Smell The Coffee America

Smell The Coffee America

If the flack about Britain's involvement in Iraq was not enough, we have just seen Katharine Gun, an ex-employee of GCHQ - the UK's top secret surveillance and communications organisation - walk out of court without a stain on her character even though she has breached the Official Secrets Act. An offence that not so long ago would have resulted in a lengthy prison sentence.

Her sin was to expose America's request - allegedly from Frank Koza, US Defence Chief of Staff - for Britain's help in spying on six countries that were strategic to the passing of the second UN resolution on Iraq. The countries concerned - Angola, Cameroon, Chile, Bulgaria, Guinea and Pakistan - were not amused.

What shocked the British public is not that Ms Gun escaped prosecution, more the fact that the UK Attorney General Lord Goldsmith decided to drop the trial. And the reason? Well, as usual it has been difficult to get a straight answer, but reports suggest that senior government lawyers felt they would not be able to disprove Ms Gun's defence that she was acting to prevent an unlawful war.

The following day Prime Minister Blair was dealt another body blow as ex-Cabinet Minister Clare Short announced during an interview on national radio that the UK intelligence services has been listening in on the phone calls of UN General Secretary Kofi Annan. The sub text, which so far has not been voiced, is that this was done at America's behest to help garner support for the Iraq war.

So where does that leave the UK? Well, the office of Prime Minister is now discredited to the point of farce and the respect of the British public for the current occupant of 10 Downing Street - that building in Whitehall that once housed great historical figures such as Disraeli, Churchill and Thatcher - has been destroyed.

We have also been sidelined by our major European partners, France and Germany, who now prefer to plan the future of the EU to the exclusion of what they perceive as America's fifty first state.

If that were not enough, UK investors are losing a bundle on their American holdings because the Bush administration's suicidal budget policies have weakened the dollar against the pound. And will President Bush be advised to stop slashing taxes that benefit the rich, detract from the poor, and ultimately result in a national debt equivalent to around $4000 for every man, woman and child in the USA? Absolutely not if Alan Greenspan's advice to reduce the government deficit by cutting social security before the baby boom hits is anything to go by.

We should have learned from the so called war of American independence when we let the colonies go and reverted to a way of life that assured stability, peace and respect for our betters. Long term our legendary British compromise will kick in and we will recover, change our leadership and get back in bed with our neighbours across the English Channel.

We in the UK have that luxury whereas the USA is thousands of miles from all the major powers, and increasingly isolated because of its 'America knows best' attitude, its refusal to join the rest of the world in anti pollution measures, and its agricultural subsidies that make a nonsense of world trade agreements.

So wake up America and smell the coffee before you become too poor to afford the next cup.



	If the flack about Britain's involvement in Iraq was not enough, we have just seen Katharine Gun, an ex-employee of GCHQ - the UK's top secret surveillance and communications organisation - walk out of court without a stain on her character even though she has breached the Official Secrets Act. An offence that not so long ago would have resulted in a lengthy prison sentence. Her sin was to expose America's request - allegedly from Frank Koza, US Defence Chief of Staff - for Britain's help in spying on six countries that were strategic to the passing of the second UN resolution on Iraq. The countries concerned - Angola, Cameroon, Chile, Bulgaria, Guinea and Pakistan - were not amused. What shocked the British public is not that Ms Gun escaped prosecution, more the fact that the UK Attorney General Lord Goldsmith decided to drop the trial. And the reason? Well, as usual it has been difficult to get a straight answer, but reports suggest that senior government lawyers felt they would not be able to disprove Ms Gun's defence that she was acting to prevent an unlawful war. The following day Prime Minister Blair was dealt another body blow as ex-Cabinet Minister Clare Short announced during an interview on national radio that the UK intelligence services has been listening in on the phone calls of UN General Secretary Kofi Annan. The sub text, which so far has not been voiced, is that this was done at America's behest to help garner support for the Iraq war. So where does that leave the UK? Well, the office of Prime Minister is now discredited to the point of farce and the respect of the British public for the current occupant of 10 Downing Street - that building in Whitehall that once housed great historical figures such as Disraeli, Churchill and Thatcher - has been destroyed. We have also been sidelined by our major European partners, France and Germany, who now prefer to plan the future of the EU to the exclusion of what they perceive as America's fifty first state. If that were not enough, UK investors are losing a bundle on their American holdings because the Bush administration's suicidal budget policies have weakened the dollar against the pound. And will President Bush be advised to stop slashing taxes that benefit the rich, detract from the poor, and ultimately result in a national debt equivalent to around $4000 for every man, woman and child in the USA? Absolutely not if Alan Greenspan's advice to reduce the government deficit by cutting social security before the baby boom hits is anything to go by. We should have learned from the so called war of American independence when we let the colonies go and reverted to a way of life that assured stability, peace and respect for our betters. Long term our legendary British compromise will kick in and we will recover, change our leadership and get back in bed with our neighbours across the English Channel. We in the UK have that luxury whereas the USA is thousands of miles from all the major powers, and increasingly isolated because of its 'America knows best' attitude, its refusal to join the rest of the world in anti pollution measures, and its agricultural subsidies that make a nonsense of world trade agreements. So wake up America and smell the coffee before you become too poor to afford the next cup.