Moles in the attic, prayers in church and another National
and of course its Trials Day at Newbury
Here’s a simple question and one we’d all like to know the answer to, I think.
What level of security clearance did Mandelson actually have? He must have had some, as he was a government minister, and SC is normally for at least 7 years.
There are five types of Security Clearance [SC], and they are
Accreditation Check (AC)
Counter Terrorist Check (CTC)
Level 1B.
Security Check (SC)
Developed Vetting (DV)
DV further expands into Enhanced Developed Vetting (eDV), a far higher, more intensive level of security clearance designed for extremely sensitive roles with unrestricted access to Top Secret information. Deeper, more intrusive background checks are conducted alongside longer face-to-face interviews (5-6 hours vs 2-3 hours) and include psychological assessments. That might apply to USA Ambassadors, surely?
Overarching both DV and eDV is the STRAP system: STRAP is a specific, separate authorisation required to access “STRAP” intelligence material and is granted based on a “need-to-know” for a specific role rather than the clearance level alone. You only get STRAP access if your specific role requires it. Imagine if you would, you have eDV clearance and in your office is a filing cabinet to which you have no access, because the contents are STRAP 3 and refer to a specific area which may or may ot impact your office - but you have no need to know how, what, or why.
It requires specific training and authorisation, typically managed by a Security Controller. Even with eDV, you must be explicitly authorised by the relevant government department for STRAP, based on project necessity. DV/eDV covers access to Top Secret assets, while STRAP relates to specialised intelligence handling. clearance.
So, what level of clearance did Mandelson’s vetting provide - and perhaps more pertinently, as a result of failing his SC, how was it considered possible for him to do his job?
The conspiracy theorists are already hard at work, suggesting that this is all Mole-on-Mole work. Shades of Mitchell and Hollis, perhaps?
Yesterday, I found myself delivering the Eulogy for Ken Carter in Marlborough Chapel. The service was brilliant, emotional and fitting. Some of you will understand what I’m talking about - but you know that thing where some houses are full of love, life, fun, welcoming, warm in the mental sense? Some are not - and it has nothing to do with money, design, or any physical thing… it is simply full of love, and feels it.
I find the same with churches. There are some where you would struggle to think a prayer had ever been said in them, and where there is a whiff of mean-spiritedness to them. I use the term advisedly. That is NOT the case in Marlborough College Chapel. It is awash with hope, care, and nurture. The organ is magnificent, the decoration is elaborate, interesting and yet in no way overwhelming, and everything supports the main idea that you are there to have a chat with God or, if he’s not too busy sorting out the transgender lavatories in heaven, God chatting with you. Thus, as the quite beautiful choir finished singing AL-Ws Pie Jesu - the only decent thing he ever wrote - and I rose to speak, I was totally overcome by religio and almost lost it. On the other hand, I might just have needed a cup of tea and a bacon sarnie.
There were many chums there, and I apologise profusely to those I didn’t find or have time to talk to, but by then the back had largely retired, and the “Bum-sitting-on-bar-stool-nurturing-drink” pose seemed the most comfortable.
I only mentioned the new diet the other day en passant, the theory being that embarrassment at failure might be the impetus needed to maintain the direction of travel… Thus, I discovered the latest witticism in polite Wiltshire society, which appears to be to come up to me and tell me how slim I look! After three days of starvation… ha ha! Many of these wits do not subscribe, and thus do not contribute to my 0% yoghurt.
Talking of ignoring all evidence to the contrary, and of failing to ensure that one is at least partially informed, here are my selections for a jolly day’s racing - including the last of the National Nationals
