[Tubby Isaacs]

Latest Labour Government isn't allowed to do anything story.

Royal Mint Court residents plan legal challenge if Chinese ‘mega embassy’ in London approved
Claims of ‘government interference’ in decision on plans for vast outpost near Tower of London

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... ga-embassy

The interference seems to be that the Government called in the planning decision, after Tower Hamlets rejected it. Well might some of us wonder how the Government exercises call-in powers without interference. And something from Boris Johnson (as Foreign Secretary) in 2018.

IDS is on hand for comment.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Gordon Brown urges global democracies to defy Trump with declaration of support for self-determination and rule of law

Thanks, Gordo. They just did a statement on Greenland, and how did that go with Trump?

Perhaps things can't go any worse, but I'd ask some Ukrainians about that.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I see Canada, which was put forward by the usual bores as fighting Trump unlike weaky Starmer, has agreed in principle to join the Board of Peace. I don't think that's particularly heinous, but it does rather show that we're all in the same boat. Perhaps Canada is taking one for the team on this, as part of a coordinated response?

[Tubby Isaacs]

Chinese Embassy is approved.

Watch the Tories (including Boris Johnson, I expect) make out that the situation is totally different now to when they approved it.

[Tubby Isaacs]

MI5 and GCHQ chiefs say China mega-embassy risks can’t be eliminated but mitigation is ‘proportionate’

Yeah, but what does Iain Duncan Smith think? I thought the Tories were the party of national security?

[Tubby Isaacs]

The debate on the Chinese Embassy is as good as you'd expect. (Major) Dan Jarvis is having to listen to rubbish like this from Julian Lewis.

Does the minster accept, as he should, that this is a colossal propaganda win for totalitarian communist China.
And is there any argument which was used in favour of China getting this embassy that wouldn’t have carried exactly the same weight if totalitarian imperialist Russia had wanted to buy this building?

This was the same totalitarian imperialist China for whom the Tories approved the embassy? Moving to a large embassy is now a "colossal propaganda victory", is it?

The Lib Dems also know more than GCHQ and Mi5:

Lisa Smart, the Lib Dem spokesperson, said that allowing the application to go ahead would “further amplify China’s surveillance efforts here in the UK”.

Bores on all sides are piping up about "flawed process".

[Youngian]

Think it was Duncan-Smith who is concerned the building has a basement which could be used for torturing people.
The US moved out of Grosevnor Square into a sparkly new mega embassy. Is London the new Berlin or Helsinki where rival superpowers play out their espoinage games?
I hope so, a new generation of exciting spy novels awaits.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Sounds a bit like Callan.

The Telegraph did the basement story. I got the feeling they were fishing for something to make the Tories look less hypocritical.

[Boiler]

Sounds a bit like Callan.

I must dig out my b/w DVDs of that to watch again. Seriously good telly.