back to article MI5 man to steer GCHQ as Trump wiretapping saga continues

Jeremy Fleming, the deputy director-general of MI5, is to helm GCHQ following the surprise resignation of Robert Hannigan this January. Citing "personal reasons", Hannigan informed the UK's Foreign Secretary of his decision to leave in an exchange of letters a couple of months ago. Even then, his departure came at a difficult …

  1. Your alien overlord - fear me

    ... the rubbish being uttered by the Trump camp ...

    Yep, that's one way to keep them as partners :-)

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      It's rapidly descending to the level of an infant school playground.

      1. DavCrav

        "It's rapidly descending to the level of an infant school playground."

        Only on the one side. If someone is talking rubbish (which Trump is) then calling it rubbish is not infant school level. It's using language correctly, albeit undiplomatically.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Are you sure?

          You say that Trump is talking rubbish.

          For the sake of argument, what if Trump isn't talking rubbish?

          Take away the hyperboles and his imprecise statements.

          What Trump alleges is possible.

          What you have is a bit of misdirection in the press and by politicians.

          If what Trump alleges is true, it could be a very black eye for a lot of people and for both the US and the UK.

          That's the problem. Too many people have far too much to lose, including Trump if his allegations are proven true.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Are you sure?

            Big Jawn - is that uuuuu?

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: Are you sure?

              No.

              Its not that I am saying Trump is right, but if you consider there is something behind his allegations, what does it mean?

              To be blunt. All countries have a foreign intelligence agency that spends time and money to gain intelligence. Russia spying on US Politicians a shocker? No. Iranian spies in the US? No shocker there.

              Israeli spies in the US? Again no shock...

              So what's to say that Obama thru his staff wanted to keep tabs on Trump asked for this favor.

              To be fair, its a stretch. Trump as POTUS was a wild card that none of the Dems saw. Obama claims to have seen it in hindsignt, so it could be that he was trying to gain some dirt on Trump just in case.

          2. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

            Re: Are you sure?

            "What Trump alleges is possible."

            Lots of things are "possible", including the likelihood of me dying after being struck by a meteorite in the next 30 minutes. It's not especially likely though.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: Are you sure?

              It was a conspiracy theory from a crackpot alt-right talk radio guy, reposted on a crackpot alt-right "news" site, and read and repeated by a tinpot not-right president.

              The problem with such accusations is that you can't prove a negative. You can't prove there isn't a giant conspiracy between GCHQ, the NSA and the FBI to cover for Obama wiretapping Trump Tower. You can't prove Ted Cruz's father didn't help assassinate JFK. You can't prove Donald Trump hasn't been groomed by Soviet / Russian intelligence for decades with the goal of his becoming president and destroying the US from within.

              Heck, that's as likely as Obama's parents falsifying his birth location so he'd be eligible to become president, which of course was a totally reasonable goal for a black child in the early 60s. Or as likely as Obama tapping Trump's phones during the campaign, and doing ... nothing ... with the information found to help Hillary and instead watching her lose.

              1. tr1ck5t3r

                Re: Are you sure?

                The state spying of the population is true.

                Until you get targeted you will be blissfully unaware of what the secret services get up to. Your school reports, your medical records, everything centralised by Govt, local Govt and some big businesses will be used to build up a psychological profile of you. Your TV viewing habits, your music tastes, the people you communicate with and your relatives will all be used to help the secret services justify their existence when they decide to target you and provoke you to keep proving their preemptive psychological profiling.

                Just look at the memory stick death aka the police murder of Anthony Grainger.

                Considering every memory stick has a unique id, and it happened to contain a list of police operations, informers and more, how else do you track down the individual who has highly sensitive files, other than use big tech giants to track it down?

                Its all there in plain site, just how stupid do you have to be to accept the lies they put out because like others have said, law needs evidence which is why you can never trust a govt that operates in secret.

                Can you imagine the public outcry if you knew the truth that Govt does spy on you?

                Everything to do with the internet and technology is all designed to spy on you, do you wait until they target you or your kids or your friends before you believe it?

                Govt is all about control, its all about keeping an eye on you, just like you keep an eye on your kids, and just like you lie to your kids about Santa Claus so the govt lies to you about the extent of its spying on the population.

                When will you wake up and smell the roses?

                1. Anonymous Coward
                  Anonymous Coward

                  Re: Are you sure?

                  We've known the government has been spying on us since Snowden, and suspected it before. What does that have to do with a president claiming a former president wiretapped him not as a general catch-all with keywords as triggers, but specifically targeted, but is unable to come up with even a shred of evidence?

                  If Obama could order it when he was president, Trump could find out about it when he was president. That he has provided no proof is telling. He's just a crazy old man shouting onto Twitter, who unfortunately can't be gently walked into the retirement home he belongs in.

          3. Stevie

            Re: Are you sure?

            Well, since he's only parroting back something "someone said" on Fox News (and Trump himself is backpeddaling from the suggestion he actually made the accusation in the first place rather than repeated an already in the wild accusation) the actual question you should ask yourself is "how do I keep a straight face when I suggest in public that Trump is not wrong"?

  2. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

    Gilt Bonded Entrepreneurship ..... with Secret IntelAIgent Source Server Supply Services

    Is the newbie, Jeremy Fleming, an oldie at serial spooky games play, and an efficient leading proactor rather than trailing subverse puppet reactor ….. for that is the field in which all prime prizes are delivered as presents to bamboozle both competition and opposition forces and sources alike with futures and diverse hedges to accommodate the trials and tribulations, the joy and ecstasy of rogue and renegade day traders/zeroday vulnerability exploiters.

    Do SMARTR Governments follow Secret Intelligence Service leads and/or orders, or do they follow other agendas and tall tales with orders servering old and now quite ancient and somewhat perverse vested interests?

    Surely you do not expect the future to be anything at all like the past? That would be at least idiotic and render one a prime fool in a new age of rapid virtual enlightenment.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Isn't it their job?

    I seriously hope GCHQ did listen in to Trumps conversations before he was elected. Surely it's their duty to know lots and lots about anyone in with a chance of becoming a national leader. I guess it's also an important part of their remit to deny it (well deny to everything really), and most importantly not get caught doing it.

    1. nuked

      Re: Isn't it their job?

      I guess there's a difference, albeit subtle, between security services monitoring communications to ensure elections are fought fairly without external influence, and, monitoring on behalf of a political opponent to give an advantage.

    2. Ian Michael Gumby
      Boffin

      @AC Re: Isn't it their job?

      All intelligence agencies gather information about friend and foe alike. To assume otherwise is dangerous.

      The question is what does the agency do with the data? With whom do they share it?

      Trump may be right, however you, I and everyone here will be long dead before the truth sees the light of day, if ever.

      1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

        Re: @AC Isn't it their job?

        "Trump may be right, however you, I and everyone here will be long dead before the truth sees the light of day, if ever."

        Unless someone gives it to Wikileaks.

        1. Ian Michael Gumby

          @ Doc ... Re: @AC Isn't it their job?

          Touche.

          But no. This is one of those dirty little secrets that won't see the light of day because its so caustic.

          You can bet governments around the world have secrets far more darker and dangerous than whatever Assange could have published.

          Snowden was worse.

      2. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

        The nature of radical intelligence work has fundamentally changed. Of that, have no doubt

        The question is what does the agency do with the data? With whom do they share it? … Ian Michael Gumby

        All the evidence presented daily by media tales/news around the world would suggest they do nothing very clever and with no one any cleverer than they are.

        It quite probably explains why they are always tilting at windmills and battling phantoms ….. which are easily metadatamorphed into virtual daemons, IMG.

  4. SteveK

    How 'they' knew what Trump & co were saying on his private phones?

    They were wiretapping the Russians. Simples.

  5. macjules

    Plus 1 to that

  6. dbayly
    Unhappy

    descending to the level of an infant school playground

    It's the dilemma faced by all adults trying to deal with an undisciplined, truculent toddler, real conversation is just impossible. Only 46 more months to go .....

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: descending to the level of an infant school playground

      ....... are you sure it's only 46? 94 is more than possible.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: descending to the level of an infant school playground

        If 94 happens then 194 is more than possible, as he'll have installed himself as the dictator he wants to be by then, no longer having to deal with congress or the courts to get things done!

  7. phuzz Silver badge

    "Judge Andre Napolitano"

    Are you still allowed to call yourself a judge, even if that's not your job anymore?

    I'd assume you have to hand the title in at the same time as your wig, and robes and gavel and Lawgiver etc.

  8. Mark 85

    The US president on Friday maintained that Spicer had simply "quote[d] a certain very talented legal mind who was the one responsible for saying that on television".

    So.. it wasn't "fake news" then? Or "alternative facts"? The bullshit rhetoric level is increasing....from all sides.

    1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge
      Joke

      So.. it wasn't "fake news" then? Or "alternative facts"?

      How very dare you! It was a "news" show on Fox, The Presidents favourite channel (and the reason he doesn't need daily security briefings)

  9. Mystic Megabyte
    Stop

    Fake turd!

    Rumpy Pumpy is living proof that although you can't polish a turd you can gold plate it spray it orange.

  10. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

    Somebody has to ask..

    Jeremy Fleming. Any relation to Ian?

    1. Fat Northerner

      Re: Somebody has to ask..

      No

  11. NanoMeter

    "Fleming" of course...

    Well, of course his name is Fleming. It probably runs in the family.

  12. FozzyBear
    Thumb Up

    During the primary elections this site reported that Mcafee would be running for president. I commented that if he won at least the news would be entertaining to watch.

    I would like to retract that comment. I was wrong. Trump is WAY more entertaining.

    The way things are going I can only hope that we soon see an all in brawl between the politicians and the jornos on the white house lawn. Now THAT would be entertainment.

    On second thought why wait. Can I get a Playmobil reconstruction, with Jakety sax as the background music

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