I was Met Special Branch on 9/11 and it was obvious from minute 1 to me that the world had just changed and a new enemy had just stepped up its threat. 9/11 was AQ grand strike, really after that it never replicated anything near that attack in terms of lethality, kudos or news. Sadly many more innocents had to die before its senior figures were hunted down and crumbled into dust. What did we learn in a strategic long term sense? Do we have the national cultural institutional long term memory to retain these lessons and not forget them? Let's see..
Just watched an excellent 'The Rest Is Politics' on YouTube called The Two Spies . Guests were Eliza Manningham-Buller and John Sawers of MI5 and SIS respectively. It's a long watch but absolutely fascinating. I was at work on 9/11 having just come on shift at 2:30pm. The computer development staff upstairs saw it first on BBC website and rang us up in shock to make sure we watched it too.
It's brilliant, isn't it? Both very wise and interesting. I delighted in John Sawers saying to Campbell's face that he was appointed C to restore public trust in the intelligence services "after the Iraq issue you mentioned".
I was Met Special Branch on 9/11 and it was obvious from minute 1 to me that the world had just changed and a new enemy had just stepped up its threat. 9/11 was AQ grand strike, really after that it never replicated anything near that attack in terms of lethality, kudos or news. Sadly many more innocents had to die before its senior figures were hunted down and crumbled into dust. What did we learn in a strategic long term sense? Do we have the national cultural institutional long term memory to retain these lessons and not forget them? Let's see..
Just watched an excellent 'The Rest Is Politics' on YouTube called The Two Spies . Guests were Eliza Manningham-Buller and John Sawers of MI5 and SIS respectively. It's a long watch but absolutely fascinating. I was at work on 9/11 having just come on shift at 2:30pm. The computer development staff upstairs saw it first on BBC website and rang us up in shock to make sure we watched it too.
It's brilliant, isn't it? Both very wise and interesting. I delighted in John Sawers saying to Campbell's face that he was appointed C to restore public trust in the intelligence services "after the Iraq issue you mentioned".
Yes, well, he had that coming!