FCDO

  • MI6 failed us on Dover

    MI6 – or SIS, to some people – is a body that purports to handle Intelligence gathering but also spying overseas. It’s a highly technical and specialised type of role to have, if you’ve got one.

    The trouble is, MI6 has been in dire straits since its move to Vauxhall Cross, a building in London that’s specially built for it.

    It’s alleged Civil Servants didn’t plan properly or appropriately for the new construction. Although the building is safe and sound for people inside, city planners weren’t given the correct information about it.

    It led to huge upsets that have continued to this day. It’s believed some Civil Servants continue to stress the situation but have failed to wholly scupper or sabotage the installation of its uses.

    However, it’s not just a story of Civil Servants in Whitehall. It’s also about MI6 staff themselves not providing the right information at the right time, or briefings to the right people at the right moments.

    This has continued to this day, too, and it’s led to failures like the Dover Crossings, which MI6 is in part responsible for.

    It’s not been possible to get a response from the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office, but this isn’t unusual. They usually don’t respond to requests for comment from anyone.

    It’s supposed to be a partner for the Intelligence services overseas, but it’s also known to be unhelpful. In fact, it’s been known to be “totally useless”, according to MI6 staff that can’t be named right now.

  • Revealed: US-Spain diplomacy outflows

    It’s alleged that US diplomats are now living in the EU member state of Spain throughout the year, using satellite technology to wire their work out to people.

    It’s also believed they’ve developed a policy called “Open Channel”, whereby everyone’s details are shared without any security protocols for privacy or secrecy.

    This means it can potentially leave exposed any sensitive details for tipoff to criminal entities and States across the world.

    It’s been a concern that volumes of formal communications to the Foreign, Commonwealth, & Development Office have seen a downward trend in recent years, and unofficial work conducted by staffers there has up-ticked.

  • The end of the Crossings isn’t the end of the matter

    The Dover Crossings has been a significant crime event on our landscape now for seven years. It’s taken far too long to make progress, and the country feels it.

    The sluggishness of our central administrative supports such as Whitehall is a scandal of their making in our times. It’s a simple course in management theory that would solve this.

    The end of it however is not the end of the whole matter. This Government – and many others – will still have to handle workloads. The fear is that it hasn’t got what it takes to really do it.