Is Tony Blair an MI5 agent?

Ex-MI5 officer David Shayler alleged so at a public meeting in Bristol last week, as was reported in the Bristol Evening Post. Money quote:

Mr Shayler believes Dr David Kelly was an MI6 agent who was murdered and he alleged that Tony Blair worked for MI5 before he became Labour leader.

Unfortunately, Shayler's exact words were not reported, making it difficult to assess the claim. Luckily, I found a recording of his words at this website.

Shayler was speaking to 9/11 sceptics in Bristol. They showed a video, then he spoke and took questions. The topic moved from 9/11 to the July 7th bombings in London. Shayler suspects the British security services might have had a hand in 7/7. An audience member asked about MI5's possible complicity in 7/7, and, if so, whether Tony Blair's government was involved or were kept in the dark. This was Shayler's response [my transcription]:

Yeah, I mean, I don't know how involved Blair is - it's a difficult question to answer. I mean, certainly I know, as I say, the intelligence services do things behind the backs of government, the cabinet and parliament - it's very easy in this country to do that, as there's no oversight of the services. And, in some ways, they don't want the government to know, so, when they are sent out to deny these things, as Robin Cook was, they can do it looking honest, basically.

But I think the only way we can explain Blair's behaviour is that he is blackmailable by the intelligence services. I know that the intelligence services have files on most of the Labour government because I saw some of the files while I was there. In fact ... [inaudible audience interjections, laughter] ...Well, one of the things I want to tell you is that - I actually, I didn't see this myself, I must admit - but somebody who was reviewing Blair's file, this was when Blair was unknown really, in 1992, not particularly well known, told me that Blair was an MI5 agent. In the 1980s he'd reported on members of CND and the so-called Trotskyists in the Labour Party. Now, I've tried to get to the bottom of this, it's very difficult. But it would in some way explain why he does what he does, basically, because he's actually a stooge, he's one of them, basically.

Shayler may be wrong about many things, but he's right that the Blair-as-MI5-agent report has much explanatory value. But whether Blair needed to be blackmailed to act for MI5 is another matter - Blair's naivity, vanity and ambition, coupled with the state of the Labour Party in the 80s - may have been sufficient motivation for him to inform on "left-wing extremists" to his MI5 contacts. (But then that act of informing might itself become a blackmailable vulnerability, so perhaps Shayler's right after all.)

I dread to think what might be in Gordon Brown's file.

http://urlsnip.com/806218

Shayler: 'Blair worked for MI5' Tony Gosling [17.10.2005 14:10] There has been much speculation as to how the most right wing and opowerful elements in the Labour Party used to be such left wing radicals. Did they have a change of heart? Apparently not, according to Ex MI5 Counter-Terrorism Officer David Shayler. It would also explain why the spooks have been so busy trying to blacken Shayler's name. Ex MI5 officer David Shayler, who spent three days with us in Bristol recently, when his car got brake failure while parked up at the University, said at his Cube cinema presentation that he had access to information contained in Blair's Security File while in 'the service'. "Tony Blair worked for MI5 before he became Labour leader." Evening Post reference http://tinyurl.com/d9b32 The day after Shayler was arrested in France the Mail on Sunday came out with the Headline 'Shayler Could Bring Down Government'. On the Monday, Shayler says, Blair Summoned the editor to Downing Street and asked him into the Garden (to avoid bugs) demanding to know what Shayler knew about him (Blair). The editor wisely explained that due to a government injunction he could not tell Mr Blair anything that Shayler knew or he'd be breaking Blair's government's own injunction. Blair, according to Shayler, had stuff in his file which clearly meant he had been spying on his comrades in CND and The Labour Party before being made Party Leader - which explains his so-called radical left activities as a young man - he was a spy reporting back on Communists etc in CND and in the Labour Party! Shayler says this secret state agent past would make Blair utterly unreliable to hold public office - particularly in the Labour party and would make him a puppet of the hawks in MI6 the same hawks I guess who cooked up the dodgey dossier at our expense which has been used to kill nearly 150,000 Iraqis and open the gates of hell in the Middle East. (oh yes and boost the profits and margins of every single Western Arms business leaving not enough to pay our pensioners and treat people on the NHS properly) We put this out last Thursday evening on Radio Ramadhan 87.7FM which is going out over Bristol this month (where we have a 1 hr a week show) see www.radiodialect.net Can you feel the email lines buzzing with worried spooks??? And some amused ones??? Yes, the nastiest of them better be worried - their little blue eyed boy's shelf life is expiring. Tony Gosling Bristol NUJ etc. 'The Great War for Civilisation' available for £15 http://tinyurl.com/avmm9 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/10/325840.html

9/11 'THE WORK OF SECURITY CHIEFS' 11:00 - 13 September 2005 Renegade spy David Shayler claims the 9/11 terrorist atrocities in America were the work of elements of the US government. Mr Shayler, a former MI5 officer who was jailed for disclosing security secrets, believes there are some elements within the FBI, CIA and the US government who wanted "another Pearl Harbour" so they had public support for invasions in oil-producing countries. Mr Shayler spoke to an audience of about 200 people at the Cube cinema in Kingsdown after a 45-minute film which questioned the official version of the terrorist attacks. He said there was no evidence that a plane had hit the Pentagon, and claimed it was more likely to have been a missile. He said the incident happened when America's major defence building was being redecorated so staff were at minimal risk. Mr Shayler said: "It created a lot of anger without causing too much damage. "There are many unanswered questions which need to be addressed." He also discussed the possibility of the 7/7 London Tube bombings being set up by the Government or security agencies. Mr Shayler believes Dr David Kelly was an MI6 agent who was murdered and he alleged that Tony Blair worked for MI5 before he became Labour leader. Mr Shayler was jailed for six months at the Old Bailey in November 2002 for disclosing security secrets which breached the Official Secrets Act. http://tinyurl.com/d9b32