12 Oct 2010 | Uncategorized
If you wanted to know what really went on in the run-up to the Iraq war, Matthew Rycroft would be the person to ask. He was Tony Blair’s private secretary for foreign affairs from 2002-4 and saw just about everything that happened at first hand. No doubt that is why the Iraq inquiry has just seen him in secret.
The inquiry has just published an update on what it has been doing since public hearings ended in July. It visited Iraq, as promised, and has published the names of some of the people it spoke to, but not what they said. It has also revealed that it saw two witnesses in what it insists on calling “private hearings”. Of the two, Rycroft is undoubtedly the more significant.
What is intriguing about Rycroft’s secret session is that we are not told why. The inquiry coyly points to its protocol on witness evidence, which states that most witnesses will be seen in public but sets out reasons for secret hearings. These include the usual issues of “national security” and “vital national interests” but also “to protect any [junior official] who may wish to give evidence that runs counter to others”.
This is the Iraq inquiry in a nutshell. Are they trying to sit on sensitive information to protect the British state from embarrassment? Or trying to make it easier for people to blow the whistle? We won’t know until the report is published — early next year — and even then we won’t know what, if anything, we are not being told.
What we do know is that Rycroft would be the perfect whistleblower. He wrote many of the documents that the inquiry has failed to publish and was at Blair’s side at virtually all of the key meetings. He was, for example, the author of the notorious Downing Street memo, which recorded a crucial meeting at No 10 in July 2002, and was present at the White House six months later when Blair told George Bush, that Britain was solidly behind the war, whatever the outcome of UN inspections. He saw the very unwelcome advice from attorney general Lord Goldsmith a day earlier — that war would be illegal without a new UN resolution — and apparently wrote on the memo: “specifically said we did not need further advice [on] this matter.”
But if Rycroft has spilled the beans, it is far from clear whether his evidence will see the light of day. The inquiry is still dithering about whether to call back key witnesses, like Blair, to go through any gaps and contradictions — which could now include what Rycroft has said. And in its press release today, it claims that its protocol “sets out the approach the Inquiry will take to considering how best to draw on and explain in public what was covered in private”. Except that all the protocol says is that the inquiry will “careful consideration” as to how best to do this.
If Rycroft’s evidence does not feature, we’ll have to draw our own conclusions.
12 Oct 2010 | Index Index, minipost, News and features
The Information Commissioner’s office in the UK announced on Friday that it was opening a consultation period on the first UK code of practice on data sharing. The 40 page code details good practice for organizations in private, public and third party organisations. There are five main topics, including when to inform an individual that their information is being shared, how to decide when sharing is acceptable, and necessary security measures.
In an ICO press release, Information Commissioner Christopher Graham remarked: ““Under the right circumstances and for the right reasons, data sharing across and between organisations can play a crucial role in providing a better, more efficient service to customers in a range of sectors – both public and private. But citizens’ and consumers’ rights under the Data Protection Act must be respected.” The ICO has invited organizations that handle personal data to offer their commentary.
Any portions of the code which are more demanding than the requirements of the Data Protection Act will not be legally binding.The consultation period will last for 12 weeks, ending on 5 January 2011.
12 Oct 2010 | Index Index, Middle East and North Africa, minipost, News and features
State-owned Libya Telecom and Technology has forced the shutdown of vb.ly, a “link shortening” website run from San Francisco. It claimed that the content of the site was“against Sharia law”. Domain names with the suffix “.ly”, which are owned by Libya, have become popular recently. Other moves by the ministry could threaten another web startup, bit.ly, in which millions of dollars has been invested. In June, Tripoli announced that domain registrations with fewer than four characters were restricted for use only by those based in Libya. Andrew Cohen, the general manager of bit.ly, said in February that he foresaw no issues with using a Libyan domain name. American politician Mitt Romney has exercised caution by changing his mitt.ly shortener to mi.tt.
12 Oct 2010 | Events
These events represent the first ever multi-art form festival presenting contemporary and traditional work by Burmese artists and artists inspired by Burma. By bringing this work to a UK audience, we aim to widen the understanding of Burma beyond politics.
The Free Word Centre will be transformed by site specific installations, created in Burma by leading contemporary artist Po Po whose ideas will be realised by London based artists.
There will be an exhibition of painting, short films, video work and installations including work by Nyein Chan Su, Khin Maung Yin, Win Pe, Sun Myint, Chaw Ei Thein, Po Po, The Maw Naing, Kyaw Thu, Aye Ko, Wah Nu and Htein Lin.
The festival programme will be opened by London-based Burmese monks and will feature musicians Thxa Soe, Moe Naing and Kyauk Sein visiting from Burma, performance artists Moe Satt, also visiting from Burma, Hnin Wutyi Thaung and Htein Lin, film screenings of work by Lay Thida and The Maw Naing, a panel discussion featuring Nu Nu Yee, Wendy Law-Yone and Ruth Padel, dance by Ngeh Kaw and his family, and Burmese Theatre Workshop’s reworking of Richard Shannon’s play ‘The Lady of Burma’ for full cast and a cabaret night.
On Sunday we are presenting an open space seminar which asks the universal question What can art do?’ To close the festival, there will be a special performance by the Iuventus Quartet and a blessing by the monks.
We will also have our very own Burmese Tea Shop and will be serving delicious Burmese food.
For more information, including the programme of events, please see www.burmeseartsfestival.com where you will also find details of our fundraising auction.
To book tickets, please call 0207 3242 570 or email [email protected]
Free Word Centre
60, Farringdon Road
London EC1R 3GA
