The De Silva report is something everyone should read

[Cain]

http://www.patfinucanereview.org/report/volume01/executive-summary-and-principal-conclusions/

Sir Desmond de Silva has been running an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of the Irish Republican lawyer Patrick Finucane by the Ulster Defence Association in 1989.  While his conclusion is a bit shoddy, the evidence shows what definitely appears to be a conspiracy aimed at his murder.

But in addition to that, it builds up a very unflattering picture of the British security services and how they ran Northern Ireland as their own private fiefdom during the Troubles.  None of the agencies had any frameworks for handling agents or guidelines for what laws they could break to maintain their cover.  In the case of Finucane this is very important, as the head of the UDA intelligence wing was an Army intelligence agent by the name of Brian Nelson, a kidnapper, torturer and murderer par excellence.

In theory, Nelson was meant to identify targets for the British state, allowing arrests to be made.  But the flow of information was in two directions, and the British state ended up letting Nelson know who among the republicans were considered expendable targets, people whose deaths would not be lamented or investigated thoroughly.

One of the men who actually murdered Finucane, Kenneth Barrett, was recruited by Army intelligence after confessing to his role in the murder on tape, and the charges against him were mysteriously dropped.  The attorney general at the time, Sir Patrick Mayhew, was also lobbied by very senior government officials, including the NI secretary and defence secretary, to drop any prosecution against Nelson.  De Silva says there is no evidence to suggest that they knew what kind of man Nelson was, or about the intelligence collusion with the UDA.

Which is hard to believe, to put it mildly. 

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Leaving it up in a tab to read tonight. Just woke up, brain not good for a whole lot just yet.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

This is hardly surprising.  I expect this sort of shit out of America, as well.  In fact, I'd be shocked if this WASN'T a conspiracy, even before reading your post.