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Great work, WP. I am very glad, indeed, that we have Sherlock on the case at last. Somebody with intelligence and integrity for a change. The news reads like Lewis Carroll has been in charge up till now.
ReplyDeleteGreat work WP. I hope you solve the case!
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting angle on the 'safe house' in the accompanying picture, Dr. Watson. One we haven't seen before. I say, I wonder if that is a clue that PC Plod is standing on? (Hands in pockets, too. Goodness me!)
ReplyDeleteThanks very much for the kind words, James and Michelle. I've had trouble getting the comments section working but I hope things will go more smoothly in the future.
ReplyDeleteGripping stuff Winter. Shades of David Kelly me thinks.
ReplyDeleteGreat work, Holmes!
ReplyDeleteBut why call it a work of factual "ficton" (sic)?
Is there a clue involved therein?
Your confused servant,
Watson
I call it "factual" because the story about the life and death of Gareth Williams is intended to be as accurate as I can make it. William Hughes, Jenny Elliot and some others whom you will meet soon are real people, and the words they speak in this story are quoted (or paraphrased) from published news reports.
ReplyDeleteBut I also call it "fiction" because Holmes, Watson, Mrs. Hudson, Buckingham Slate and a few others whom you will meet soon are imaginary characters, and the tale of how Holmes goes about trying to solve the case is fiction.
The principles which guide Holmes, though they were first elucidated in a fictional context, are in fact practical applications of (very) hard science, and therefore, in a sense, the confusion dates back to Doyle. Indeed, many readers of the original Homles series were confused as to whether those stories were fact or fiction.
Even though Holmes, Watson and Slate (to be specific) are fictional characters, I am trying as much as possible to have them say things that are true, or probably true. But they're still fictional characters, no?
I hope this helps to clarify the confusion. Please ask more questions if you have any.
Winter,
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for your very kind explanation.
I had fully understood the literary concept, but my question was more mundane: why spell "fiction" as "ficton" in the banner above? ;-))
All ribbing aside, PLEASE keep up the excellent work!
It's great to be reading you again on a more frequent basis.
Best regards,
A fan in the GWN (N of 49th ll)
Oh, I get it!! Thanks for the correction. ;-)
ReplyDeleteThanks also for the very kind encouragement; I will get more written and posted as soon as I can.
"Could bearded madmen in caves half a world away have done any of this?"
ReplyDeleteAh, such a question!
"Could bearded madmen in caves half a world away have done any of this?"
ReplyDeleteOnly to the degree that they could have attacked with total impunity the world's most powerful military and "intelligence" organizations, causing the greatest destruction and mass murders ever perpetrated by criminals on North American soil, and then transformed themselves into environmental activists about 9 years later......
Elementary, my dear Watson!!
Just like people locking themselves up in large duffel bags and asphyxiating therein....with the padlock on the outside of the "air tight" bag.....
Or 110-story steel and concrete buildings miraculously pulverizing totally into fine powder in 10 seconds........
Things like that happen EVERY DAY.......in fiction stories ...like Alice in Wonderland..... or government reports....
Hi Winter,
ReplyDeleteJust to let you know that we're still here, eagerly awaiting further progress in Holmes' discoveries and analysis.
However, as there now appears to be a dearth of new developments or reports which might assist our noble investigator in deciphering this complex case, methinks the trip through Wales may become a long one....
But we'll continue to enjoy the road trip and the history....
Keep it coming!
Best wishes,
Your loyal fans
Please do not fret over the dearth of new developments. This does not concern Holmes, who can create his own developments.
ReplyDeleteFor reasons soon to be described, Holmes needs to stall a bit before he proceeds to Holyhead. He left London before he was planning to do so, due to the unexpected arrival of Buckingham Slate, and he's ahead of schedule. He knows where he's going next, and why, but he needs to get the timing right.
Since Holmes and Watson are waiting in a very beautiful place, it seemed best to share a few pictures with you. But they will be moving fast again very soon, with a definite objective in mind, so I hope you won't be 'eagerly awaiting' for much longer.
Thank you for your very kind words, and best wishes to you too.
WP
Hi Winter,
ReplyDeleteVery happy to see that you are writing again.
Chapter 20 in particular was eye-opening.
To paraphrase another writer: "By George, I think he's got it!"
Reading the cookie-cutter reports of the "Houdini" theory just started alarm bells ringing. Sure do look like planted stories.
Eager to read more.
Best,
A Northern Fan
Just found this new blog tonight. Coincidentally, I just saw the head of MI6 on my TV tonight too!
ReplyDeleteSo having read the story to date, I am wondering why MI6 would go to such elaborate lengths to rub out one of their own. More likely a foreign service - Mossad? Ruskis? CIA? - would do a job like this just to rub London's nose in it.
Notice the Conservatives cutting back on Defence (cough) spending? Has Iraq robbed them of their Imperial dreams? Is British Intelligence now hopelessly infiltrated?
With all due respect to Gareth Williams, he does not sound like a serious match for KGB, Mossad or even Chinese spies. Intellectually, yes, but that's not the half of it in this game. Streets smarts and all that.
Curioser and curioser...
Personally, given the press involvement (who owns that First Post paper WP?) and the UK government's reluctance to rally public outrage against the killers, I am thinking Tel Aviv must be involved.
Over to you, Sherlock...
Thanks for your comment, G. I hope that you will stay tuned and that Holmes will be able to shed some light on possible motives for you.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, too, Anon. I am glad to see you are following the train of thought on which Holmes and Watson are currently traveling.
I hope to be back with more soon.
Many thanks, Winter.
ReplyDeleteSurprisingly, the "tabloid rag" Daily Mail/Mail Online appears to be doing more original research, detailed reporting and critical analysis than the so-called reputable media, who appear content with mindlessly regurgitating whatever garbage or propaganda is fed to them.
The Mail reported that the police investigators have complained about lack of assistance from MI6.
Seeing that Williams lived in an MI6 "safe house", there HAS to be surveillance videos of all entries and departures thereto, yet nothing is being mentioned anywhere.
Shades of all the Pentagon videos which were collected by the FBI on 9/11, which were "disappeared", and only 5 useless frames released.
There's obviously something rotten in this story, which I hope our sleuth will uncover soon.
Best from the GWN,
Your northern fan
You are quite correct, Anon. Much of the information Holmes has received from Buckingham Slate was reported in the Daily Mail, and hopefully Holmes will learn even more from Slate when he and Watson return to London.
ReplyDeleteThere are plenty of rotten things in this story, and our sleuth is busy uncovering them one after another ... but he won't be able to do much about some of them until he meets with Slate again.
~~~
Meanwhile, the most recent news reports are all ridiculous, but Holmes cannot comment on them yet because he and Watson are about a month behind us -- it is still late September where they are. But you can be sure that none of the recent reports will escape Holmes' attention.
~~~
Thanks again for your very kind comments; this sort writing -- a chapter at a time, published on the fly -- is new for me, and very challenging, and I appreciate all the support I have been getting.
I hope to be back soon with another chapter.
Greetings, Winter,
ReplyDeleteFor your first attempt at writing serial chapters on the fly, you are doing very well.
Holmes' latest suggestions to the Williams family may produce some interesting results, other than financial. No doubt that Holmes has also come to the same conclusion.
A light when on when you explained above the source of the info provided by "Buckingham Slate". Great moniker!
Keep it coming!
Best,
Your northern fan
Of course, I meant to say "a light went on..." instead of "a light when on...".
ReplyDeleteBut I'm suffering from "dance-happy fingers syndrome".....
Sorry about that....
Best,
Your northern fan
Thanks! and Yes, or course, understood. Please don't worry about typos in comments -- especially in an environment such as this, where there is no chance to edit them. I think all internet readers EXPECT TYPOS!
ReplyDeleteI've been making so many of them in the text that I can hardly complain, and while we're on the subject, I am extremely grateful for the readers who have been helping with the copy-editing. However, I still EXPECT MORE TYPOS!
That is all for now. I'll be back soonest with another chapter.
I'm loving Holmes' ivestigation thus far, WP. The best analysis of this curious case I've seen anywhere.
ReplyDeleteOur trusty media are proving quite remarkably incompetent at joining the dots so it's just as well Holmes is on the case.
Well done!
This is great fun, Winter! I can hardly wait til Holmes directs the perpetrators' frog-march! And, occasional typos are an occupational hazard - but hardly a distraction! I'm wearing out the edge of my seat. Now you know the pressures Dickens felt. Happy trails from Free Bob in Free Prague
ReplyDeleteGreetings, Winter,
ReplyDeleteCuriouser and curiouser ....
I hope Holmes will find a means to disentangle Gareth's sister from her "promise not to tell".
After all, it's not evident that "the police" have really been trying to get the truth and to protect Gareth's reputation.
Keep those discoveries coming!
Best,
Your northern fan
VERY clever, Holmes!
ReplyDeleteYou were obviously way ahead of my thinking.
Keep up the excellent work!
Your northern fan
I love the way this is put together.
ReplyDeleteI've often argued that internet research is entertainment of sorts, and this series highlights that sentiment perfectly.
I'm glued... and hope we get to the fingerpointing bit at the end.
Holmes,
ReplyDeleteWHY would MI6 (or whomever is the guilty party) publish such personal details of Gareth's sister and husband??
Obviously, it was not to tell them that they know where they live, etc. Of course they have that info ... they've been speaking with her, and can get whatever info they want from a huge number of sources. That's a given, so no need to "brag" about it in public. And, after all the $h!t that they've published about Gareth, it is also unnecessary to show that they can publish $h!t about the family. That's also a given.
Very perplexing. Hope you can present some theories.
Your northern fan
Please, sir, can we have some more?
ReplyDeleteYes, and I apologize for the delay. I've been overloaded lately with work and family and other pressing matters, but there is definitely more to come and I will be back with the next installment as soon as possible. Thanks very much for your patience.
ReplyDeleteI'm waiting patiently and eagerly here, WP. :)
ReplyDeleteWinter,
ReplyDeleteHope you're doing well and will be able to write more soon.
Best wishes for the holidays!
A northern fan
Winter,
ReplyDeleteHope you've had a very Merry Christmas with family and friends.
Best wishes for a happy, healthy and successful 2011!
Eager to be reading you again soon.
A northern fan
In the event that you have not seen this:
ReplyDeletehttp://aangirfan.blogspot.com/2010/12/gareth-williamss-childhood-sweetheart.html
welcome back, WP
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, Winter.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the new chapters!
Please keep 'em coming!
Best,
A northern fan
The article http://aangirfan.blogspot.com/2010/12/gareth-williamss-childhood-sweetheart.html
ReplyDeleteshows photographs of what it implies may be the reported "Mediterranean couple".
If these are indeed their true photos, why have these people not been found by now?
The pics look like they are from an id document, such as a passport, visa application, mug shots, driver's license, etc.. If so, their names would be immediately known.
Where did the photos come from? Who found them and identified them as "the couple"?
More planted disinformation?
Curiouser and curiouser....
The images released by the police are described as "e-fits".
ReplyDelete"E-FIT" (sometimes "EFIT") means "Electronic Facial Identification Technique" and it's essentially a computer-assisted "artist's composite".
You can use this site to make your own e-fits. Choose a head, a nose, a mouth, two eyes, a jaw, and so on ... hair, eyebrows, glasses?, moustache? beard? ... it's quite a bit of fun -- a digital Mr. Potato Head for adults, if you will.
But the e-fits released by the police seem remarkably detailed, and some observers must be wondering whether they may have come from somewhere else. For instance, I have wondered whether they might be slightly enhanced stills from a surveillance camera somewhere.
Unfortunately I have lost a lot of time and momentum on this story (mostly due to injury and rehab), and as I write this, Holmes and Watson are still stuck in Chester, and still stuck in September. I am trying to get them back to London at the moment, not to mention back to our time zone. So, unfortunately, I cannot get a quote from Holmes on the e-fits, at least not yet.
However, it is, as you say, very curious, and perhaps some Sherlockian pressure can be brought to bear on the situation in the near future.
also: thanks for all the very kind comments and more apologies for my absence. I know it's miserable to be reading a series and have it interrupted, and it's even more miserable to be writing a series that gets interrupted, so for all our sakes, I am doing my best to get rolling again.
ReplyDeleteHi Winter,
ReplyDeleteNo apologies required.
We're happy that you're back, and hopefully fully recovered from your injuries.
Best,
A northern fan
Thanks very much for your very kind words. Unfortunately I am in the midst of a long and difficult recovery process.
ReplyDeleteSometimes it goes well, and I can type fairly freely, and during those times I write as much as I can. Sometimes it doesn't go well, and typing is difficult and painful, and during those times I can't write very much, if at all.
It hasn't been going well for a couple of months now and I've barely been able to work, let alone blog. I am more bummed about it than anyone but I am getting good treatment and in the long view my condition is gradually improving, despite occasional dips along the way. I am hopeful that things will change sooner rather than later, and I will rejoin you as soon as I can.
or in other words:
{{
he said Winter you've met your match,
and I said Doc it's only a scratch,
and I'll be better,
I'll be better Doc
as soon as I am able.
woooo
}}
Loving your series Winter. Good stuff!!
ReplyDeleteI was just reading the articles about the bizarre art accident theory. That has to be one of the stupidest theories I have ever read, that it got so many column inches boggles the mind.
Hope you are feeling better soon friend.
Cheers
Hi Winter,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your Jan 12 update.
Hope you recover much faster than Rocky Raccoon!
;-))
Eager to be reading your insightful posts again shortly.
Get well soonest!
Best from the GWN,
A northern fan
I am so glad Sherlock is still pursuing his quarry. Very stimulating, Winter
ReplyDeleteHi Winter,
ReplyDeleteWelcome back!
Hope you're doing well health-wise.
Best from the GWN,
A northern fan
Thank you very much, james and the GWN.
ReplyDeleteI will be back with more as soon as I can swing it.
Sherlock's scenario in Ch34 is not only plausible but all too plausible. I think Sherlock must shave himself using Mr. Occam's razor
ReplyDeleteThanks, james. I think you may be referring to chapter 35, in which Holmes speculates, as opposed to 34, where he tells Watson about some news accounts. If so, it wouldn't be the first typo on this thread.
ReplyDeleteAs for Sherlock and his choice of razor, yes: he is very sharp, isn't he? Fortunately, all I have to do is listen to him and jot down what he says. There are tougher jobs out there! ;-)
More brilliant stuff, WP! Bravo and I hope you're feeling better.
ReplyDeleteKind regards from Cumbria.
craggy
Hi Winter,
ReplyDeleteAs usual, Holmes appears to be on the trail of uncovering what others appear to be deliberately covering up.
We're glad he's not abandoning the case!
Best from the GWN!
A northern fan
Greetings, Winter!
ReplyDeleteSo pleased to see that Holmes is back on the case!
Hope you're also in good health and spirits.
Best from the GWN,
A northern fan
Happiness is ... reading new chapters ;-))!!
ReplyDeleteWelcome back, WP!
Best from the GWN,
A northern fan
Great stuff, Winter. I wondering about the cleaning product on the counter tops though. Why would it be there?
ReplyDeleteI guess I'll just have to wait and see (or read!)
I presume you are aware of Mr Rashid Rauf and his suspected connection to MI6?
ReplyDeletebut on the off-chance that you are not - http://aangirfan.blogspot.com/search?q=rashid+rauf
THE CURIOUS CASE OF RASHID RAUF
ReplyDeletehttp://www.google.com/search?q=rashid+rauf+mi6
ReplyDeleteThanks very much for the comments and the links. As I understand it, Holmes knows more about these matters than Watson. It will be interesting to see what happens when he returns.
ReplyDelete"As I understand it, Holmes knows more about these matters than Watson. It will be interesting to see what happens when he returns. "
ReplyDeleteIn which case I very much look forward to Holmes' return -
excellent work on compiling all of this info - and the idea of packaging it as a Holmes mystery is a mark of genius.
BTW: some Trivia for you - according to a Whiskey-drinking, 40-a-day Grand-Aunt of mine (Surname: Doyle), a very entertaining righteous old dame who also liked a regular flutter on the gee-gees, I am very very distantly related to Mr A.C.Doyle - so I feel qualified to claim that I'm sure he'd approve :)
Thanks very much (blushing now)
ReplyDeleteI hope Holmes can get back to Baker Street soon ... and so does Watson! ;-)
Best wishes to you and your Grand-Aunt, and I'll be back with another chapter as soon as possible.
Fine writing, WP. And a brilliant piece of thinking on Watson's part re the email code.
ReplyDeleteI,ve only just stumbled upon your eloquently written and most fascinating blog..you have another fan..do keep feeding the sniffer dogs..I,m curious to read whats unearthed next
ReplyDelete( a southern fan..Cape Town to be precise )
Superb!! Reading this last Sunday, James, gave me one of the most memorable days I can remember. It is so excellent and a really nice way to remember this poor fellow. I think what could be accomplished with his mind if he had not 'worked' for the government.
ReplyDeleteHi Jane. I agree it is superb, even ground breaking, but it is not my work, unfortunately. It is the work of the Winter Patriot. Winter isn't blogging much these days and I am over at the Winter Patriot Community Blog for a change. So you can be excused for mixing us up. It is not uncommon. See here for a more detailed explanation of how it all works.
ReplyDeleteIf you feel inclined, you would be very welcome to join up at WPC and contribute . . or not, as you wish.
What would have Gareth Williams achieved, indeed, if it weren't for these evil bastards. I often think about what would this world achieve if it weren't for these same evil bastards.
They work in the dark and Winter is shining a torch on these cockroaches.
Greetings, Winter,
ReplyDeletePlease, sir, may we have some more?
Best from the GWN,
A northern fan
Yes indeed! And thanks for asking. Sometimes it take me a few days to line up enough ducks for a new chapter, and I am still on a roller-coaster of a rehab -- sometimes fairly well, sometimes not -- so there will be delays now and then. But I will try to keep things moving as fast as I can.
ReplyDeleteThanks to James and Jane and Kerro for their very kind words. I hope you all continue to enjoy the series as it ... um ... just keeps going and going and going and going ;-)
Curiouser and curiouser......
ReplyDeleteThe "Liquid Bombers plot" was a ridiculous farce, a hoax, an impossible scheme to implement in an airplane toilet (I'm a chemist, according to my first university degree), which makes me laugh (internally) every time I go through the kabuki "security screening" (along with removing my shoes because of the equally improbable "Shoe Bomber plot", while refusing to be irradiated by the porno-scanner because of the even more ridiculous "Underpants Bomber plot").
So, we know that "the authorities" repeatedly lie to us and increasingly treat us like sheep..... but what link could this abuse have to the Gareth Williams case????
It would seem reasonable to surmise that the "authorities' " references to Gareth's alleged involvement in the Rashid Rauf case is an opportunistic attempt (although an obvious red herring to informed observers) to lend some credibility to the fairy tale of the Liquid Bombers plot.
Eager to see where Holmes is going with this...
Best from the GWN,
A northern fan
Eager? Me too! I can't wait to find out what happens next!!
ReplyDeleteI have reached a place that is new to me, but where people who normally write fiction spend most of their time. In this place, the characters drive the dialog and they and the situation drive the plot, and the author is more or less reduced to the role of stenographer.
Quite a few cans of worms were opened in the first 50 chapters or so. Now all that's left for me to do is watch them crawl around and chronicle their movements. My main challenges at this point seem to be to spell the words right and to punctuate the dialog correctly.
And I think your surmise might be reasonable, but I cannot even speak for Watson, let alone Slate or Holmes.
We shall see what we shall see.
the pictures of the defendants in ch53 are interesting. one stands out; the one of Mohammed Gulzar, the alleged ringleader who did not make a martyrdom video and who was found not guilty of all charges.
ReplyDeleteHis unworried expression (in contrast to all the others) seems prescient.
Very interesting observation, James.
ReplyDeleteIt made me review the pictures much more carefully,which led to the following observations:
1) all the pictures seem to have been taken at the same time, in the same controlled environment, such as a photographic studio, all against the same artificial background, and all were posed for the pictures,
2) they are all dressed in ultra clean white tops, but they are not all the same types (some round neck, some hooded, one wearing a red t-shirt underneath), all look relatively well-groomed, and even though they sport different beards and hairstyles, none looks "dirty or scruffy",
3) the pictures are not police-type "mug shots", in the positioning of the heads and torsos, and their facial expressions do vary (concern, deliberation, determination, defiance, clueless, and the alleged leader's (with eyes closed!) seeming "blind bliss"),
4) where, when and by whom were the pictures taken, and for what purpose(s)? did the photographer have different intentions for the use of the pictures than the subjects? they are certainly not photos for passports (closed eyes would not be allowed), nor are they mug shots (again, closed eyes not allowed), and they are not wearing standard prison garb (unless prisons now allow inmates to select their preferred wardrobe for internal pictures),
5) curiouser and curiouser.....
Greetings from the GWN,
A northern fan
Reading the articles in the Independent and the BBC site (as per the links in the latest episode, "Breakable" (loved the double entendre!)), made me laugh at the high-school quality of the scriptwriting of both.
ReplyDeleteClearly, the spooks/propagandists who wrote them are not of Edgar Allen Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle or even Agatha Christie caliber. Very obvious planted story-telling styles, in both articles.
Wonder how much they get paid to write such fiction????
regard installment number 56 of this thrilling caper:
ReplyDeleteI would be most appreciative if you might be so gracious as to forward to the eminent Mr Holmes upon his return, the 2 Weblog-missives perusable at the following Intertubes-link:http://hubriticanomaly.blogspot.com/search/label/Bob%20Quick
Welcome back, Holmes!
ReplyDeleteThanks very much for the kind comments, and to Hu for the link.
ReplyDeleteYou can be confident that over the next few days, Watson will be reading plenty of articles about the suddenly departed Mr. Quick.
And I will be back with more as soon as possible.
"“Exactly,” said Holmes. “But what if you were simply trying to perpetrate a hoax of some kind?”
ReplyDelete“In that case,” I answered, “I would do everything I could to avoid intelligent people. I’d want to find people who were not smart enough to realize they were being deceived.”
And what would you do about the selection of their defence team?
while pondering the preposterous and politicised allegations contained in Holmes' recent dossier one figure came to the fore, a character continiously referred to as 'XC'
ReplyDeleteIt occurred to to me that there might be a slim possibility that XC could be someone LIKE (i.e.: playing a similar role) to the dastardly cad known as 'Q', who has appeared in a number of installments of these utter fictional Scotland Yard Terrorism Branch japes. ~ A chap not unlike our dear departed friend Prof. Moriarty.
Free - the man accused of being an al-Qaida leader, aka 'Q'
'Q'=Mohammed Quayyum Khan & MI5
"And what would you do about the selection of their defence team? "
ReplyDeleteOh that's easy!
this is Merry Old England after all . . . .
Consider the British Establishment:
The inquiry into freemasonry was first suggested by a Labour member of the committee, Chris Mullin, who was disturbed at the number of freemasons who appeared to be involved in the Birmingham Six case.
Masons told to reveal themselves
Consider also that in a speech MP Chris Mullen gave to the House of Commons regarding the framing of the Birmingham Six he said that:
of the 160 professional people connected with the case (by this he meant Police, Lawyers, Doctors and Journalists) over one hundred of them were found to be members of the SAME Masonic Lodge.
(That quote comes from Hansards originally, and may be slightly misquoted, but only slightly.
You'll have to search pretty hard to find it there now, I couldn't, but I know for a fact that he said it in Parliament, because I heard him say it
UK Politics- Call to free up masons
A noose about the neck of secrecy: Chris Mullin says people in public office should be required by law to declare their membership of masonic and other societies
now some will scoff at the mention of Freemasons- but then they'll have to somehow explain how over 100 of the 'professionals' involved in the Birmingham 6 frame-up just happened to be members of the same Masonic Lodge, without mentioning the word 'conspiracy' - I look forward to watching the torturing of language and logic required to perform such a feat
once you have the right Judge in place, who cares what mettle the defence team displays?
ReplyDeleteunderneath the Picture at this BBC news story you will see the caption "Little evidence of masonic links to Birmingham Six case" - which is an astounding lie, given MP Chris Mullen's findings
ReplyDeleteMasons under pressure to reveal Birmingham Six links
ReplyDeleteHello there WP! I have to say that this is a fantastic format for dissecting the sad state of mainstream journalism on crucial issues. The cool, calm, logical, gentlemanly Sherlock Holmes as "conspiracy theorist." Genius! I don't think there has been a more accessible way than this for people to see through the fog of deceptions we are fed about the War on Terror, the true nature of secret services, and the cynical manipulation of the media. After he sorts this one out perhaps you could get good old Sherlock to look into 7/7, 9/11 and other crimes. Much kudos!
ReplyDeleteOnce again I must apologize for the long delay between chapters. For more details, please see this comment above and this one at the WP community blog.
ReplyDelete~~~
I have been false-dating all the posts, so that they can appear in their natural order on multi-chapter pages rather than the reverse-chronological order in which blogs are typically displayed.
Unfortunately, false-dating makes this blog difficult to "follow" in the usual sense, and I apologize for the difficulty.
If you wish to be informed when new chapters are published, send me email with the words "SHATASM mailing list" in the subject line, and I will be happy to keep you up to date. [I will not sell or give away your email address, nor will I use it for any other purpose.]
Thanks again for all the kind words on this thread and in my in-box, and best wishes.
WP
Oops! I forgot to mention in the previous comment that I have a new email address which you may prefer: winter@winterpatriot.com
ReplyDeleteJames tried to post the following comment here, but was denied permission (I don't know why) and posted it here instead.
ReplyDelete~~~
the odd one out
"But unfortunately for eleven of them, "released" in this case did not mean "set free." Instead they were called threats to national security and transferred from one prison to another, to await deportation hearings."
why is it that there is always one released and the rest are held incommunicado? Ok, rhetorical question!
Belated thanks to SGY for the very kind words and apologies for the slow response. I've been at a loss for words, and wondering whether SGY might be an alias for my long-time friend, Norm.
ReplyDeleteNorm is bright, witty, articulate, very kind, and an absolute genius at dreaming up big, complicated projects for other people to work on. ;-) So you reminded me of him in a BIG way!!
Lay it on thin, SGY! and I hope you will follow along and enjoy the story as it unfolds.
From ch 62-
ReplyDelete""And how does this all relate to Gareth Williams?" I asked.
"Remember that drop of water," replied my friend, "and bear with me for a little longer."
Damn it all, man. Spit this "drop of water" out, will you! I can't stand the wait any more! hahaha
Greetings, Winter,
ReplyDeleteGreat to be reading the new chapters!
Eager to see to where all the twists and turns will lead.....
Keep 'em coming!
Best,
A Northern Fan
Thanks to James and the GWN for your recent comments. I appreciate your support and I hope you will continue to enjoy the story.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm afraid it's going to have to unfold at its own pace. (I don't have much more control of it than you do!)
I hope to post the next several chapters in relatively rapid succession (and I need to do so, because I also am anxious to get on to the next set of twists and turns!)
;-)
more soonest
WP
"When you're on a good thing, stick to it?"
ReplyDeleteThis is never more true than when it applies to evil people and their plots. I suppose it suits their situation of being short on creativity.
The legal scam that put these men in jail must extend to the whole court process and everyone involved incl the jury. Though, I can imagine the jurors are as much patsies as the defendants being hand picked by expert jury 'consultants'. The rest is theatre played by the prosecutor, the judge and the defense. No one must puncture the fairy tale presented to the jury (and the wider world).
I also am anxious to get on to the next set of twists and turns
ReplyDeletesame here! i didn't imagine this story would lead where the past few chapters have brought us. looking forward to the next installments as much as ever,
-njt
Hi again WP!
ReplyDeleteI am still enjoying your yarn.
Here's another idea for you: After you wrap this up, why not package it as an e-book? And it would also work well as an audio book. Then get some links happening at Sherlock fan sites. (Just a thought!)
By the way, I'm not your old friend Norm, I'm afraid. I only recently discovered your illuminating existence via a link to your blog from another blog I wandered by. From there I came across Sherlock and was instantly hooked.
Kind regards, SGY
hmmmm . . . peering into the future a little for Holmes and Watson, ch65 reminds me of this story-
ReplyDeleteQueen arrives in Ireland after bomb discovery
Great link, James. Thanks very much for that one!
ReplyDeleteThanks also to njt and SGY. I am happy to know you are coming along for the ride as the story continues to unfold.
Still reading and marvelling at Holmes'/your clever explication of this important case, WP.
ReplyDeleteAn excellent piece of work! Many thanks.
What a surfeit of insights, Winter! Bravo, I'm mightily impressed.
ReplyDeleteWhen Gareth realised that Rauf's emails and their code was designed to capture our 'Liquid Bombers', it must have set off a veritable cascade of ground shaking thoughts and insights.
What is it? - Fool me once shame on you. But fool me twice, shame on me. (I like the way George Bush tells it better, though!)
If I remember correctly, Ned Lamont received a lot of support from bloggers for the primary and they then saw themselves becoming a political force. So I think that is another thing that the hierarchy in the Democrats (especially Rahm Emmanuel) as well as the Republicans were keen to knock on the head.
ReplyDeleteI'm starting to think these mystics are right. Everything really is connected!
Thanks for all the very kind recent comments. I plead guilty to ignoring this thread while I worked on the last several chapters of Part V, but it is good to see so many people still following along -- and willing to say so!
ReplyDeleteI need to take a few days off before I can start Part VI, but I hope to get it going by the middle of next week. I'll be back with Chapter 76 as soon as I can.
This is all fascinating and very well written. Entertaining as well as insightful. One quick question though. Where does the Holland Park tube, cafe and the like come into this? Admittedly, when the story first broke, my first reaction was that here's a chap who has been 'stepping out' with one of the Notting Hill set. Apparently the lifestyle floaters were all red herrings, but why would he be hanging out in front of a tube stop?
ReplyDeleteCracking stuff, WP.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait for the denouement!
Thanks, Craggy. Glad you're still following along.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your questions, Anonymous. I hope Part VI will provide all the answers you could ask for.
Fantastic job, Winter!
ReplyDeleteYou certainly have become very prolific in the last 2 weeks!
And the possibility that Gareth was set up through his "new identity" for his subsequent murder is not improbable or even far fetched, considering the clear set ups that the various "strains" of "Bombers" (shoe, liquid, underwear, etc.) have been. NONE of them had plausible, or even possible, plans to carry out any effective terrorist attack. They were ALL non-functional, which is why none of them caused any harm.
Keep those chapters coming!
Regards from the GWN,
A northern fan
Aaaarrrggh!! After reading ch83 (and the last half dozen), i'm so on the edge of my seat i'm damned if i know how i can be still sitting on it.!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat writing, Winter. i figure you must have been a sadist in a previous life, hahaha
Right there with you, James! :)
ReplyDeleteOne thing that puzzles me about the "MI5/6 did it" angle (which has been the most likely explanation since early on in both "real" and "fictionalised" versions of this story) is: could the authorities not have just had the murder hushed upand if so, why didn't they?
ReplyDeleteWhile there is the possibility that those in charge of the hit may have delierately sought publicity, and the hints of it being an inside job, in order to discourage other potentially dissident agents from attempting to stir up trouble (assuming that was what Williams was doing), would it not have been simpler just to do away with him quietly and gag any publicity (do they have that sort of power?). Could they not have just slipped him a traceless heart attack or cancer pill? Why the publicity-generating drama?
Hi, craggy. Thanks for your questions.
ReplyDeleteHolmes and Watson have discussed the fact that media coverage of this story was not suppressed (when it easily could have been) and the potential meaning of this fact, in chapters 6 and 22.
They may discuss this further in upcoming chapters, and I don't want to steal any of their thunder, so to speak.
But to me it is clear that a body in a bag sends a much more powerful message than a death by heart attack or cancer.
Yes, there would have been simpler ways to silence him, but silencing him was clearly not the only thing the killers were trying to do.
And since one of the other things the killers were trying to do was to send a powerful message, suppressing coverage of the case would have been counter-productive to their aims.
~~~
Please don't hesitate to ask more questions if you have any. (Not just craggy, but everybody!)
If Holmes and Watson do not answer your questions in the story, I will try to do so in the comment thread.
Thanks again for reading and best wishes
WP
Thanks for that perceptive and lucid reply, WP.
ReplyDeleteI should have known you'd already discussed this issue - it seems like a long time ago now and I had forgotten.
I love Holmes' trap for the Minister!
Great work Holmes!
ReplyDeleteHere's a question for you, where is the real world Buckingham Slate and what's he waiting for?
Gareth Williams worked under David Miliband until 11 May 2010, then William Hauge. If he was set up, as you say, it was the former, but carried out by the latter. Same at MI6, Jack Straw then John Sawyer. After reading the CIA manual on Intellegence Analysis, and using their procedures,I came to the conclusion that there was an 85% chance that MI6 is behind it. I still wonder what Dr. Williams had discovered that he had not yet leaked. The list of possible information is endless. However, several names always pop up. Peter Munk,Nadhumi Auchi,Marc Rich,Peter Mandelson,Nat Rothchild,Saif al-Islam Gaddafi,George Osborne,Oleg Deripaska,Prince Albert II of Monaco,George Herbert Walker IV,and Adnan Khashoggi. Remember Gareth's last assingment was investigating money laundering in the City of London by Russian,Chinees, and Turkish gangs.I believe that he uncovered a elite,world wide, group of people who are involved. His last leak is Assange's "insurance policy".Good luck!
ReplyDelete"I think he's delirious," replied Buckingham Slate.
ReplyDelete"They all are," added Sherlock Holmes.
You demonstrated that beautifully, Winter. How he slips back and forth between reality and delusion and contradicting himself on the way. And all without skipping a beat.
They look rational and sound sane until cornered and stressed. Great stuff!
Anonymous, only 85% chance?
ReplyDeleteAnd what had Gareth leaked and to whom?
Well I'm sorry, gOogle, but that was two questions, not one (as promised). And I don't have an answer for to either of them.
ReplyDeleteI will say, though, that if one existed, I wouldn't have had to invent it.
I also am curious about the 85% estimate.
ReplyDeleteDoes this mean there's another suspect (or group of suspects) attracting 15% of the available suspicion?
If so, pray tell us who?
Not my estimate (even if I also hail as Anonymous), but I would think at least 15% goes to the idea that whoever killed him, once they realised that they'd killed (intentionally or otherwise) an GCHQ employee, decided to make it look like a 'neat job.' After all, we don't know all that much about the crime scene, and conflicting reports about the condition of the body (and the advanced state of decay, versus bruises on elbows, etc) make it very unclear even if he died in the bag.
ReplyDeleteI respect each reader's right to form his own opinion of the case, regardless of whether I agree with it. And I welcome any alternative explanations of the case, even if I personally find them unconvincing.
ReplyDeleteI also think that all such explanations should be subject to rigourous examination to see how sound they may be.
The previous anonymous comment implies that unknown individuals with unknown motives killed Gareth Williams (possibly by accident) without knowing very much about him, and then found out he was an employee of British intelligence ....
So they covered their tracks by disguising the scene to make it look like a professional hit [which is, of course, much easier said than done]!
And to enhance their chances of success, they spread vicious, lurid lies about the victim, to all segments of the British press more or less simultaneously [or else somebody else just happened to do so, beginning as soon as the body was discovered]!
And then to make sure they got away clean, they arranged for an "investigation" in which the detectives nominally assigned to solve the case were not permitted to speak directly with anyone who worked with the victim during the past decade [or else such an arrangement just happened to be put into place without their knowledge or consent].
It all sounds very probable to me. I think 15% is a very stingy estimate.
But seriously ... I disagree very strongly with the assertion that "we don't know all that much about the crime scene," because in my opinion the crime was not simply muder but murder plus slander; and it was played out on the front pages of the London dailies; and we know more than enough about that.
In my view, the process can start by eliminating any suspect who was not capable of planting those stories. It can continue by eliminating any suspect who was not capable of hampering the investigation. Those who remain on the list would be worthy of further consideration.
All readers are welcome to disagree with me, and to say so in this thread. But unless they [at least] make an effort to show where my reasoning is flawed, they shouldn't expect me to take them very seriously.
It would have to be a very very unsafe safe house for anonymous 5.33's theory to hold bath water.
ReplyDeleteSome other questions regarding the plausibility of this scenario:
ReplyDeleteIf Williams had become a dissident agent, and hence a security risk, why would "they" not just apply force (threaten his career, blackmail him, etc) to encourage him to cease his activities? Why take the ultimate step of a high profile hit to silence him?
Also, is there any evidence to suggest he was under strain, perhaps from wrestling with his conscience or being leant on in some form, in the months prior to his death? Have any of his friends, family or acquaintances reported him acting out of character in this period?
felix: Thanks for saying! I couldn't agree with you more!
ReplyDeletecraggy: Thanks very much for the questions. Holmes and Watson are planning to explore these and other pertinent questions in detail in the next set of chapters, so I don't want to do so here.
Quick answers, then:
[1] and [2] : because "they" wanted to send a message;
[3] and [4] : no.
The CIA manual on Analysis gives you a precentage on any agency you input. I did CIA<NSA,Mossad,ect. MI6 was the highest. As to what he leaked and to who; Before Bradly Manning, Dr. Williams was involved with Daniel Houghton. He was sent to befriend Gareth and set him up leaking documents on CD's. Houghton got caught instead. Gareth was leaking to Assange, a CIA operative. Manning was not as talented as Williams in codes. Remember Manning was ratted out by convicted hacker Lamos, also a government agent. Many people have died that leaked to Assange. Gudren Loftus for example. The murder of Dr. Williams leads to the top of UK and US government along with the banking industry and the "Crown Sisters". For more information check out Abeldanger.net and codshit.blogspot.com.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I don't want to preempt Holme's analysis. I await his insights eagerly.
ReplyDeleteFrom my research Nadhmi Auchi held the mortage on the MI6 "safe" house. He also lent money to Tony Rezko, and Barrack H. Obamma. My blog Operation Finlynson will detail it all. Please be patient I have just begun. The research into Gareth's death alone has been ongoing since August 25, 2010. The research into the money laundering, drug and arms dealing has been going on for years. It took Dr. Gareth William's death to tie it all together. Most people will not believe it because it is too fantastic. But it has become my obsession and as Miss. Marple said," once you start you can never go back, no matter how dangerious".
ReplyDeleteAnonymous: Thank you for your extended comments at 3:42 and 4:16. I have encountered some of these claims previously, but I have never seen any evidence to support them.
ReplyDeleteAt face value, some of your assertions appear counter-intuitive, such as the bit about Houghton being sent to set up Williams and getting himself caught instead. (Normally stings work because stingers have immunity; otherwise they would all be in jail by now.) So if you could provide some evidence to support what you're saying, it would make a big difference.
For complete info on Houghton see codshit.blogspot.com. Basicly Houghton was told to befriend Williams through a common intrest. Houghton had UK and Dutch citizenship. He contacted the Dutch to sell info. Judge said it appeared he didn't know what he was doing and he was selling to a friendly country, so he gave him 1 year from September 2009 to 2010. That kept him away from Williams util he could be killed. Houghtons roommate at the time worked for Barclays Bank. On another note. Bradly Manning's mother is Welsh, she currently lives is Wales. Maybe she knows something? I am the other anonymous, hereafter 0069.
ReplyDeleteHas Holmes mugged up on the curious case of Dr Kelly? There are a few similarities, vidilicet: there has not and probably will never be an Inquest and there is also a safe house connection. Unfortunately most of the available evidence has a strong thread of dissembling running through it like the lettering in Blackpool Rock.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that can be certain is the Dr K neither committed suicide nor did he die where he was found. Every other option is open. Perhaps the former also doesn't apply in the Alderney Street mystery either?
The strange behaviour of the Doctor's family and the perplexing death certificate initially led me to believe that he might be still alive. I still can't get that out of my head.
It's a very creepy case, felix, with some very creepy parallels. Can't say much more at the moment, but maybe later.
ReplyDeleteMaybe these deaths are also related to Gareth Williams; Matt Simmons,9 August 2010 USA, Yuri Ivanov, August 2010 Turkey,Gudrun Loftus, October 2010 UK. WikiLeaks began in 2006 and ended in 2011. Most of the information was between 2004 and 2009. Manning only claimed two leaks. Where did the rest come from? If you look at the leaks it is obvious they came from someone that could intercept every kind of communications, someone that worked at MI5. Maybe a Welsh Nationalist, yet naive enough to trust Assange. The "insurance file" was announced July 2010. Then the leakers and exposed spys were rolled up. Look who is sheltering Assange and his relationship to the other, boys in the club, and it will lead you to the people behind all of this.
ReplyDeletejust today as i carried about my business in a public place i was subjected to a television informing me that a domestic terror plot had been thwarted and 4 brownish to blackish scary guys were caught. I don't need to know much more, having followed this story, to guess that these are patsies and their big plot had no chance.
ReplyDeletethanks.
Clearly the Russian mafia story is absurd, but why the plant? Whose interests are served?
ReplyDeleteIn my view, the primary purpose of the "Russian mafia story" is simple misdirection, and the interests served are those of the usual suspects.
ReplyDeleteEver since this story broke last August, there has been a recurring pattern in the news reports. Whenever a fact concerning the "legal/investive process" is published, it is accompanied (i.e. overwhelmed) by some other bit of nonsense, always from an anonymous source, and always leading away from the facts of the case.
In this instance, the Mail on Sunday reported that the long-delayed inquest is scheduled to be resumed in September. That bit of news was buried deep in the body of an article which was almost completely about something else and almost certainly complete rubbish. So it goes.
The First Post picked up on all the rubbish but failed to include the bit about the inquest being scheduled to resume. MSN carried the First Post piece verbatim. So it goes. The rubbish gets out to the whole world, while the news about the "process" is left hanging in the wind.
If not for the rubbish accompanying the fact, the headline would have been something like "Gareth Williams Inquest To Resume In September" and the story would have been all about how the investigation's been going nowhere and how the police can't question the spooks directly, and so on.
And we couldn't have that, could we?
But no doubt some other hurdle will be erected in September to put off the inquest even further (think Terry Jupp, 8 years!)...best to bury the real story in case anybody remembers it in a few months time. No journalist seems to be inquisitive about the pathetic reasons for delaying so far.
ReplyDeleteIsn't at least possible this story has been D-listed?
ReplyDeletePutin is head of the Saint Petersburg gang of the Russian Mafia. His man in Europe is Oleg Deripaska, where Lord Mandelson spent the night on his hugh boat while attending Nat Rothschild's birthday party for Saif al-Islam al Quadiffi. Others in attendance were; George Osbourn, Peter Munk, and Prince Albert II of Monaco. All Gay or bi! Gareth put together the money laundering of drug and arms profits with the elite boys club and leaked it to Assange, who is gay or bi.
ReplyDeleteAs to the "safe house", it is or was mortaged by Nadhmi Auchi who financed Obama's Senate run and loaned money to Tony Rezko to help Omama, who is gay or bi, buy a house.
Fascinating stuff, WP.
ReplyDeleteI found myself thinking of this clip while reading Chapters 96-97. It sums up some of the moral V. pragmatic debate around foreign policy quite well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eovei355l4o
I have to admit that I thought the most obvious explanation of the passport and files at Sian's house was that he had a crush on her and was trying to impress her with the 'secret agent' stuff. The gay story does seem preposterous, but he still came across as very naive socially and perhaps a little too interested in impressing (via buying her expensive clothes and taking up her interest in fashion as a hobby of his own) a girl whom he had known as a boy and quite possibly rather fancied.
ReplyDeleteWhat? A boy with a crush on a girl?
ReplyDeleteYes, of course!
As for the aforementioned 15%, surely a News of the World phone hacking plan gone badly awry deserves at least some consideration? More plausible than Russian mafias, one would think...
ReplyDeleteI think that all the information provided by the media is suspect. Sian Lloyd-Jones also said Gareth was going on a motoring vacation to the West coast of the US in July 2010. No one has followed up that story. Her quote of Gareth's message on her machine, "How's it hanging?" The fact, she says, that he liked to sleep on her couch and burn her expensive candels. Come on, he was Gay! She is in denile. I have met plenty of women who tried to "change" me.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous: if you are suggesting that Gareth Williams could have been killed by a phone hacking scandal, then you get the award for best theory of the week.
ReplyDelete0069: Certainly all the information provided by the media is suspect. Otherwise we wouldn't be here.
The comments you quote from Sian Lloyd-Jones do not prove to me that he was gay, but you are surely entitled to your opinion.
Basically, I'm suggesting that Williams may well have become aware of the extent of press/police collusion, on phone hacking and other surveillance matters. The extent of press complicity on covering this up is surprising. You'd think there would be at least one broadsheet or tabloid with an incentive to poke a bit deeper.
ReplyDeleteHate to bust your story line, case solved. For the answer go to Abeldanger.net, on 07/10/2011. Bye bye.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry. You haven't busted anything of mine.
ReplyDeleteCase solved? LOL.
Bye bye? Totally!
The thing I don't quite get is that if Gareth Williams became disillusioned with the War on Terror (which is not inconceivable), why not just go to work for Google, Amazon, or any of the HFT firms around London? He'd be snapped up in a heartbeat:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/8635959/Whizz-kids-deserting-the-spy-world-as-threat-of-attacks-increases.html
I agree he could have done so had he wanted to. But clearly he didn't.
ReplyDeleteMaybe he figured he'd been working for the wrong side for too long.
Maybe rather than simply jump off and make some money, he decided to try and even the score just a little bit.
Here's another possibility: perhaps Gareth Williams is still alive, and simply staged his own disappearance. He was fit and strong enough to carry a holdall with a decomposing body into his own flat. And creating the ambiguity re his personal life vs. some kind of assassination would be one way to stick his fingers in the eyes of his employees. The family has gone silent, and perhaps he has found some circumspect way of letting them know. And it would explain both the very quick web searches of bondage sites and also his 'two passports' and the flirtatious moments with Sian when he fell asleep on the sofa - as if planting some seeds with her too. But if he is still alive, what's he doing at the moment? And how worried might his superiors be?
ReplyDeleteOf course, training for or preparing to take on a new identity might also have required GW to "die" first if it was a very very sensitive operation.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, if Gareth Williams staged his own death in an MI6 safe house, he would have needed the co-operation of MI6 itself due to the surveillance equipment they would have had in and around their own safehouse.
ReplyDeleteThe thing that counts against his being set up for undercover work is that he was demonstrably unsuited to that kind of work because he rather naive, as everyone attests, and he wasn't in any way an accomplished liar or deceiver.
James, why are you so sure it was a 'safe house', much less one in the Robert Ludlum or Ken Follet mode??
ReplyDeleteGood point, 5:10. We don't know if it were GW's body in the bag, we don't know if it were a 'safe house'. There is no reason to believe anything we are told.
ReplyDeleteI always thought the parading of Dr David Kelly through the streets for the benefit of the camera before his appearance before the select committee was purely theatrical. Kelly on the other hand certainly wasn't naive.
The building at 36 Alderney Street was widely reported to be a safe house, and as far as I know, nothing has been published which would lead us to doubt it.
ReplyDeleteThe body was widely reported to be that of Gareth Williams, but in this case, we have reason to doubt it, because of a statement attributed to a government official as to the means of identification used.
And you don't have to be Ludlum of Follett to believe safe houses are covered in surveillance equipment. Such gear is, and has been for a long time, the least expensive way to enhance the security of a building. Safe houses were fitted with electronic surveillance 50 years ago, long before the internet, when such things were much more expensive and much less common.
Now there are surveillance cameras in elevators and coffee shops, junk stores and "random" intersections. Are we supposed to believe that modern "safe houses" are less well-appointed than their predecessors. Are we supposed to believe "safe houses" have less surveillance gear, or are protecting less precious contents, than junk shops or elevators?
~~~
Aside from the difficulty of staging his own death in such a "safe" place, there remain the questions of how and why he managed to get the British press to slander him so comprehensibly.
In my opinion the probability that Gareth Williams is still alive is very, very small, and the probability that he staged his own death is much, much slimmer than that. I think it is much more likely that the police did a shoddy job in identifying the body.
As always, you are welcome to your own opinions.
Only a small point - a body is often not formally identified at the place of death. In this case, it was three days afterwards. What connects Gareth Williams' body with Alderney Street? What we are told?
ReplyDeleteAs you say,WP, one might expect plenty of high quality images of comings and goings at a safe house.
Well, that depends on what you mean by "expect."
ReplyDeleteI expect (i.e. suppose) that such images exist, but I do not expect (i.e anticipate) that we will ever see any of them.
I accept that the flat may have been a 'safe house' in the past and may even have been leased for that purpose, should it be needed. But just because the flat could be used as a 'safe house' doesn't mean it was being used as one by Williams. Surely it's at least conceivable that 'safe houses' that are spare at the moment (i.e. no need to put a defector in one) could be offered as housing to officers on secondment from other branches? Especially in a tight housing market in Prime Central London, it seems like the sensible thing to do. So it's possible the surveillance equipment, while there, wasn't actually on, a fact that might be convenient for any number of people...
ReplyDeleteI would be very surprised if any safe house were leased rather than purchased outright. Intelligence services such as MI6 all have huge black budgets and none of them ever need to rent or lease anything they would rather buy.
ReplyDeleteConsidering the effort and expense required to convert a normal residence into a safe house, it is very difficult to imagine why anyone would want to do so much work to a property that belonged to somebody else.
Furthermore, the paper trail ascribing ownership to Russians based in the Caribbean is almost certainly false. (i.e. Would MI6 rent a building from Russians? and then convert it into a safe house?)
There are many reasons why safe houses are used, and the storing of defectors is only one of them. So the question of whether the flat was being used for such a purpose is essentially moot, in my opinion.
I agree "it's possible the surveillance equipment, while there, wasn't actually on," if "on" means "on at the time of the murder." But I have no doubt that it was "on" during the rest of the time Gareth Williams was living in the flat, either because he was regarded as a valuable asset worthy of protection, or (more likely) because he was regarded as a loose cannon who needed watching.
And if the surveillance was not "on" at the time of his death (or the time the body was deposited in the bathtub), then these questions arise: Who could have turned it off? and Who could have known that it would be turned off?
If it was "on" at the time, we must ask other questions: Who has the video? What does it show? and Who could have known that the video would never be used against them?
These questions are so potent that I do not expect them to be asked (except here), much less answered.
Greetings, WP!
ReplyDeleteFully concur with your analyses.
A highly valuable intelligence asset like Williams HAD to have been closely monitored at all times, particularly if his organization(s) had any doubts or concerns about his views on the value of his activities, for whatever reason.
Even if the press reports had not mentioned it, Williams had to be living in a safe house, with permanent visual and audio monitoring, again because of his value and the high relevance of his thoughts/motivations/actions relative to his work activities. Standard practice.
His meetings with potentially suspicious individuals (e.g., the "Mediterranean couple", if they actually exist) would also have been monitored.
Clearly, it would have been extremely difficult, if not impossible, for outsiders (i.e., non-MI6) to carry out William's murder without being recorded. Even if the murder had occurred outside of the safe house, the murderer(s) would have been recorded bringing his body into the safe house and Williams' own quarters, and again when departing.
And the official story that he had been dead nearly one week before someone decided to check up on him is also clearly B.S.. A valuable asset like Williams would have been checked on within minutes of his noted absence, not days later. He was not a run-of-the-mill faceless nobody working on a production line among thousands who could take off for 2 weeks without any impact on the production line, he was a very unique code breaker working on highly sensitive projects. Special agents would have been tasked to locate him within minutes of any unexplained absence. Standard procedure.
Also, as you pointed out, it would have been very easy for MI6 to greatly minimize, if not totally suppress, the media coverage about him. Instead, we were treated to a series of fake stories and innuendos about him, obviously planted by those who have the capability to do so, just as they have the capability to have suppressed the media coverage.
Since no intelligence agency wants to be considered as incapable of protecting its prized assets (i.e., that they are incompetent to do so), the only logical solution is that it was an inside job, and there was an intended public message to other inside assets: "no matter how intelligent and valuable you are, you are still expendable, and we will get you if you step out of line".
All the rest is kabuki theatre, IMHO.
Eager to read more of your and Holmes' thoughts.
Best from the GWN,
A northern fan
Hi WP,
ReplyDeletejust noticed a little piece from Gordon Thomas, published online on Christmas Day in the Telegraph -
"[Tamir Pardo, new head of Mossad]has already made his first move to mend fences [after the fake passpost Dubai assassination] by deploying Mossad's powerful facial recognition technology to assist in solving the mystery of the death of MI6 codebreaker Gareth Williams, whose body was discovered in a padlocked bag in the bath of a flat in London.
The sophisticated system, known as Faces, is being used to sift through Mossad's vast database of faces to try to match e-fit images of the couple of Mediterranean appearance who Scotland Yard detectives believe had visited the flat in previous weeks. The Israeli agency believes the man is likely to be of Greek origin and the woman to have a Lebanese background."
That was a kind and very helpful offer. I wonder what became of it?
Thanks very much for the tip. Holmes and Watson may find the article very helpful if and when they see it.
ReplyDeleteGordon Thomas looks like a sayanim, from all the articles which I've read by/about him.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't trust what he says, but his presence and comments are worth analysing. Why is he appearing here (directly or indirectly)?
Best from the GWN,
A northern fan
Greetings, Winter,
ReplyDeleteA little research on Gordon Thomas indicates that he's a mouthpiece for Mossad. If so, the reported offer from Tamir Pardo should be analysed critically.
Best,
A northern fan
Did you all notice another body in a bag in lewisham this week?
ReplyDeleteI did! Here are some links to that story:
ReplyDeleteDaily Mail: Skeletal remains of man dressed in a suit found dumped in windsurfing bag in residential street
Mirror: Skeleton in a suit found in windsurfer bag
This Is Local London: Appeal over identity of decomposing body found near flats in Lovelinch Close, New Cross
More fun and games...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2025701/Russian-Embassy-car-spotted-near-body-bag-spys-home-days-murdered.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
Greetings, Winter,
ReplyDeleteHope you're doing well.
When can we expect to read more???
Best from the GWN,
A northern fan
Hello to the GWN and thanks for checking in.
ReplyDeleteApparently I am not doing as well as one would hope! I am still struggling with my rehab and also (even more so) with work, which has been hairy for several months now. I have been struggling to keep multiple plates spinning, so to speak, and it's been very draining.
I don't expect the situation to be this way for much longer, but until it changes, I will probably have very little (read: no) time or energy for anything else. I haven't even been able to neglect my kids properly. And meanwhile the to-do list is piling up.
Realistically, if I get another chapter or two written in the next month, we'll be lucky. Things should begin to improve (gradually) after that. Maybe. It's hard to tell from here.
In these times, I am fortunate to have work, and especially fortunate to have the sort of arrangement I do. So I can't complain. But (from the blogging perspective) it gets awfully inconvenient at times.
I will get back to this story as soon as I can, and in the meantime I wish you (and both my other readers) all the best.
;-)
Greetings, Winter,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update. Sincerely wish things get much better for you soonest.
Keep up your spirits.
Whatever ails you, always remember: "This too shall pass."
IMHO, the karma of the entire universe is currently in turmoil, probably due to the sad fact that mass murdering psychopaths have taken control of our planet, and millions of innocent souls are paying the price for their evil and greed. But this too shall pass, and the universe shall be restored to its natural balance. We just need to continue to pursue fairness and justice toward our fellow inhabitants of this planet, our small part in this huge universe.
In my advanced years, I've come to realize that everything happens for a reason, whether we realize it or not. Even as good souls are currently experiencing hardships while evil souls are temporarily in control, this is not the natural order of the universe. I am not a religious man, but I've come to believe in this karma: the universe shall unfold as it should. Not that we should resign ourselves to whatever evil we are currently fighting, but that we should continue to fight it, because we will beat it, if we don't give up.
Sincere apologies if my comments seem like platitudes. They are not original thoughts, because many others before us have gone through similar times of tribulations and despair, and their philosophical observations have become part of our global "learned wisdom". In a universal time frame, the "Dark Ages" do not last indefinitely....they are are always succeeded by periods of "Enlightenment". As the "good guys", it's up to us to keep up the "good fight" and never let the bastards wear us down.
All the above "clichés" are part of the collective wisdom. They exist because they are true, at least IMHO.
From your friend and admirer in the GWN,
A northern fan
Thanks very much. I appreciate your kind words of support, and no apologies are necessary.
ReplyDeleteFortunately, although my body has been causing me trouble and my work has been very daunting lately, I have not lost my feeble sense of humour, and my spirits are still as good as ever.
And my physical condition continues to improve, albeit slowly. I still have a lot of ground to cover, but I'm going in the right direction.
As soon as we get certain technical and other problems solved in the little corner of the universe that pays my bills, I will be able to return to blogging, in some form or another (hopefully both at my main site and here too).
And maybe that won't take as long as I expect. You just never know. More soonest. ;-)
Winter,
ReplyDeleteVery glad to hear.
Best,
A northern fan
Warm greetings and all strength to you, WP.
ReplyDeleteYour efforts are much appreciated.
Thanks for the new chapter WP. I was wondering what the boys had been up to lately. :)
ReplyDeleteI note 'Able Danger' recently making an appearance here and on the community blog. Hmmmm
Glad to hear you're rehab is still moving in the right direction!
Thanks very much, craggy and McJ.
ReplyDelete"Able Danger" was an intelligence operation tracking (but not hindering) the 9/11 hijackers, of which far too little has been made, in my opinion. But then I think far too little has been made of hundreds of so-called "anomalies" in the 9/11 tale.
"Abel Danger" as in "AbelDanger dot net" (note the spelling) is something quite different. I have no desire to say anything about the latter at this point, but perhaps some day Holmes or Watson may do so.
I was hoping that another chapter would arrive sooner rather than later. But now I cannot find my draft of that chapter (did I accidentally delete it?? ARGGGGH!!) so it may take longer than I used to think. Oh well. More soonest.
That sucks, losing your chapter!
ReplyDeleteAnd, I was referring to Able Danger dot net. I look forward to whatever the detective and the good doctor have to say. :)
Is Abel Danger related to AmanfromMars?
ReplyDeleteGreetings, Winter,
ReplyDeleteHaven't seen any sign of life from you in a long while. Sincerely hope you are doing well.
Throw us a bone at your early convenience.
Best from the GWN,
A northern fan
Hi WP - looking forward to the return of Sherlock's forensic skills. On a distantly related subject, the inquest, opened 30 March 2011, into the alleged suicide by hanging of the Deputy Chief Constable of Wiltshire, David Ainsworth in March seems to have hit a similar brick wall.
ReplyDeleteFrom the Wiltshire Gazette & Herald...
"An inquest was opened yesterday morning into the death of Wiltshire deputy chief constable David Ainsworth, who was found hanged in his garage in Potterne last week.
Coroner David Ridley recorded that prior to the arrival of acting detective chief inspector Peter Chamberlain his body was taken down and was lying in a garage attached to the house. He was identified by his partner, Joanna Howells, and by the chief inspector, before being taken to Salisbury district hospital.
Mr Ridley said he was satisfied with the identification evidence and had signed the burial order. He then adjourned the inquest until a later date, with a review due on June 1, and a target date later that month. "
I wonder what the problem is??
Thanks very much for the recent comments from Anonymous and the GWN. Regarding the latter, I couldn't stand the thought of throwing my readers a bone. I think you deserve something boneless. So please enjoy that and I will be back as soon as I can.
ReplyDeleteGood to see the game's still afoot. But I'm puzzled by Sherlock's reference to Mycroft's "mortal soul."
ReplyDeleteThere's no reason, I suppose, to assume that every soul is immortal. But Sherlock's soul surely is, since he not only survived that plunge over the Reichenbach Falls in his death struggle with Prof. Moriaty, but he is demonstrably still alive and in his prime more than 100 years later.
But perhaps "mortal" was merely a typo.
Hello, CanSpeccy, and thanks for your very thoughtful comment.
ReplyDeleteTo Holmes, "save your mortal soul" may be more a figure of speech than anything else. But as I understand it, the implication is that if the soul were immortal, it would not need to be saved.
Or perhaps it is a sideways reference to an old sweet song ...
Do you believe in rock n roll?
Can music --- --- --- --- ?
And can you teach me how to dance
real slow?
You never know with these guys. It wouldn't be the first time.
Me, I'm just the scribe.
Apologies for the long delay since the last chapter, and more apologies for inevitable delays in the near future. But in the meantime here is a very interesting (and possibly related) story, from Pravda:
ReplyDeleteMember of Argentine government dies during dangerous sex games
Re your last post. These things do happen. A friend of mine found his father hanged and dressed in a tutu. He was a hotel manager and of no political importance. The Holmes case quite clearly is another matter entirely so mentioning the Argentine fellow may serve only to diffuse. From what I have read, these type of kinky people seem to be attracted to politics.
ReplyDeleteI do hope all is well with you and we might hope for a new Chapter early in the new year.
Very best wishes for 2012.
I've been a Sherlock Holmes fan ever since I was a youngster, and therefore I commend the author on his Sherlock 'chops', which brought back fond memories. I think Sir Arthur would find it a worthy read!
ReplyDeleteHowever, I think you should perhaps be pointing Sherlock in a new direction? I say that, because according to another modern day sleuth, Wayne Madsen, it was in fact Mossad that did the evil deed of murdering Gareth Williams in that most ghastly way! According to Madsen's theory, Mossad wanted to get rid of William's because he was on to their fake terrorist attack scheme and was planning on exposing them. Madsen claims that the murder has caused a rift between MI6 and Mossad, with MI6 vowing to get revenge against the Zionist agency. According to my sources, Mossad and MI6 are both ultimately controlled by the international banker cabal, with the House of Rothschild at the top of the pyramid. Perhaps Sherlock Holmes could look into this most fascination and horrifying international incident further? Wayne Madsen is a good place to start - he has a search function for all his articles at his website, the "www.waynemadsenreport.com". Type in "Gareth Williams" for all his information on that subject, although there is a nominal membership fee it's well worth it. I've been following him from the beginning, and along with Sherlock Holmes he is one of the best.
Sincerely,
David Currie
Oh, please. Nat Rothschild is undoubtedly a twat, but he's not in charge of an international Zionist conspiracy. If you must involve the banking angle, it's far more likely that Gareth Williams, who was apparently working on ways of tracing money laundering, stumbled onto the dry cleaning services provided by many in the City and the West End to 'box/bog standard' Russian oligarchs, most of whom can afford 'neat jobs' by retired members of any number of security forces.
ReplyDeleteAs you can see, I have been publishing comments regardless of whether or not I agree with them.
ReplyDeleteDo "retired members of any number of security forces" have secure access to MI6 safe houses, pipelines to all the major media, and the power to derail both Scotland Yard and the FBI? Yeah, sure! And so do Mossad, the Russian mafia, Irish Republicans, my step-mother, and "any numuber of" other suspects-du-jour.
Welcome back, Winter!!!!
ReplyDeleteVery, very happy to be reading you again. Hope you're doing well.
Excellent latest chapter of the Sherlock Holmes story. Congrats!
Not surprised about the 9/11 detour, since the evident murder of Williams has become a cold case, while there is still a huge amount of factual evidence demonstrating that 9/11 was an "inside AND outside job", with Darth Vader Cheney and his criminal gang of American/Israeli dual citizen traitors carrying out the most murderous terrorist attack ever on US soil.
If the brainwashed audience of Faux Noise ever discovered that they were manipulated for the mindless fools that Cheney et al considered them to be...all hell would break lose!! They would all simultaneously open another can of Bud!!!!!....and continue to watch the Faux Noise propaganda....without getting off their couches...to change channel....
I should have signed off.......
ReplyDeleteBest regards from the GWN,
A northern fan