バスラ警察の調査に元ＲＵＣのチーフが（これが英国クオリティ。orz）

Ex-RUC head to review Iraq police
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4497128.stm

The UK is sending a former NI policing chief to Basra in southern Iraq to carry out a review of policing there.

バスラってぇのはアレだ、ＳＡＳ２人がアラブ人に変装して、爆発物所持をレッドハンドで警察に捕らえられて、その２人のＳＡＳを奪還するために、英軍が戦車で警察署に突撃したっていう、フレデリック・フォーサイスなら書かないような小説まがいの珍妙な出来事が起きた場所だ。

で、ＲＵＣの元チーフがレヴューするって言ってんのは、そのバスラ警察だ。

英国は「バスラ警察には武装組織メンバーが激しく浸透していて、捕まえられたＳＡＳは警察署内でそれら武装組織メンバーに引き渡されたのだ」と主張し、自軍の行動の理由としたのだが、バスラ警察がそれを認めようが否認しようが、そんなこと、ＳＡＳがアラブ人のコスプレして爆発物を持ってバスラの街にいたことの理由にも何にもなりゃしない。

問題は「バスラ警察」にあるんじゃない。ＳＡＳの隊員が２人、アラブ人のコスプレをして爆発物を持ってバスラの街にいたってことが問題なんだ。

しかし英国は、「バスラ警察」を調査するという。

しかもＲＵＣのチーフだった人物がそれをするんだという。

ＲＵＣ。ロイヤル・アルスター・コンスタブル。英国アルスター警察。

自身がパラミリタリーと癒着してたとか、パラミリタリーに浸透されてたとかいう組織じゃん。

あ、だから調査に適役なのか。orz

……っていうか。ＲＵＣだよ、ＲＵＣ。

仮にこの人がとても有能な人だとしても、ＲＵＣという名前が「解放闘争」的にどういう響きを持っているか（ぶっちゃけ、プロパガンダとしてってこともあるが）、１０分くらい考えればわかるだろうに。

ＲＵＣはThe Troublesで５５人殺してて、その中の３０人は一般市民（ＩＲＡとかＩＮＬＡとかに関係のない人）、ほとんど全員がカトリック。

ＣＡＩＮの人物解説より：

Flanagan, ('Ronnie') Ronald (Sir) (b. 23 March 1949)
Police Officer; Chief Constable of the RUC 1996-2002

Ronnie Flanagan was born in Belfast ...

As Chief Constable Flanagan also had to deal with the debate over the future shape of policing in Northern Ireland in the wake of the Good Friday Agreement (GFA). In essence this meant having to respond to the Patten Commission which had been established under the GFA to deal with the issue. He made it clear that he did not entirely agree with the final report from the Patten Commission especially over the proposal to change the name of the RUC to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). At the same time however he declared he was prepared to see some of the changes it proposed implemented, if it could be clearly demonstrated that the reforms could ensure that the police force would be more acceptable to the nationalist community. In order to ensure continuity he therefore agreed to remain as Chief Constable when the PSNI formally came into being in November 2001. Once this change was made Flanagan then announced, without any great surprise, his intention to retire from the post later in November 2001.

The last few months however of his term as Chief Constable was to be dominated by a very public row with the families of the 1998 Omagh bomb victims and the Police Ombudsman. This centred on a report from the Police Ombudsman which was not only highly critical of the RUC's handling of the investigation but called for the appointment an officer from outside of Northern Ireland to head the inquiry. In his response Flanagan defended the role of the RUC, and in turn criticised the Ombudsman Report as being itself deeply "flawed". Finally at the end of March 2002 he stood down as Chief Constable of the PSNI. His years of service in the police were officially recognised with an OBE in 1996 and a knighthood in 1999.

ふーん。オマー爆弾テロ（98年８月、犯行声明はＲＩＲＡ、死者29名、負傷者数百名）で、「人々を爆弾から離れさせるのではなく、爆弾の方に誘導した」のはＲＵＣでしたが（the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) directed people towards the bomb rather than away from it）、そのときのチーフですか。

で、その後のオンブズマンのレポートについては「flawed」と一蹴したんですか。で、「長年ご苦労様」でＯＢＥですか。

“有能”ですこと。

（ちなみにＣＡＩＮはアルスター大学のプロジェクトで、決して「偏向した」情報源ではありません。）

その人物の起用について、リード国防大臣は、ＢＢＣに対して次のように語っている。

He added: "We are almost 10 years on from the beginnings of the Good Friday Agreement and we don't even have acceptance in Northern Ireland, from the whole community, about policing there.

"So, in a much different situation, with much more difficult problems in Iraq, it would be surprising if we were able to accomplish this overnight, but we are steadily making things better."

……orz　つっこみどころがありすぎて何もする気にならない。これは無気力化というウェポンだろうか。何が"So"（したがって）なのか、さっぱりわからない。はっきり言って、先日言及したミレニアム・ドームのサイトの紹介文と同等のヒドさ、もしくはそれよりひどい。

ブレアライトの用語法における、「状況は確実によくなっている（we are steadily making things better：主語がthingsではなくweなのがポイント）」は、ほとんどの場合「特に意味のない間投詞（結びの言葉）」なのだが、ここまでひどいのはレアだ。珍品だ。コレクター垂涎の品だ。

おまじないじゃないんだからさ、we are getting things betterって言ってればよくなるわけじゃない。

この件、引き続きウォッチ。スラオさんはまだこの件についての記事がないが、まあそのうち出るでしょう。

----------
※追記（12月６日午前）
スラオさん、記事出ました。
http://www.sluggerotoole.com/index.php/weblog/comments/laying_down_the_law/

記事本文はサーカスティックに書かれてますので、「すばらしい」系の形容詞にご注意ください。

「サーカスティックに」という根拠は、記事本文の最後にある豪ＡＢＣからの引用を見ればわかります。ＡＢＣは「フラナガンは宗派による偏見がある（に基づいている）として非難された治安部隊に対する信頼を築いた実績があり」などと書いていますが、ＲＵＣが信頼を築いたという事実はなく、それは上記ＢＢＣ記事内でリード国防大臣も「前提」として（なのかなあ）話していることです。

例によってコメント欄が有益です。10番目あたりからはユニオニズム対統一アイルランドの論戦っぽくなっている部分もありますが。。。

コメント欄の２番目にリンクされてるZnet記事は、ジョン・ピルジャーの９月27日。私も出てすぐに読んだ記事ですが、ここに提示されている疑問点はたぶんまだ明確になっていないんじゃないかと思います（が、詳細は未確認なので、私が誤認している点があるかもしれません）。

本文からのリンク、およびコメント欄に寄せられているＵＲＬから：

１）　http://www.serve.com/pfc/policing/ronnie.htm
パット・フィヌケン・センターのサイトでの、フラナガンの人物紹介。重要なのは1981年から後。ＰＦＣの主張の部分が多い（それはそれで重要ですが）のですが、端的な事実の記述をちょっと抜粋しておきます。

1981: As the Hunger Strikes focused world attention on the North Ronnie Flanagan moved to North Belfast in his new position as Detective Inspector with Special Branch. He soon became Detective Chief Inspector in command of the Headquarters Mobile Support Units or HMSUs. These units were involved in a number of controversial shoot-to-kill incidents in the early 1980s soon after he took over command.

つまり、「shoot-to-killなど存在しない」というのが英国政府の公式見解だったころ（首相：マーガレット・サッチャー）に、shoot-to-killを実行したユニットのコマンダーということです。上に「ＲＵＣはThe Troublesで５５人殺してて、その中の３０人は一般市民（ＩＲＡとかＩＮＬＡとかに関係のない人）、ほとんど全員がカトリック」と書いた件での死者のうちかなりの数の死者が、shoot-to-killで殺された人たちだったと思います（今は忙しいのでソース未確認。というかＰＦＣの文書に書かれてるかもしれないです）。

もう１点抜粋。ロイヤル・オーダーのような組織（こことかこことか）に属する警察官についての問題は避けている、ということで、略言すれば、プロテスタント系とずぶずぶの関係にあるという状況証拠はある、ということでしょう。（Grand lodge of Irelandも参照。）

Ronnie Flanagan is undoubtedly an intelligent, talented and communicative individual. Many have found him to be genial and friendly. His rapid rise in the ranks of the RUC are testimony to certain skills. His admission that he had left the Free Masons, a semi-secret organisation which is widely perceived to have influence inside all UK police forces, because, as he put it, "there may be a perception people have that it might place me [in a compromising position]" was a shrewd move. Flanagan however avoids dealing with the much more significant issue of those members of the RUC who belong to sectarian and political organisations such as the Loyal Orders.

２）　http://dailyireland.televisual.co.uk/home.tvt?
_scope=DailyIreland/Content/News&id=16298&opp=1
※この下の部分は下書き。清書は後で。

Flanagan Iraq job branded 'massive blunder'
By Eamonn Houston

The appointment of former RUC chief Ronnie Flanagan to oversee the development of the new Iraqi police force in the south of the country was last night branded a massive blunder by Sinn Fein's spokesman on policing.

Gerry Kelly, MLA for North Belfast, said that the appointment of Mr Flanagan by the British government marked a "militaristic approach" to rebuilding policing in the war-torn country.

"Ronnie Flanagan is clearly the wrong person to send," Mr Kelly said. "He was involved in the RUC Special Branch here and was in charge during one of the worst periods in the North.

"The last thing that Iraq needs is a repeat of what happened with policing here. What is needed for Iraq is the Patten proposals as a yardstick for policing. Ronnie Flanagan, while here, presided over a force accused of running state agents and collusion. He is a the wrong man for the job. Iraq needs to come out of conflict. This has to be described a a very poor appointment," Mr Kelly said.

It emerged yesterday that Mr Flanagan has been appointed to carry out an assessment of the Iraqi police force.

British defence secretary and former direct rule secretary of state for the North John Reid said that Mr Flanagan had been asked to deliver a review of the capabilities of the new force in the British controlled sector of southern Iraq.

"Ronnie Flanagan has been sent there to find out first of all what the situation on the ground truly is as objectively as we can," Mr Reid said.

The move comes amid concerns that the training of the new police force is not progressing as well as the Iraqi army, with fears that the police have been heavily infiltrated by the local militias.

The issue came to a head earlier this year when British troops stormed a police station in Basra following the arrest of two undercover SAS soldiers who the Iraqis refused to release.

Mr Reid said: "There's a problem with the police in terms of split loyalties running from sympathy for the local people, right through to infiltration with the militia. That's why we are now redoubling our efforts to make sure that these people are rooted out.

"It isn't to say that all the police are like that. Many of them are courageous. Many have given their life in the new Iraq but some of them are rogues, some of them are corrupt and some of them have obviously entered for the wrong reasons and they've obviously got to be taken out"

Mr Flanagan, who has already made one visit to Basra and is planning further trips in the New Year said that progress on policing was now probably a year behind schedule.

"A total concentrated effort needs to be made by all the coalition forces, and indeed the EU, which is happening, to ensure that concentration on policing is provided," he told the BBC's Politics programme.

"I know of moves to remove those who are not up to standard, either in terms of their competence or in terms of the level of the integrity they bring to the job. So those things are in hand.
"Yes, they are a problem, but tremendous progress is being made."

However, one serving British army officer - speaking anonymously - told the programme that they had already missed the chance to deal with the issue.

He said that he did not know of a single instance of British troops intervening to deal with intimidation by the Iraqi police, in incidents which ranged from "severe beatings to murder".

追記：
On Politics Show, Sunday 04 December 2005, Jon Sopel interviewed John Reid MP, Defence Secretary
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/politics_show/4487824.stm

続報（書き忘れていた）：
January 9th, 2006
British Foreign Secretary Visits Basra
http://www.a2mediagroup.com/?c=127&a=1595

The British Foreign Secretary, the Rt Hon Jack Straw MP visited the British Consulate at Basra Palace, during a visit to Iraq on 9 January 2006.

He was in the city meeting local officials and members of the British Consulate Staff.

The Foreign Secretary also met Sir Ronnie Flanagan over lunch together with the General Officer Commanding Multi National Division (South East), Major General John Cooper.

Sir Ronnie Flanagan is visiting southern Iraq to provide advice on the reform of the Iraqi Police Service.

...
投稿者： nofrills at 2006 年 02 月 16 日 05:08:09

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2005年12月05日

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