Certainly Ms. Stevensons questions are pertinent and important to many of us. You have the answers, post them. If you do not have the answers your agency is a bumbling non-compliant monstrosity.

"We apologise for the delay and the inconvenience this has caused. Unfortunately there is no mechanism to complain about the handling of your request at the moment because we have not issued our response."

That is one the most hilarious replies I've read.

Dear Miriam

Yours is a very important question. I recall as a lad in Suffolk attending a public meeting given by a chap who described himself as "The First Sociologist to gain a seat in the House of Lords". This was the 1960s and I think the speaker was in fact Lord Stonham of Earl Stonham. People listened with bemusement. Just around the corner, where we lived in the caretaker flat, was the local ambulance station and welfare clinic. There was an outreach clinic held there for former Suffolk Regt veterans of the war against Japan. Mostly survivors of the POW camps. But some I would think also from the Suffolks used to counter Japanese suicide squads who attacked British lines to kill medical staff and destroy forward medical facilities.

Those who had survived the camps had recounted how the Japanese had tried to "Kill them in their depths". That involved marching them out to slave labour past the compound holding Suffolk Regt officers who were well fed and given recreational facilities like hockey. The local tory MP, well nourished and healthy, had been a beneficiary of such Japanese mind games.

The wealthiest people in the town were Plymouth Brethren who had been conscientious objectors during the war. They too had no lifelong debilitation and disease. I don't doubt that the WW2 generation emerged thirsty for change. But what change was the first sociologist in the House Of Lords offering ?

Quite a profound move with the ending of Misprision of Felony. Suddenly a human "Right" had become the right to cop out of responsibility to your fellow man. A statute (The one you refer to) was brought in to make the arbiter of criminal responsibility good old money. It became OK to cop out, to "Not get involved", to fail to report knowledge of crime as long as you didn't charge for this betrayal of morality.

We are left with the Common Law of Misprision of Treason and statutory duties to report in money laundering and Terrorism law. Otherwise copping out of reporting duty is now seen as the exercise of a virtuous right.

Interestingly Kent PCC and her supervising Police and Crime Panel have recently had to admit they have no policy for compliance with the statutory reporting duties of Terrorism Law (Here I refer to Sections 38B and 54 of Terrorism Act 2000).

Recently the news was about Barbara Castle's dossiers going missing. The name Sir Keith Joseph was published. To remind you that in 1972 Barbara Castle (Shadow Minister) Michael O'Halloran MP and Clinton Davis MP asked questions of DHSS Minister Sir Keith Joseph. The care standards and deaths at the Sue Ryder Home Cavendish West Suffolk. and deaths 1966 to 1972 in Hackney Social Services care of disabled children at the Beeches West Suffolk Ixworth

The refusals of inquiry concerning the Sue Ryder issues (Section 37 National Assistance Act 1948 and New Zealand Govt approaches to try to re-open inquest in to the death of one of their citizens) was signed by a civil servant. She is now an MBE including for her work with C of E Childrens Society. As you know a spokesperson for Christs College Cambridge suggested, purportedly on behalf of an alumnus bishop (Check it out there is only one ?), that the two care inquiries refused by Sir Keith had common lines of inquiry related to a London child care charity.

What reportable knowledge does the retired civil servant have ? Has she kept silent in exchange for a salary ? Which rules the Official Secrets act or the 1967 act you cite ?

Repeal of Misprision of Treason was one of the most damaging pieces of social change theory inflicted upon us in my view.

You may gather that the developments above in Kent also relate to your concerns about Iraq war.

Best wishes Richard

Dear Miriam

Just to sew it up a little :

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/p...

Best wishes Richard

Also query the prosecution rate for operation spade and project sweetie. Conducted by Canada and Holland respectively. These were sent to Interpol and uk authorities but to the best of my knowledge no arrests have been made

Dear Miriam

To add to Scott's point about overseas inquiry, liaison and nil action I think you are aware of the 1990 EU actions re unlawful military groups ? Warnings to USA/CIA and a request to all EU states to investigate and dismantle unlawful military groups. UK did not comply.

The name "Gladio" then featured in a 1991/2 TV expose' of the secret NATO armed units across Europe. In fact I had encountered this apparent Special Branch endorsed theory in 1989 when reporting on reasons for unreliability of torpedos. (The reasons for firing obsolete torps at Belgrano were the unreliability of the modern system). SB had a line of inquiry that rogue units of Gladio had established saboteurs in our defence industry.

I hope this makes you smile. The Gladio network was created as the brainchild of an SOE officer called Harry Sporborg who made the recommendations in 1944. You may know that with his chum Airey Neave he became a founding trustee of Sue Ryder (ex SOE) charity. But perhaps better known for being amongst the powerful bankers and tories who ousted Ted Heath and steered their disciple Mrs Thatcher to power. Here I was in 1989 scarce believing that SB suspected Sporborg's gangs of sabotage against what became Sporborg's disciples war efforts to re-gain Falklands.

Happily the long term problem of unreliability of RN weaponry was due to prosaic technical reasons and a predominantly unqualified management in manufacturing rather prone to signing up test paperwork to get production out the door of kit that had actually failed its post production testing. Hence the number of surreptitious returns by RN and product recalls going back some years before Falklands War.

As you know in 1972 Welsh Regional Crime Squad inquiries investigated aliens registrations of careworkers sponsored to UK by the Leonard Cheshire and Sue Ryder charities. And the Det sgt in charge escalated the relatively routine inquiry to look at identity theft via GP death registration weaknesses and susceptibility to fraudulent identification of a deceased. Then RCS were "Invited" to drop inquiry by Special Branch who RCS discovered were monitoring all police inquiries touching on these two charities. Given that information what are the chances the SB force liaison secret reporting arrangement had not reported to MI5 about Jimmy Savile abuse at the Sue Ryder child hospice Leeds ?

As you know the RCS Det sgt defied SB and died attracting a suicide verdict. Twenty years later when Roger Evans MP Monmouth (Tory barrister) was questioning this history to Attorney General lo and behold a bizarre burglary stole all Newport Gwent Births Marriages and Deaths records. At a time either MI5 or a Scotland Yard specialist war crime unit were allegedly trawling RCS records in Gwent with the permission of Chief constable Anthony Burden. Did records then go missing from Gwent Police archives.

There seems to be a model in protestors' minds of powerful paedophile networks who protect each others' backs. I doubt reality could be so simple. EG Look at the complexity of the context to Sir Keith Joseph's suppression of care inquiry 1972. The reality is that for those who wish to control power the way to go is to control flawed and deviant fellows who hold powerful positions.

Stage 3 of Shipman Inquiry was tasked to examine for flaws in our death registration system. Dame Janet Smith accepted or innovated advice that the RCS Inquiry in Wales and theft of records would be beyond terms of reference. Also the six year history of child deaths at the Beeches Ixworth was ruled beyond terms of reference in spite of only two having received inquests and an inability of Bury St Edmunds HM Coroner (which concerned him) to find the paper trail documenting all the six years of deaths. Had death been declared and inquests waived beyond the jurisdiction of Bury St Edmunds ?

Dame Janet Smith was that close to Jimmy Savile's abuse at Sue Ryder child hospice but for a nifty bit of terms of reference dodging. Now no doubt she is doing a sterling job of conducting the BBC Savile abuse inquiry.

Sadly it seems that Sir Keith in 1972 diverted response to academic sociology who conferenced deeply on the theory of residential child care. Wasn't a top such theoretician a certain Mr Righton ? Must check.

Finally I add that Tam Dalyell phoned me and Roger Evans MP consented for me his constituent to discuss RN weaponry (Dalyell's Belgrano concerns) direct with the Scottish MP. IIRC Mr Dalyell then contacted his MI5 contacts with the story. At that stage, with hindsight, MI5 became aware that two surviving coppers had met at the torpedo factory inn 89. (One contract engineer one permanent staff security) and they had both been investigating Sue Ryder and Leonard Cheshire in 1972 unaware of the others' inquiry. Now they were both privy to reports the contract engineer had made (Agreed by two MOD experts) explaining the reasons for unreliability of weaponry and systems supplied to RN.

Always tangled webs.

Best wishes Richard