How Thatcher's election win launched secret war on CND

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-...nd-6286326.html

 

An army intelligence unit was used to infiltrate civil rights groups and protest organisations after Margaret Thatcher came to power. Former soldiers claim that they were ordered to undertake the spying missions by a senior officer in the Ministry of Defence.

 

The activities of 20 Security Company (V) after the Tories won the 1979 election had not hitherto been revealed. Some of its members have now spoken for the first time about how the military was used against civic organisations such as the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace Pledge Union.

 

The revelations about the secret war against those regarded as "the enemy within" – including the use of agent provocateurs – comes at a time of increased interest in the Thatcher years with the release of The Iron Lady, starring Meryl Streep, today.

 

The instruction to 20 COY, a Territorial Army body which had focused on Northern Ireland, the Middle East and the British Army of the Rhine, came in a memo from a General in September 1979: "The change of government provides an excellent opportunity for the unit to play a more active role and to provide information about groups whose activities and interests are not beneficial and are opposed to the armed forces. The unit is well placed to do this because its members are civilians."

 

An operations room was set up at a building in north London. A former sergeant with the unit said: "The ops room's desks and walls were strewn with political newspapers, newsletters and leaflets, card collation files and annotated street maps. Those targeted were pacifists, anti-arms trade, anti-nuclear, radical and socialist organisations. So you had groups like the Peace Pledge Union, Troops Out and CND branches.

 

"Most of the meetings of these groups were held conveniently nearby in London like Hackney, Holborn, Camden and the well known King's Head pub in Islington."

 

Some of the undercover soldiers became officials in the organisations they had infiltrated, one being elected membership secretary. The former sergeant said: "On one occasion one of them was chanting anti-military slogans with a crowd opposite the entrance to the Royal Tournament at Earl's Court, while slipping away periodically to the 20 COY office inside to give updates. One hesitates to use the word 'provocateur'."

 

Stella Rimington, the former head of MI5, acknowledged after leaving the service that there had been "over-enthusiasm" in targeting left-wing groups during the early Thatcher years. "Files were opened on people who were not actively threatening the state."

 

Another former soldier of 20 COY, who now lives outside England, told The Independent: "We knew that MI5 and SB [special Branch] were doing all kinds of things at the time. But the difference is that we were the Army, we were happy to go on undercover ops in Northern Ireland where there was a genuine terrorist threat. It simply wasn't our business to be spying on fellow citizens simply because the government did not like them.

 

Sir Martin Furnival Jones, one of Ms Rimington's predecessors at MI5, had revealed that a plot against Harold Wilson's government involved senior civil servants and military officers, and the name of a major-general was given to the then Home Secretary, later Prime Minister, James Callaghan. No one was prosecuted. "They were" said Sir Martin, "a pretty loony crew."

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Well, I'd always suspected that there had been 'dirty tricks' employed by Thatcher against the CND and other civil rights groups, but it sure is nice to have the concrete proof coming out at last. And this, and the other revelations, really does put this whole "Iron Lady" hype into some kind of perspective, and hopefully doese make it crystal clear to youngsters today just why it is that people of my generation continue to despise Thatcher and everything that she ever stood for, and why it is we find it a gross insult for a bunch of ignorant Hollywood w*n**rs to come along and do the sort of revisionist "history" on this era in a fashion that would do Stalin and Goebbels proud...

 

F**k Hollywood, f**k "The Iron Lady", f**k Meryl Streep. THESE and the other released documents are the FACTS.. And dont let a bunch of upper-middle-class Meeeeedjaaaahhhhh "luvvies" tell you otherwise..... -_-

From what I've heard about "The Iron Lady" it doesn't attempt to be a deep political insight into all the shit that Th*tcher did, there's an awful lot it either missed out or skimmed over. I see that as a pretty pointless film really but I don't think it's a conscious effort to try and rewrite her legacy.

Out of interest Grimly, have you actually seen the Iron Lady?

From what I've heard about "The Iron Lady" it doesn't attempt to be a deep political insight into all the shit that Th*tcher did, there's an awful lot it either missed out or skimmed over. I see that as a pretty pointless film really but I don't think it's a conscious effort to try and rewrite her legacy.

 

The fact that it's not a "political insight" is surely the problem.. One reviewer called it "Thatcher without the Thatcherism", which is a bit like making a film about Hitler and kind of missing out all the "Nazi stuff"...

 

But, hey, I guess this is what happens when you let the director of vapid fluff like "Mamma Mia" direct a film about an important political and historical figure, instead of getting someone like Ken Loach or Mike Leigh who both have incredible track records (as well as a fair few BAFTAs between them) for making films with deep and meaningful social statements....

The fact that it's not a "political insight" is surely the problem.. One reviewer called it "Thatcher without the Thatcherism", which is a bit like making a film about Hitler and kind of missing out all the "Nazi stuff"...

 

But, hey, I guess this is what happens when you let the director of vapid fluff like "Mamma Mia" direct a film about an important political and historical figure, instead of getting someone like Ken Loach or Mike Leigh who both have incredible track records (as well as a fair few BAFTAs between them) for making films with deep and meaningful social statements....

 

Well exactly, it's not worth watching it if you want to see anything particularly insightful. There may well be another film made about her after she finally pops it by a Loach or a Leigh, which could be a far more interesting watch. "The Iron Lady" isn't really worth getting angry over though.

The fact that it's not a "political insight" is surely the problem.. One reviewer called it "Thatcher without the Thatcherism", which is a bit like making a film about Hitler and kind of missing out all the "Nazi stuff"...

 

But, hey, I guess this is what happens when you let the director of vapid fluff like "Mamma Mia" direct a film about an important political and historical figure, instead of getting someone like Ken Loach or Mike Leigh who both have incredible track records (as well as a fair few BAFTAs between them) for making films with deep and meaningful social statements....

The film was made in the hope that it would make money, not as a means of educating the audience or confirming their prejudice. If it had been strongly anti- or pro-Thacher that would alienate a substantial proportion of the potential audience which would not exactly be a sound commercial move.

The film was made in the hope that it would make money, not as a means of educating the audience or confirming their prejudice. If it had been strongly anti- or pro-Thacher that would alienate a substantial proportion of the potential audience which would not exactly be a sound commercial move.

 

NAIL meet HEAD.

 

The film was made with the specific intention of NOT coming down on either side regarding her politics. If that puts you off, fair enough. In terms of making a hit movie it's the best strategy.

The fact that it's not a "political insight" is surely the problem.. One reviewer called it "Thatcher without the Thatcherism", which is a bit like making a film about Hitler and kind of missing out all the "Nazi stuff"...

 

 

Actually they did make that film. It was called Der Untergang (Downfall) and although virtually every character in it was a Nazi the actual politics really weren't mentioned much as it was about the human element (It was also bloody good and one of the best war films ever in my view) which is exactly what The Iron Lady is about. A once powerful leader reduced to ill health reflecting on her glory days.

Actually they did make that film. It was called Der Untergang (Downfall) and although virtually every character in it was a Nazi the actual politics really weren't mentioned much as it was about the human element (It was also bloody good and one of the best war films ever in my view) which is exactly what The Iron Lady is about. A once powerful leader reduced to ill health reflecting on her glory days.

 

It also spawned some hilarious Youtube spoofs, although that's not really relevant to the argument :lol:

Actually they did make that film. It was called Der Untergang (Downfall) and although virtually every character in it was a Nazi the actual politics really weren't mentioned much as it was about the human element (It was also bloody good and one of the best war films ever in my view) which is exactly what The Iron Lady is about. A once powerful leader reduced to ill health reflecting on her glory days.

 

An excellent film indeed. Portraying Hitler as a human being was a risky move but it worked.

 

 

It also spawned some hilarious Youtube spoofs, although that's not really relevant to the argument :lol:

 

Very true :lol:

Actually they did make that film. It was called Der Untergang (Downfall) and although virtually every character in it was a Nazi the actual politics really weren't mentioned much as it was about the human element (It was also bloody good and one of the best war films ever in my view) which is exactly what The Iron Lady is about. A once powerful leader reduced to ill health reflecting on her glory days.

 

Downfall was hardly de-politicised as such though... And, well, they didn't really take the war out of it.