On His Majesty’s Service

The machinations of the ruling elite are far more transparent and accountable nowadays with the access that all media gives us to the workings of government, the military and the secret services.

A bold statement? Consider two iconic historic figures for validation.

In return for a fee of £5,000, two oil companies, Royal Dutch Shell and Burmah Anglo-Persian Oil Company [later BP], asked Churchill to represent them in their application to the government for a merger. By modern British political standards, the 1923 payment would be considered highly inappropriate, nevertheless Churchill agreed to use his parliamentary influence to raise the issue in return for money. He accepted all sorts of gifts, which in today’s culture of full disclosure would get you expelled from the Commons. But those rules were not in place at the time. The Register of Members’ Interests was only introduced in 1975. You can argue that it was a conflict of interest, you can even argue that it was wrong, but etiquette dictates that you can’t call it a bribe in the sense that it wasn’t actually illegal. Politicians links with business and the media weren’t under the same level of scrutiny as they are now, “he was operating in a slightly different ethical environment.”

Churchill’s detested other ethnicities and races, he believed in the supremacy of the white race. In Churchill’s view, white protestant Christians were at the top, above white Catholics, while Indians were higher than Africans. Churchill saw himself and Britain as being the winners in a social Darwinian hierarchy. Even Prince Philip couldn’t get away with the following:

When Mahatma Gandhi began his peaceful resistance in India, Churchill was outraged and said: “He ought to be lain bound hand and foot at the gates of Delhi, and then trampled on by an enormous elephant with the new Viceroy seated on its back.”

“I hate Indians. They are a beastly people with a beastly religion.”

“I am strongly in favour of using poisoned gas against the uncivilized tribes… it would spread a lively terror.” Why is it unfair “to fire a shell which makes the said native sneeze – it really is too silly”.

In blaming the Indians for the 1943 Bengal famine which accounted for an estimated 3 million lives, he referred to the fact that they “breed like rabbits”.

But in God and Churchill we put our trust. After all, he won the war along with Monty, Kenneth More and the Bletchley crossword crew.

Secondly and recently, I have known two instances of when young university graduates who, on applying for jobs with MI6, have their families and partners interviewed for background clearance. Understandable and perfectly laudable. These people know what they’re doing, you idiots. They’re from a higher sphere of intelligence and influence despite the outing of the Cambridge spies; Burgess, Maclean, Philby and Blunt being an incredible record of incompetence and naivety. Still take confidence in our secret services, surely you’ve read how in John le carre’s classic, ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’ George Smiley masterly flushes out the mole. The material above about Churchill is widely known and documented but consider this from wikipedia:

‘Philby is summarised as a British traitor and an anti-Semite. It is suggested Philby never forgave the British government for ending his civil service career (due to sexual misconduct). Once recruited by MI6, according to these authors, Philby used his intelligence assignment to take revenge on the British government. With the extensive contacts he acquired as a British agent, Philby continued to betray British policy and resist all efforts at creating a Jewish homeland throughout his life. Philby disclosed classified British intelligence to Ibn Saud during wartime; he secretly helped secure American oil concessions in Saudi Arabia, double-crossing British competitors; he created economic partnerships, allied against British interests and in favour of Nazi Germany, with the help of Allen Dulles (later CIA Director); and Philby worked with Nazi intelligence to sabotage efforts at creating a Jewish homeland.’

..and your point is? – Well the Philby above isn’t Kim Philby one of the Cambridge four, it’s his father St John Philby!! Good background checking, I don’t think, you shaken but not stirred fuckwits.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_John_Philby (Occupation:- Arabist, explorer, writer and…intelligence officer!)

On His Majesty’s Service