Snowden Derails Murdoch Feint

Anyone wondering why Rupert Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal (WSJ), formerly a paper of record before turning partisan and yellow at the edges under the less than benign presence of its new owner, had opened up a front against the deeply subversive Guardian, Glenn Greenwald, and Edward Snowden, has discovered why this morning, as more revelations are published.

And these are in the genuinely explosive category: the USA was spying on the EU as well, via the latter’s mission in New York and its embassy in Washington, DC. The Guardian article talks of “an extraordinary range of spying methods used against each target, from bugs implanted in electronic communications gear to taps into cables to the collection of transmissions with specialised antennae”.

The EU member states spied on – which are referred to as “targets” – includes Greece, which should set alarm bells ringing with anyone who remembers that the last CIA-backed military coup in Western Europe – yes, there have been such things in the recent past – was in that country in 1967. The Junta collapsed after it tried to impose Enosis on Cyprus in 1974, precipitating the Turkish invasion.

That this discovery is a serious development is underscored by the Independent: “Germany’s Federal Prosecutor’s office said it was preparing to bring charges against British and US intelligence today amid fresh allegations that the services spied far more extensively than thought on German phone and internet traffic and bugged European Union offices in America”.

Germany’s Justice minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenburger (known as S L-S, to save time), has called the US’ actions “reminiscent of the actions against enemies during the Cold War”. As what was then West Germany was literally on the front line of that stand-off, the sentiment demonstrates just how seriously the revelations are being taken. Someone will have some serious explaining to do.

So one has to wonder how this is going to be spun by the collected Guardian bashers at the bear pit that is Telegraph blogs, led by Damian Thompson, clueless pundit of no fixed hair appointment, whose pal Tim Stanley, who you can tell as he’s a doctor, had previously snarked “Is Edward Snowden’s story unravelling? Why the Guardian’s scoop is looking a bit dodgy”.

It will be fascinating to see how Dames is going to creatively reinterpret this latest development: his last utterance, as he misread the Murdoch intervention, ended with “it's just a hunch, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone's career lay in ruins at the end of it”. Given the monumental level of ineptitude coming out of his territory right now, Thompson ought to be relieved that it won’t be his career.

Gratuitous Guardian bashing can lead to making the wrong call. More than once.