*Britain spied on UN allies over war vote;

"Security Council members 'illegally targeted' by GCHQ after plea from US security agency"

[....]

"The Observer has discovered that a GCHQ translator, Katherine Gun, 29, who faces trial after leaking details of the US request, was hired by the surveillance centre as a Chinese language specialist. Documents of this level of secrecy are circulated on a strict 'need-to-know' basis. Security experts have said that it is highly unlikely that someone as junior as Gun would have seen the memo had she not been expected to use her language expertise in the operation.

She is thought to be an expert translator of Mandarin, the language of Chinese officialdom.

The memo, dated 31 January, 2003, stated that the security agency wanted to gather 'the whole gamut of information that could give US policymakers an edge in obtaining results favourable to US goals or to head off surprises'."

"The Official Secrets Act is not to protect secrets, it is to protect officials." (see picture below)

*Ex-nuke chief berates 'war salesman' Blair

"The former UN chief weapons inspector has claimed the British government dramatised the power of Iraq's alleged pre-war arsenal of illegal weaponry. Hans Blix singled out Prime Minister Tony Blair for particular criticism, saying he had behaved like a "vendor with some merchandise" in promoting government support for the US-led invasion and occupation."

[....]

"However [being a spineless bureaurcrat], the former Swedish diplomat concluded neither Blair nor US President George Bush acted in bad faith, but blamed "information management".