Wlliamson Out

[Tim the Tank Nut]

It seems that Williamson got sacked by Prime Minister May,

Whether the victim of Chinese diplomacy or Chinese planted information the Government of the United Kingdom bowed to Chinese pressure and removed the man who was sending the Royal Navy's finest into waters disputed by China.

The reasons given are that he leaked a memo about Huaweii...

[JasonJ]

Pretty amazing how China has become a top dog with G5 telecommunications...

[Tim the Tank Nut]

if you pour enough government resources into a technology you can get results, China has the advantage of having no qualms about stealing other countries' tech so ground floor development isn't a cost for them

[Stuart Galbraith]

This man worked his nuts off to build up a decent military capablity, and he was cut off at the knees on purely circumstantial evidence. Its not that fanciful to compare it to the Dreyfus affair really. Meanwhile we have a Transport secretary that pissed away 50 million pounds through incompetence, and he gets to keep his job. You couldn't make it up.

 

I am really, really down about this. There will be no stopping the chainsaw murderers at the Treasury now.

[Stuart Galbraith]

I should add, its not a Chinese conspiracy. I think a lot of people had their knives sharpened to get him, and then they pounced. The only problem they have now is trying to make it stick, which if he keeps issuing denials as he has, might prove more difficult.

 

If its a crime, it should be prosecuted. If it isnt, why fire him?

[JasonJ]

He talked tough for UK military and of a Global Britain. To some degree I felt he talked over what was realistically feasible but I didn't mind and its sometimes helpful to do so to push things in that direction.

 

If he didn't leak infomation about it, then he may be presented with a choice to explain himself further by not oposing some degree of using Huawei G5. He probably would be against using it.

 

Of course there could be a lot of devil details within the Chinese tech such as the origins of parts and such. Still though, the way they gather data and and tell information makes US NSA look good.

Edited May 2, 2019 by JasonJ

[Stuart Galbraith]

Here is the thing. When Trump comes to visit in june, and he hears we are going to be buying from Huawei, I doubt he will be impressed. So it will quite possibly come down to an ultimatum, we either buy Chinese, or we can swap intelligence with America. The whole way May and Hammond have pushed through this thing is apalling, and pays absolutely no attention to the relationships we are trying to build with anyone else than China. And it pays no attention to our likely inability to do a deal with China when America, understandably, snaps its fingers over this.

 

If Williamson actually did this, he deserves to be prosecuted for it. Though its ironic as other have pointed out, they want to sack him for leaking, when they want to do deals with a Chinese company that does nothing else. What a colossially fucked up world we now live in.

 

 

May says there will be no investigation, and that it is now 'closed'. Which to my mind sounds incredibly convenient.

Edited May 2, 2019 by Stuart Galbraith

[JasonJ]

I found this link interesting about the various companies involved in 5G.

https://www.greyb.com/companies-working-on-5g-technology/#Samsung-Electronics-South-Korea

Edited May 2, 2019 by JasonJ

[Stuart Galbraith]

The relevant thread on Arrse is quite interesting. Top marks to that man who compared it to a remake of 'Downfall'.

https://www.arrse.co.uk/community/threads/gavin-williamson-sacked.292366/page-2

[Tim the Tank Nut]

what gives you the idea that China isn't pulling the strings here?

[Colin]

He talked tough for UK military and of a Global Britain. To some degree I felt he talked over what was realistically feasible but I didn't mind and its sometimes helpful to do so to push things in that direction.

 

If he didn't leak infomation about it, then he may be presented with a choice to explain himself further by not oposing some degree of using Huawei G5. He probably would be against using it.

 

Of course there could be a lot of devil details within the Chinese tech such as the origins of parts and such. Still though, the way they gather data and and tell information makes US NSA look good.

Almost like the Admiral Norman Case here

[Nobu]

The reaction to the leak is almost as indicative as the leak itself. London's loss of face from it is one aspect. Another is its measure of how much fear there is at the highest levels of government in the UK of Trump's Washington.

 

Preliminary reading of British press coverage seems to paint Williamson as a bit of an intriguer, along the lines of a young Bolton, highly competent, but despised by his colleagues. The speed and decisiveness of the firing feels almost like a molehunt in various ways.

[JasonJ]

 

He talked tough for UK military and of a Global Britain. To some degree I felt he talked over what was realistically feasible but I didn't mind and its sometimes helpful to do so to push things in that direction.

If he didn't leak infomation about it, then he may be presented with a choice to explain himself further by not oposing some degree of using Huawei G5. He probably would be against using it.

Of course there could be a lot of devil details within the Chinese tech such as the origins of parts and such. Still though, the way they gather data and and tell information makes US NSA look good.

 

Almost like the Admiral Norman Case here

Does sound kind of similar from a glance over the wiki article on Norman. Although with Williamson, at least it comes along with the notion that buying Huawei is bad for national security. But if the May government goes ahead to buy Huawei anyway, it shoots herself in the foot, and might actually give Williamson a better image of doing what's right.

[Tim the Tank Nut]

With China's increasing crackdown on Hong Kong I would say this is a not so subtle reminder to various Ministers in Her Majesty's government that the United Kingdom had best do as China says or Chinese Intelligence (ably assisted by companies like Huawei) will certainly "leak" the appropriate documents

[Nobu]

May says there will be no investigation, and that it is now 'closed'. Which to my mind sounds incredibly convenient.

 

Almost as if May was expecting there to be a leak, ordered a molehunt targeting Williamson, and had a contingency plan in place in case of success, complete with a pre-written letter of rationale for his dismissal.

[Stuart Galbraith]

With China's increasing crackdown on Hong Kong I would say this is a not so subtle reminder to various Ministers in Her Majesty's government that the United Kingdom had best do as China says or Chinese Intelligence (ably assisted by companies like Huawei) will certainly "leak" the appropriate documents

 

Its nothing to do with China. Its an inter-cabinet spat over the future of Defence and Security that got completely out of hand. The Chinese would never be able to do such a thing as you claim because of GCHQ. Though Ironically the deal with Huawei will now mean we will probably be getting nothing else.

 

As others on ARRSE have pointed out, its disappointing that the debate in the media has got stuck in a 'did he didnt he' mode, rather than discussing what the future of security of the country now is. Which is surely the more important issue.

[Stuart Galbraith]

May says there will be no investigation, and that it is now 'closed'. Which to my mind sounds incredibly convenient.

 

Almost as if May was expecting there to be a leak, ordered a molehunt targeting Williamson, and had a contingency plan in place in case of success, complete with a pre-written letter of rationale for his dismissal.

 

I think she found the answer she wanted, and stopped looking. Which illustrates the importance that this Government put's on the security of the nation.

 

So we have a choice between a bunch of feckless Tories wholly indifferent to the defence of the realm, and a Communist. And people wonder why ive grown so darkly cynical?