worthy non-corrupt idealistic European institution that has made a formidable contribution to world understanding and peace.

 

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Injury surge

Afghanistan: huge rise in war wounded Channel Four News Exclusive
Tuesday 30 November 2010 
http://www.channel4.com/news/afghanistan-huge-rise-in-war-wounded-civilians
The number of war wounded civilians in southern Afghanistan has increased dramatically this year following the military troop surge, an exclusive Channel 4 News investigation has found. 

Thousands more patients are being admitted at one hospital in Kandahar alone - a threefold increase on the previous year in an area which has seen vicious fighting.
The number of children falling victim to the fighting has also risen dramatically.
In many cases civilians have lost limbs in explosions caused by improvised explosive devices or mine blasts while many others have suffered gunshot wounds or injuries caused by shelling.
Channel 4 News spoke to hospitals in the south of Afghanistan – areas where the Taliban is strongest, and where coalition forces are fighting hardest. 
All of the hospitals said they were seeing major increases in war wounded civilians. One of the doctors, Matteo Dell'Aira, told Channel 4 News:"We have more war wounded than we have ever had in our six years of being here."
-    Mirwais Hospital, Kandahar – 163 per cent rise on number of war wounded civilians admitted in 10 months of 2010 to 3,056, compared to 1,159 in whole of 2009 
-    Emergency Hospital, Lashkar Gah – 89 war wounded civilians admitted in October 2009 – 158 admitted in October 2010, a rise of 77 per cent  
-    Military hospitals across Afghanistan – Minor rise in civilian casualties and "not surprising" to have more civilians than soldiers treated in its facilities on occasion
-    Boost Hospital, Lashkar Gah – does not take in trauma patients but says civilians with other illnesses prevented from reaching them in time by war
This is backed up by figures from the United Nations mission on the war in Afghanistan. A report on civilian casualties released in summer by the UN showed that civilian deaths and injuries in the country had increased by 31 per cent year-on-year, to 3,268 in the first six months of 2010. The figures obtained by Channel 4 News on civilian injuries are even higher due to the intensity of the fighting in the south of the country - with injuries caused by war, according to our figures, up by between 77 per cent and 163 per cent.
The UN attributed 76 per cent of the incidents to insurgents – up from 53 per cent in 2009.
Deaths and injuries attributed to NATO and Afghan forces fell to 12 per cent.

 

 

Comments

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[DG]

The question of timing and judgement - "What would be best released and when?" - only works if you have an agenda or interests in mind.

Information best released ASAP to serve the interests of one party may be better off buried forever for the sake of another. I've seen nothing to suggest that Wikileaks is interested in anything other than transparency for its own sake.

[Kay Tie]

"Has Wikileaks in this instance turned against government? Is it attacking government because it is discontented?"

I think it's an anarchist organisation (not in the political philosophy sense but in the trolling sense). I don't think there's any "mission" there other than to cause trouble.

It started out, of course, as a place where people could safely blow the whistle on malpractice. Such as evading legal gagging orders. Quite frankly, these "revelations" of the opinions of diplomats - which are (mostly) astute observations - are just pathetic, and undermine the rationale for wikileaks.

Still, it's highly amusing to see the likes of Sarah Palin call for Wikileaks to be classified as a terrorist organisation (further undermining the shock value of the word "terrorist") and even the calls for Assange to be assassinated! Got to be doing something right if that's the reaction provoked..

[Paul Flynn]

It may be that Wikileaks are doing the right deed for the wrong reason. The Iraq War is the defining moment of my 23 years in parliament. Lies were told to Labour MPs. Many abstained or voted for for. The result was the loss of British life that was avoidable. We could not have stopped Bush invading but we should not have been involved. Transparency would have persuaded Parliament to vote 'No'.

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Is it an honest cause? Or is Wikileaks actively trying to find fault with governmental administration?

Has Wikileaks in this instance turned against government? Is it attacking government because it is discontented?

Wikileaks is simply leaking everything it can. But sometimes it is better to shut up!

There is a question of timing and judgement. What would be best released and when? One could release several million documents at once IF your aim was merely to attack the whole body of governments and diplomatic communications. There is no real sense in that.

Yes, Wikileaks did some great work in the past in bringing to light the realities and abuses of the NATO occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan. But what are we now being drawn into?

How will it change things is the question that needs to be considered. What is the best way to release this information? I believe this organisation has always sought opportunities to redress public grievances. But as I say, timing and judgement are key.

Wikileaks could have gone about things in such a way as to avoid the angry reactions which we have seen. That is if their only focus was on obtaining an annulment of these painful wars.

Like it or not, governments have the power to start wars. Governments EXPECT to be obeyed and there are millions of fiercely loyal servants who are at their bidding. That is what makes them powerful. Wikileaks contradicts the government at its own peril and it has chosen to play a dangerous game.

So don’t pin your hopes on Wikileaks taking on the imperium. Try to do good and live peacefully etc.

‘He that does no ill shall feel no ill and needs fear none.’

[Kay Tie]

"a 'tyranny of transparency.'"

Priceless!!!