One Whitehall source sought to play down the impact of the breach: “The embarrassment of the loss is greater than the embarrassment of the contents of the documents.”

You know, it’s funny how much of our Australian news now comes from the USA rather than the UK, innit? And yet the future of our democracy could depend on how well the British can manage theirs (I don’t hold out much hope for the USA becoming a true democracy in my lifetime).

Well, what do YOU think the document says? Hmmn?

I have no idea what the document says, gandhi. I have not read it. That was my point, after all. I would form my opinion about what a document says after I have read it. That is, after all, what sensible people do.

Has Juan Cole read it? If not, how can he say:

one of the documents was a “‘top secret and in some cases damning’ assessment of Iraq’s security forces.”

?

If he has read it will he post it on-line so we can all do so and then form our own opinions?

I think your post here has just demonstrated the very point j_p_z was making about the primal nature of irony as a force along with gravity and electro-magnetism on the “Is LP Australia’s most influential blog” thread.

LOL.

Gordon Brown is so screwed, with luck his demise will bring down Jacqui Smith as well.

Mr Davis told reporters outside the House of Commons he believed his move was a “noble endeavour” to stop the erosion of British civil liberties…

In his resignation statement, Mr Davis attacked the growth of the “database state,” government “snooping” and the destruction of civil liberties.

“This cannot go on. It must be stopped and for that reason today I feel it is incumbent on me to make a stand,” he told reporters.

“At least my electorate and the nation as a whole will have had the opportunity to debate and consider one of the most fundamental issues of our day - the ever intrusive power of the state into our lives, the loss of privacy, the loss of freedom and the steady attrition undermining the rule of law,” he said.

Reality check: yes, the man is a Tory!

Well, what do YOU think the document says? Hmmn?

Juan Cole says one of the documents was a “‘top secret and in some cases damning’ assessment of Iraq’s security forces.”

Shh. Don’t tell John McCain or Fred Kagan, but they’ve just been busted.

But who knows? Maybe it’ll say that everything is going much better than the damned liberal media reports, and it will all be fantastic before November 2nd. Ya think????

There has been a whole LOT of highly sensitive data misplaced in the UK over the past few years, while the govt keeps making anti-terrorism laws ever tighter (and anti-Western militants ever more angry). Hard not to conclude that some senior Cabinet ministers are just not on the Blair-Brown wavelength, innit?

You could be right. This document, which spokespeople for the British government have owned up as one of their own, may indeed be full of nothing but tosh. This document may even be very complimentary of Mr Bush as a man of singular vision. And you’re correct. That would be very embarrassing for HMG.

“These are not documents that the government seek to hide just because they don’t want the public to know about it, they are documents that are operational documents that if released in that fashion would tell our enemies things that we don’t want our enemies to know.”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7449845.stm

Now, this “explanation” itself may be nothing but a pack of lies.

Which raises the question, why would a document full of tosh regarding Mr Bush as a man of singular vision be left on a train?

But that of course begs a prior question: why would the British government construct a document full of tosh praising Mr Bush as a man of singular vision?

Thank you for your clarifying remarks GregM. I can dimly perceive now why the spokesperson for HMG would be very upset about these unfortunate events.

Actually, the BBC correspondent’s name is Frank Gardner.

Perhaps Gordon Brown wishes that the dog had eaten the top secret and damning assessment of Bush’s Iraq fantasies left “accidentally” on the train.

What a testament to the power of modern communications technology, Katz. For hardly has this document been left on a train but it then falls into your hands so that you have read it and can make the confident judgement that it is a “damning assessment of Bush’s Iraq fantasies”. Since you obviously have it in your possession can you share it on-line with us so that we can all form our own opinions of its content?

Or perhaps you are going on the Independent report which quotes a Mr Gardner, whose role, position and competence to pass any judgement of his own is not identified by the Independent and who is not claimed by the Independent report, in any event, to have said what you have claimed.

Could this Mr Gardner be, perchance, Mr Chauncy Gardner?

I think we should be told.

Years ago we were told the story that Saddam had been trying to buy yellow cake from Africa - story based on forgeries. Now someone mislays a Secret doc or two. Nice to see we’re still in the club, though: “for UK, US, Canadian and Australian eyes only”.

http://www.itv.com/News/Articles/Secret-documents-left-on-train-141058160.html

Then again, perhaps not.

What better way to build a case for bugging out of Bush’s morass?

They’re not arresting the mighty Merk, are they? Just ‘cos he was critical of some Minister? Or does he terrorise other road users on his bicycle every morning?? Let’s hope you don’t get that standard phone call from Robert M: “I won’t be seeing you for a while but I’m safe”.

Poor old Robert, I’ll miss him

That shabby episode left the coppers (see Keelty, M) and the politicians in charge (see Andrew, K) looking like idiots or worse. By victimising Haneef so blatantly, so maliciously and so incompetently, they not ensured that legitimate measures to counter actual terrorism, not to mention superficial ones strictly for political show, will be infinitely harder to introduce. No wonder Rudd’s not going there.

Australian Labor don’t seem interested in finding out.

Well, not until they read about it here on Australia’s Most Influential Political BlogTM
Given Rudd’s febrile media relations habits, I think the government is about 3 bad headlines away from trying something like this on.

Why don’t we revisit this point in, say, 42 days’ time…after you get out?