Westminster ‘resorting to scare tactics’

Published on 12/02/2013 00:00

It is absolutely incredible that the Westminster government says intelligence sharing with MI6 would not be automatic with a friendly Scottish Government, which apparently would have to win the trust of Westminster (your report, 9 February).

It illustrates that Westminster is trying its best to win the referendum by scare tactics, introducing uncertainty when there should be none. When will Westminster tell us why we should stay in Britain?

The No campaign, true to its name, has been entirely negative. The Electoral Commission asked for clarity to be provided to the Scottish electorate as to what will happen after a Yes vote, but this is made impossible as Westminster does not wish us to know and defies this reasonable request.

James Morison

Ferguston Road

Glasgow

Judging by the size of the car park at GCHQ (UK intelligence headquarters) I am guessing it must employ about 5,000 people. As it recruits nationwide, approximately 8 per cent of these are probably Scottish.

Of these (if you can believe the polls) 25 per cent would support the SNP in its desire for independence. This makes approximately 100 people, which should be more than enough to provide Alex Salmond with all he needs to know. Alternatively, as they will know the true position, maybe they would rather things stay as they are.

Peter Kent

Greengates
Meikle Wartle

The statement by Home 
Secretary Theresa May implies that government actually 
controls the security services, MI5 and MI6.

This is interesting, as on 8 February, Channel 4 News questioned the role of MI6, with CIA assistance, in the 
kidnapping (in March 2004) and delivery of Abdel-Hakim Belhaj and his pregnant wife into the hands of Gaddafi’s torturers.

Following the fall of Gaddafi’s regime and the subsequent access to its files, the programme reported on a memorandum of understanding, dated October 2002, which detailed a two-day meeting in Libya between Gaddafi’s external intelligence agency and two senior heads of MI6 and one from MI5.

The truth about who actually controls the security services may never be known but Abdul-Hakim Belhaj, now free, is suing the former Labour “foreign secretary Jack Straw, the then deputy head of MI6 Sir Mark Allen, MI6, MI5, the Foreign Office and the Home Office for their alleged complicity in his torture”.

But if Theresa May is right then Tony Blair’s government is without doubt implicated in capture and rendition Abdel-Hakim Belhaj with the only remaining question being – how many others?

Alan McKinney

Beauchamp Road

Edinburgh