The Murders in France

These may be related to Operation Vulcan. The executed Iraqi seems to have specialised inter alia in airborne radiation monitoring equipment. It may have been kit he designed which was on that King-Air which crashed so mysteriously whilst on an overflight of the Olympics site. It may also played a role in spotting nuclear material on a German-owned freighter, recently abandoned on the high seas in very odd circumstances. Most at-sea rendezvous between freighters and submarines tend to arouse suspicion.

The police as usual are downplaying any intelligence connection, but since when have the police ever told the truth about intelligence matters?

More Mistakes on the BBC!

Nice to see a documentary ("Jet: When Britain Ruled the Skies," BBC 4, broadcast in the UK on Tuesday 4th September) on Britain's once wonderful civil aircraft industry.  There was some lovely stock footage, especially of the gigantic Bristol Brabazon and the Short Sperrin.  The Sperrin was an attractive, four-engined jet bomber designed as a back-up to the more advanced V-Bombers.  It should have been put into production and would have been a very useful tanker after retirement from front-line service.

The Prince Harry Affair

Predictably our unpatriotic media has obsessed itself with attacking the Royal Family and bashing HRH Prince Harry.  Equally predictably the unpatriotic Coalition Government let it happen on their watch and has done nothing about it, nor will they.   I did not fall off out of my chair when it was reported yesterday (24th August) that Rupert Murdoch had personally sanctioned the Sun's disgraceful action in publishing the photos.   

As with all compromising piccies the really interesting questions are:

(1)  who took them, and

(2)  why were they allowed to?

The Pietersen Affair

Predictably England are struggling in the Lords Test, with a weakened batting line-up.
Equally predictably there were empty seats.  Cricket lovers do not want to see England's Second XI.

It is reasonable to suppose that South Africa were behind the original leak about the contentious texts to the Mail.  I can't see KP having been behind it, nor do I suppose that the Mail hacked into his mobile phone!  

The Sikh Temple Shooting

I predicted further mass-shootings after Denver, but not this soon!

Once again we have the FBI trying to shut down the investigation almost as soon as it has started, by obsessing on the lone gunman theory.  At least this time a local agent got out a reference to another person of interest, before being sat on from Washington (which is what it looks like).

Article 50

I promised a response to Richard North, whose rather more widely read blog started a debate on the topic of the mechanisms for leaving the EU.


There are two ways - either the UK leaves (as I argue we should) in accordance with the TEU itself, under Article 50, or under the Vienna Convention on International Treaties.  Vienna can be excluded but was not, so there is no doubt it applies to the TEU.

The Strange Incident; Update

Firstly, the incorrect use of QC has been removed (thank you to those responsible for removal). I emphasise again, for the avoidance of doubt, that I am not a QC, nor have I ever held myself out as such.  I suppose I should take it as a compliment that sometimes I have to struggle to persuade people that I am not!   

I am aware that some trolls have suggested (in posted comments on the Veterans Today website) that I was making the Olympics aircraft incident up, however it has been CONFIRMED that an ASL KingAir, described by its owners as acting under charter to a Belgian television company, made a crash landing at Cambridge Airport. In addition to what is described as a 'total electrical failure' but was more likely an AC supply failure only, the nosewheel collapsed on landing.   Multiple failures like that on an aircraft as reliable as the KingAir call for comment.  They are apparently a nice plane to fly, with few vices.