Incidentally, try this for an exercise, substitute the Met Police’s defence for your own, if for example, your wife catches you with a lap dancer or some such…

…..It wasn’t my fault darling, it was the corporate entertainment that put me in the position, and anyway, the lap dancer’s actions contributed to the event, so I’m not really responsible and lessons have been learned and I have apologised and I’ve fined myself some money…..

But how long will England labour under Tudor propaganda about what the ‘Elizabethan service’ was setting out to achieve? Of larger concern than saving queen and country from threats, it’s aim was to eradicate England’s Catholicism, which was no threat at all, as evidenced by hundreds of years of history.

“the very successful experiences of the Ellizabethan service , who foiled many plots to kill the Queen”

Led by William Cecil, the ’service’ employed sadists like Richard Topcliffe to hound men and women of peace–like St Edmund Campion and St Margaret Clitherow–to be tortured and executed against all norms of justice.

What kind of intelligence service is this?

If 5th November should make us think of anything, it is of the England’s blessed Catholic heritage: how successive governments executed/imprisoned/fined tens of thousands of its own citizens merely for their faith; and how many of these reacted in non-violent, selfless and even heroic ways. Thank God the ’service’ was not successful in its real objective.

The bomb plot was/is sensational because it was otherwise unheard of.

Sorry for digressing…but England will fade completely if we refuse to acknowledge our heritage.

Reply: I am a strong supporter of relgious toleration and hold no brief to praise either the torture and murder of Catholics under Elizabeth or the murder and torture of Protestants under Mary. However, the point remains that the Elizabethan secret service was efficient – within the standards of the day – at detecting death plots against the state. Today we have phone intercepts, surveillance cameras, computer hacking and other means so we do not need the thumbscrews.