Spooks (TV programme)

[Keith Mothersson]

I watch very little telly but have started to watch Spooks (BBC 1, 9pm Mondays - now on its thrid series). On one level it is a PR job for MI5, including opportunity for people to take a recruitment quiz at the end of some episodes! (boo). On the other hand the acting is fantastic and the story line has lots of exciting twists.

Although the programme pays its dues to the War on Terror mythology, some skepticism keeps leaking out. We see our heroic MI5 team thwarting swarthy terrorist fanatics, but half the time it turns out the said swarthy terrorists are being manipulated by the CIA from the US embassy (to down a jetliner at Heathrow to bounce UK into war with Iran), or by Israel (to murder a British minister arming the Saudis), etc.

Under its head, Harry, MI5 seems engaged in perpetual war to hold the line for democratic values against MI6, Number Ten and the NeoCons - e.g. to stop a de facto coup or to rescue swarthy terrorist suspects from the clutches of torturers. In the process we find the baddies using a panoply of dirty tricks, including Kelly lookalike 'suicides' in the woods and instant photoshopping and video and speech morphing, the results of which are fed to a gullible press (and which MI5 are portrayed as also proficient in).

The 'Diana' programme told the truth about the way the car crash was engineered and blood samples switched to blame Henri Paul, only this truth was framed as fanciful stuff dug out from the files to stop a crazy woman with a grudge blowing the building sky-high! Twice (that I have noticed) Harry gets some helpful intel from the Russian secret service (could be new Cold War propaganda, or else reflects Putin's grasp of post 911 geo-politics, shared by at least some in MI5 ?).

Some information can be gleaned about surveillance methods and capabilities and high-tech data-mining, etc - though of course we rarely see the glitches and foul ups. And always there is the temptation to start identifying with these powerful superheros with their fabulous skills at manipulating people and situations - so we might as well not bother, stay at home or go to the pub, eh? .

Yet I find it fascinating and judge that if we know how to read it, it can be considered pretty radical for its genre and place as the BBC's primetime flagship production. Although I am aware that many on this forum may think me naive for believing in the good cop of MI5 being projected by this programme and which one could say suckered David and Annie into joining (we used to do bad stuff, but that's all changed now), overall I take it as a reflection of the battle raging at the heart of the UK state, and even as quite helpful in so far as it is educating people about false flag ops, photo-shopping, torture, etc.

One practical corollary: I reckon we should assume that we have quite a few supporters within MI5 (people of conscience trying to resist the worst developments like David and Annie before they came out). The mere fact that such a programme can still appear tells me that the US-aligned neocon globalist faction has serious opposition at more levels than just the street, workplaces, etc. So we should take care not to tar all spooks, coppers, etc with the same brush. (I recall a very senior police officer I once spoke with who also had an excellent grasp of false flag operations).

[dry kleaner]

Hi Keith
I feel you are right, we do need to be careful we don't tar people with the same brush, otherwise what would be the motivation for the good people in the system trying to sort it out. If someone is in the police or whatever they are still humans and should try to appeal to them on that level.

As for Spooks I have been enjoying this series and the previous one. It has had some gems popping out lately, the episode about the CIA setting up an Iranian to shoot down an airliner was the best tv I've seen in years. I suspect some of the writers maybe on side and this is great for mainstream TV. Spooks I suspect has one more year to live so I hope that they get more out next year.

Peace and love

DK

[Mark Gobell]

I haven't seen Spooks at all but have read elsewhere similar opinions as your's Keith.

I am of the opinion that our campaigning efforts should include law enforcement, the fire service, medical responders etc because ultimately we need them on our side.

On the way to Ian Henshall's talk in London I gave a couple of ADJ's leaflets to two bobby's at the station, saying to them, "we have sent similar material to every Chief Constable in the land but they have so far ignored this message, so I thought you chaps might be interested to read this" - then offered them both a leaflet which they took. They looked a little stunned but then so do most folk.

I've watched DVD's and read a lot of quotes about NYC police, fire fighters etc who know that 9/11 was an inside job, so we should make the effort to include our public servants too.