George Blake Dead

[bad company]

Not too many here will remember him. I won’t be shedding any tears:-

https://news.sky.com/story/george-blake-cold-war-b...

[Riley Blue]

Me neither. Surprised he lasted so long.

[AJL308]

Yep, total scummer. No tears here.

[bad company]

More about him here. Looks like his treachery was responsible for the deaths of several British agents:-

George Blake: Soviet Cold War spy and former MI6 officer dies in Russia https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55452313

[bitchstewie]

It was a little strange seeing his death covered on the news as they did one of those black screen things with his name and birth and death on it at the end of the article.

Not quite an obituary but not what I'd expect.

[ddom]

Good. Traitor, betrayed and led to many deaths.

[bad company]

ddom said:

Good. Traitor, betrayed and led to many deaths.

That’s my view. Part of me hopes his death was slow and painful.

[Blue62]

Anyone know how he managed to escape from prison?

[julianm]

Cut through a window bar, rope ladder made of knitting needles!

[pquinn]

If anyone had thought twice about proper vetting neither he nor any of the rest of his ilk would have been in a position to do anything. Though they weren't doing proper vetting, just letting the 'right sort' have jobs.

Three years held in North Korea and a committed Communist? He shouldn't gave been cleaning toilets anywhere official let alone doing intelligence work in Berlin or elsewhere.

[vaud]

pquinn said:

If anyone had thought twice about proper vetting neither he nor any of the rest of his ilk would have been in a position to do anything. Though they weren't doing proper vetting, just letting the 'right sort' have jobs.

Yes Prime Minster... "he was 'one of us''"

[Mikebentley]

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

[Fundoreen]

We never dramatize any of the embarrassing stuff well.
Still waiting for a film about the uk teaching the japanese how to mechanize and kill us all in WW2.

[coppernorks]

MX5Biologist said:

An interesting interview:

https://smotrim.ru/article/1525428

Blake rationalised his actions through his political beliefs and that he never considered himself British. He was sprung by a trio who weren't pro-Soviet, but thought that the sentence imposed was inhuman.

Yes, 42 years, people got real sentences back in the 1960s, the train robbers, the krays, moors murderers, none of your modern cissy Life means Life [ in reality Life means 8 years ].

Plus Blake being a foreigner, somewhat common and not a foppish oxbridge homosexual type of traitor means he got extra fat jail-time.

[bad company]

coppernorks said:

Yes, 42 years, people got real sentences back in the 1960s, the train robbers, the krays, moors murderers, none of your modern cissy Life means Life [ in reality Life means 8 years ].

Plus Blake being a foreigner, somewhat common and not a foppish oxbridge homosexual type of traitor means he got extra fat jail-time.

The great train robbers sentences looked very harsh. Other than that I thought the sentences were fair.

[Tango13]

bad company said:

The great train robbers sentences looked very harsh. Other than that I thought the sentences were fair.

Crimes against the Post Office get punished harshly because the PO is considered part of the state, the same way that fiddling the VAT or selling knock off booze or tobacco earns you a reaming from the Customs & Excise.

About 35yrs ago a local postie dumped a load of mail instead of delivering it, IIRC he got three years for that as a first offence!!

[Fundoreen]

Tango13 said:

bad company said:

The great train robbers sentences looked very harsh. Other than that I thought the sentences were fair.

Crimes against the Post Office get punished harshly because the PO is considered part of the state, the same way that fiddling the VAT or selling knock off booze or tobacco earns you a reaming from the Customs & Excise.

About 35yrs ago a local postie dumped a load of mail instead of delivering it, IIRC he got three years for that as a first offence!!

Postie tried to shove a stack of other peoples mail through my box. Caught up with them and made them do the job themselves.
Dunno if this is a common trick if they leave it gathering at the sorting office for weeks.
Thats sounds about 6mths rather than the sensible ticking off they got from me.

[BrundanBianchi]

There’s a special place in hell reserved for vermin like George Blake. I hope he gets what he deserves ( if there is such a place)

[bad company]

Tango13 said:

bad company said:

The great train robbers sentences looked very harsh. Other than that I thought the sentences were fair.

Crimes against the Post Office get punished harshly because the PO is considered part of the state, the same way that fiddling the VAT or selling knock off booze or tobacco earns you a reaming from the Customs & Excise.

About 35yrs ago a local postie dumped a load of mail instead of delivering it, IIRC he got three years for that as a first offence!!

I understand that but 42 years !!!!