Declassified UK | February

Posted on March 1, 2022 by Wirral In It Together
Declassified_Master_Box_Logo_Hi_Res_Black.pngFebruary 2022
Hi everyone,
Everything going forward is sure to be consumed by Vladimir Putin’s reprehensible and illegal invasion of Ukraine. Our latest article analysing the conflict, written on Wednesday by peace studies expert Professor Paul Rogers, has already been overtaken by the terrible events. We will continue to cover the conflict as best we can and its profound implications for British foreign policy.

This month also saw our first interaction with the D-Notice committee. Our editor Mark received an email from an official on the UK military-run body that is set up ostensibly to prevent disclosures which could damage national security or put UK personnel in danger.

The official asked Declassified to modify an article written by our chief reporter Phil Miller on UK support for Africa’s oldest dictator, and take out the name of a UK soldier involved. 
Mark wrote an important article on why we chose to reject the request. But as Mark said at the end of the piece: “How many other polite emails containing “advice” does the D-Notice committee send to other journalists asking them to withdraw stories or key information? And how many agree to those requests that we don’t know of?”

The answers for these questions have profound implications for British journalism and democracy.

Our work this month

Our chief reporter Phil Miller began the month with a story on the intelligence connections of those in charge of investigating the “Partygate” scandal at No 10. Later in the month, Phil wrote a fascinating obituary of Erik Bennett, a secretive British air force officer who advised the Middle East’s longest-serving dictator. The Times and Telegraph wrote puff piece obituaries, but Phil provided the full picture of what his military and political life entailed.

One characteristic of the UK mainstream media is they don’t apply the same analysis to our own establishment as they do to those of enemy states. So Russian information operations are covered extensively, but British ones are barely mentioned. I wrote an article about how the UK has spent over £80m on media in 20 countries around Russia since 2016. None of these programmes has ever been mentioned in the UK press.

I wrote another piece related to the Ukraine crisis, this time concerning its National Guard, who claimed that in a meeting last year the UK military agreed to start training its forces. This is controversial because Ukraine’s National Guard includes a neo-Nazis unit. The Ministry of Defence disputed the claim to me.

Richard Norton-Taylor wrote an important piece about the US quietly preparing to upgrade its presence in Britain in moves with huge implications for UK security and vulnerability in an international crisis. There is a £2.8 billion project to upgrade US military and intelligence-gathering bases in Britain.

Anne Cadwallader wrote another brilliant piece, this time on a damning new report on police collusion with murders in Northern Ireland. It shows Whitehall knew for decades that the UDA paramilitary group was carrying out wholesale murder – yet ministers long refused to ban it as a terrorist organisation and officials continued to meet its leaders. 
Antony Loewenstein, co-founder and co-editor of Declassified Australia, wrote a new revelatory piece on a little-known aspect of the disastrous Western occupation of Afghanistan, namely that UK and Australian companies sought to access the country’s $3 trillion worth of untapped minerals – with little regard for the welfare of Afghans.Please become a supporter this monthWith current events being as they are, independent, critical and accountable reporting are needed right now more than ever. We don’t just cover foreign policy in a crisis, it’s our area of expertise. We do need more people to support us. We rely on you and independent trusts and foundations to do what we do. 
We’ve deliberately kept membership very low cost. It starts at just £20 a year or £2 a month and includes exclusive access to our regular “ask me anything” events, free access to our weekly DCUK-INTEL email brief plus other benefits including signed books, mugs and t-shirts.

To become a member, go to www.declassifieduk.org/join or click the links below and thank you from all of us for your support.
Best,Matt Matt KennardChief Investigator, Declassified UKI’ll give £5 each monthI’ll give £50 each yearDo you currently donate to us?Yes, monthly.Yes, yearly.No, but I will sign up soon.No, I don’t want to donate anything.          
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About Wirral In It Together

Campaigner for open government. Wants senior public servants to be honest and courageous. It IS possible!
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