Farewell. The Flying Pig Has Left The Building.

Steve Hynd, August 16, 2012

After four years on the Typepad site, eight years total blogging, Newshoggers is closing it's doors today. We've been coasting the last year or so, with many of us moving on to bigger projects (Hey, Eric!) or simply running out of blogging enthusiasm, and it's time to give the old flying pig a rest.

We've done okay over those eight years, although never being quite PC enough to gain wider acceptance from the partisan "party right or wrong" crowds. We like to think we moved political conversations a little, on the ever-present wish to rush to war with Iran, on the need for a real Left that isn't licking corporatist Dem boots every cycle, on America's foreign misadventures in Afghanistan and Iraq. We like to think we made a small difference while writing under that flying pig banner. We did pretty good for a bunch with no ties to big-party apparatuses or think tanks.

Those eight years of blogging will still exist. Because we're ending this typepad account, we've been archiving the typepad blog here. And the original blogger archive is still here. There will still be new content from the old 'hoggers crew too. Ron writes for The Moderate Voice, I post at The Agonist and Eric Martin's lucid foreign policy thoughts can be read at Democracy Arsenal.

I'd like to thank all our regular commenters, readers and the other bloggers who regularly linked to our posts over the years to agree or disagree. You all made writing for 'hoggers an amazingly fun and stimulating experience.

Thank you very much.

Note: This is an archive copy of Newshoggers. Most of the pictures are gone but the words are all here. There may be some occasional new content, John may do some posts and Ron will cross post some of his contributions to The Moderate Voice so check back.


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Friday, September 11, 2009

What A Difference A Pond Makes

By Steve Hynd


Across the Atlantic, MI6, also known as the SIS, has referred itself for investigation by the Metropolitan Police over possible involvement in torture.



Foreign Secretary David Miliband confirmed the investigation in a letter to his Tory counterpart.


He said the case was referred by MI6 "on its own initiative" and was not prompted by an accusation against SIS or the person concerned.


He said: "As you are aware, the police are already looking at allegations related to Mr Binyam Mohamed.


"One further case has subsequently been referred by the Attorney General to the police.


"This case was referred to the Attorney General by SIS on its own initiative, unprompted by any accusation against the Service or the individual concerned.


"It is for the police to investigate. The Government cannot comment further both to avoid prejudice and to protect the individuals involved.


"The scope and handling of any police investigation is a matter for the police themselves."



The Metropolitan Police said it would not discuss the case further.


Details of the specific allegations, the place and date on which they are alleged to have occurred, who they were made against and by whom is unclear.


...Scotland Yard is already looking at claims made against MI6's sister organisation, MI5, by Mohamed, a former resident of Guantanamo Bay.


He says officers from the Security Service, which is tasked with countering threats against UK national security, were complicit in his torture while he was held in Pakistan, Morocco and Afghanistan.


It might all turn out to be more for appearances than actual substance, but on this side of the pond, the intelligence agencies are still dodging accountability for going along so blithely with trumped-up administration justifications for their crimes.



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