Asset strippers

Our state broadcaster’s top news item this morning was the identification by the Bellingcat website of the ‘true’ identity of the second Russian in the Skripal case. Mirthlessly, but with due gravitas listeners were told that sources in the intelligence service had no problem with Bellingcat’s revelation.  Of course, Bellingcat has absolutely no relationship with said service, so in a sense MI6’s insouciance is explicable, after all deniability is their game and if Bellingcat had got things right or wrong it need be of no concern to them. Even if they had helped the website’s ‘investigative journalists’ along the way (which of course they didn’t). But politicians may want to ask if Bellingcat is doing so well all on its own, why are we pumping extra millions into MI6? Perhaps this is an area where there is now a proven outsource provider. 

I am now looking forward to Bellingcat’s revelations about the CIA’s efforts to infiltrate Corbyn’s Labour. I wonder who the Americans' ‘assets’ are now? Surely Bellingcat will reveal all?