3 Responses to “Class War Reply To The New Statesman”

1. stephen armstrong Posted: Aug 9th, 2008 at 12:39 am

   I never write anything unless it’s second sourced and Machon was not the only source for the feature as even a casual read will show. I’ve never spoken to Shayler, but clearly in preparing the feature I spoke to other security service sources and ex-security service sources. To be fair, as the old organisation pretty much fell apart in the 1990s you can see their point, although your classic newspaper front pages were my favourite purchase on demos. Page Three Hospitalised Copper. Love it. And please- buy the book. Or, as you’re anarchists, steal it. Lots of stuff about government sponsored mercenaries and private spies and Iraq and Afghanistan and just everything. War plc. Faber and Faber. Really - its right up your street. Reply | Quote selected text | Link to this

2. Paul Stott Posted: Aug 9th, 2008 at 8:38 am

   Hi Stephen - Thanks for replying. I hope the New Statesman are big enough to publish the Class War reply as a letter. As for your comments, what we seem to have is the word of someone who campaigns for a reformed, more efficient MI5 (their ex-officer Annie Machon) and anonymous ex or current security sources. As Mandy Rice Davis would put it “well they would say that, wouldn’t they”……… I hope the book stands up better……….. As for Ms Machon, she has had 3 years to speak out against the anti-semitism and fruitbats in the 9/11 truth movement, but is yet to do so. However she finds time to push stories dissing revolutionary organisations in the left wing media. If there is a story here Stephen, it is right under your nose. Reply | Quote selected text | Link to this

3. stephen armstrong Posted: Aug 9th, 2008 at 11:07 am

   Hi Paul I don’t think its disrespectful to a revolutionary organisation - or indeed any organisation - to say the security services penetrated it. In a weird sort of way, quite the opposite. It’s well documented how thoroughly the KGB penetrated SIS, well documented how MI5 penetrated CPGB, C18, SWP etc. - I would expect the security services to attempt penetration of any organisation deemed a threat. If anything, a revolutionary or socially disruptive organisation that wasn’t on the receiving end of such activity would be broadly speaking irrelevant and ineffectual. Why bother penetrating the remnants of the Communist Party today? You may consider it a convenient smokescreen, but I do have to respect the anonymity of sources when they ask for it. You don’t know me or my work so you have no reason to trust this statement but I would not print a claim like that unless I had reason to believe it and that would involve checking it with people I felt were expertly qualified to verify it. Of course, unlike the penetration of CAAT by private spies, no paper trail has been left to identify the names of the individuals involved in the penetration that I believe took place so you are perfectly within your rights to dismiss everything I say. As the feature was concerned with identifying a new and, I believe, terrifying trend amongst former spooks to enter the private sector and use their skills against organisations such as Class War, CAAT and Plane Stupid for the profit of corporations I do faintly resent being classed in the same sentence as a man who now believes he is the messiah and described as limited and biased. But then, the combative nature of Class War has always been something I’ve admired so I can’t really complain. Reply | Quote selected text | Link to this