Privacy and the State

[ahinton]

I am glad that Snowden regards himself as a decent-minded person.

I do not know Mr Snowden nor am I directly affected by his actions, whatever they may be (and I don't have all the details of those and do not pretend to do so), so I have no reason to be bothered one way or the other about how he might regard himself.

I suppose the alternative would be to face due legal process, which he clearly thinks is far worse than being shown up as a self-serving hypocrite by holing up in the bosom of the very society that embodies everything he claims to find abhorrent about the West.

As you well know, Mr Snowden appeared to have limited viable and practical choices as to where to relocate himself and, whilst I agree that Russia's record on human rights and other matters is indeed an abhorrent one, I see no hypocrisy in his relocating himself there if there was no practical safe alternative; after all, it's not as though he's actively promoting Russia. What might otherwise have passed for "due legal process" in USA, however, is something that I suspect might be at least as abhorrent as anything that goes on in Russia!

Funny old world.

I don't find this funny at all, any more than I find amusement in the allegations that NSA has snooped on millions of French telephone calls.

[Mr Pee]

I do not know Mr Snowden nor am I directly affected by his actions, whatever they may be (and I don't have all the details of those and do not pretend to do so), so I have no reason to be bothered one way or the other about how he might regard himself.

Perhaps you should direct that comment at Amateur, since he raised the point in the first place.

What might otherwise have passed for "due legal process" in USA, however, is something that I suspect might be at least as abhorrent as anything that goes on in Russia!

You might suspect that. I think it is nonsense.

I don't find this funny at all, any more than I find amusement in the allegations that NSA has snooped on millions of French telephone calls.

It is surely obvious that I meant funny as in funny peculiar, not funny as in Fawlty Towers funny....

[amateur51]

Perhaps you should direct that comment at Amateur, since he raised the point in the first place.




You might suspect that. I think it is nonsense.





It is surely obvious that I meant funny as in funny peculiar, not funny as in Fawlty Towers funny....

I think La Thatcher tried that 'witty' line out on Cabinet when she was on her way out and it didn't get a laugh then, and she's twice the comedian you are, so give us a break, do.

[ahinton]

Perhaps you should direct that comment at Amateur, since he raised the point in the first place.

Why? He will no doubt read it anyway, but I was responding to your point, not his, when observing that Mr Snowden's view of himself is of no obvous concern to me.

You might suspect that. I think it is nonsense.

No "might" about it - I do suspect it as, no doubt, do Mr Snowden, Mr Assange and doubteless many others who have reason to fear the conduct of US justice; in so saying, I am not suggesting that US justice and its conduct is flawed at all times in all cases, but there's already ample evidence as to how such people would be treated by the American justice system and, for one thing, it would be substantially different to the ways in which they'd be treated by the British one or by ECHR, for example. You might well think it nonsense, but you appear to have no obvious foundation, based upon personal experience, for doing so.

It is surely obvious that I meant funny as in funny peculiar, not funny as in Fawlty Towers funny....

It is indeed, my point nevertheless being that I do not find it "funny" in either sense.

While we're at it, what's your view on the allegations - and I am referring to them as no more than that at this stage as I do not pretend to have the authority and knowledge to do otherwise - of NSA snooping on millions of French telephone calls?

[ahinton]

I think La Thatcher tried that 'witty' line out on Cabinet when she was on her way out and it didn't get a laugh then, and she's twice the comedian you are, so give us a break, do.

Well, not any more, she isn't, but point nevertheless taken...

[Mr Pee]

While we're at it, what's your view on the allegations - and I am referring to them as no more than that at this stage as I do not pretend to have the authority and knowledge to do otherwise - of NSA snooping on millions of French telephone calls?

Well I am glad you admit to not having any knowledge of those allegations. Neither do I.

When I do, I'll get back to you, if I can be bothered.

[Mr Pee]

I think La Thatcher tried that 'witty' line out on Cabinet when she was on her way out and it didn't get a laugh then, and she's twice the comedian you are, so give us a break, do.

I have no idea which line you're referring to, however I'm glad you are an authority on the late Lady Thatcher's sense of humour.

Knew her well, did you?

[ahinton]

Well I am glad you admit to not having any knowledge of those allegations. Neither do I.

When I do, I'll get back to you, if I can be bothered.

It is perfectly possible to take a view on allegations, provided that, in so doing, those who do so recognise and admit that they are no more than allegations until proved otherwise; perfectly possible for most of us, that is, but apparently not for you. I do have knowledge of the allegations themselves (as indeed all of us do who have read about this), so I have not admitted to having no such knowledge; what I did admit is to having insufficient knowledge to be able to pronounce on whether or not they are true. I therefore asked you what you thought about the allegations, not what you thought about the snooping itself if indeed it has occured as alleged; I did so on a "no smoke without fire" basis insofar as the French President and other senior French politicians and other figures would hardly have gone public with such allegations were they not to have sufficient suspicion as to their truth.

[amateur51]

I have no idea which line you're referring to, however I'm glad you are an authority on the late Lady Thatcher's sense of humour.

Knew her well, did you?

The line in question is "funny old world" and it was widely quoted at the time by those who were there.

[ahinton]

I have no idea which line you're referring to, however I'm glad you are an authority on the late Lady Thatcher's sense of humour.

Knew her well, did you?

Did you know her, Mr Pee?

Anyway, am51 has now answered your question, so at least he knows to which line he had referred...

[Richard Barrett]

Knew her well, did you?

Too ****ing well.

[Mr Pee]

Too ****ing well.

That's right down there with your a***licker comment.

Crude and pointless in both cases.

[ahinton]

That's right down there with your a****licker

"rseing"? What kind of composite word might that be? Try as I may, I cannot get sense out of it.

Anyway, the point was whether you knew MT and/or were familiar with her statements carious to the extent of being able to pronounce upon them with the kind of authority that might come with such knowledge but, since am51 has already answered your arguably unnecessary question, I think that we can now pass on to the subject, don't you?...

[Mr Pee]

"rseing"? What kind of composite word might that be? Try as I may, I cannot get sense out of it.

Amazing.

[ahinton]

Amazing.

Ah, so that's what it is! Your understanding of asterisks and what they represent does you credit! (you left out ", Holmes!", though)...

Now sub to the backject.