When he died, the BBC paid fulsome tribute to him. Why even living saint Tony Benn declared him “one of the finest men I have ever met.” I refer to Trades Union baron Jack Jones. Then, a week ago, the BBC informed us that “he was briefly considered by the Soviet KGB as one of their agents, according to an official history of MI5.” Panic not, dear reader, because ” he only passed on Labour party documents, not secrets, and was last paid by the Russians in 1984.“
So, Jack may have “briefly” been on the KGB payroll but heck, he was only passing on Labour documents, harmless stuff surely?
‘Fraid not. It appears that nice man Jack sold British secrets to the Soviets for 45 YEARS. Not sure how that can be passed off as “briefly”, can you? Also as f0r those innocuous sounding “Labour documents” they included plans for nuclear disarmament, military secrets, the private opinions of Harold Wilson and Jim Callaghan, and – crucially – the names of those in politics and the unions whom Comrade Jack believed might help the Communist cause. Notably, the files are said to contain slurs about people in every position of British public life – including key figures in the Armed Forces, MI5 and MI6.
Let us hope the BBC now moves to provide a somewhat more rounded portrait of this much loved…er… traitor. In the interests of balance, of course.
As a kid,I couldn’t work out why my parents detested this man appearing on the news – which he did regularly and often.
Now the BBC deign to let us know more about his murky past and appear to be saying they didn’t know or have investigated any rumours.
Are the BBC so tied up in their bias that they ignored any tittle tattle?
When I asked them why they ignored the story about Prescott and his extra-marital affairs, they said that it wasn’t a story and they never comment on the private lives of politicians.
Unless you are a Conservative – remember the Major years?
I’ve I didn’t have more respect for this blog, I’d put down in words how I really feel.
Sorry, that should have read “If I didn’t have more respect…’
So annoyed I can’t even type properly…… I’ve just heard toenails whining on about the poor Camerons speech and to top it all, sat through Brillo being a complete twonk on the run up to the speech.
Come the revolution, they’ll need a few more lamp posts down the Mall.
David
Let me be the first to bring you the good news, since it has clearly not yet filtered down to your Ulster domain: The Cold War ended in 1989. (I was in Prague at the time, and a fine sight it was.) But that was 20 years ago. It’s magnificent of you to give such prominence to Jack Jones’s alleged treachery – the Mail account relies on KGB documents the paper has not, sadly, actually seen – but, now that the old chap is buried, and Moscow has moved on from its Soviet past, there’s little urgency in finding out whether Jack and the spooks did indeed gather at a council flat in Dulwich.
You might think.
Yes. It doesn’t matter. History is unimportant, finding out what actually happened with a true union hero is unimportant. I mean, if Jones was a live today, he shouldn’t even be charged. While we’re at it, we should start freeing any criminal who has been imprisoned for, oh, say 15 years. After all, their crime was so long ago, I mean, who cares? And that group of hoodlums they hung out with have disbanded, most of them either in prison or have reformed and are solid citizens now. Time to forgive and forget any crime committed more than 15 years ago.
And don’t complain about it.
I have no idea whether the allegation is true or not. But if it were to be true then the passing of time would make no difference. A traitor is a traitor and forfeits his reputation. If the allegation is false then his reputation remains intact. This is and has always been the way of the world.
Is your world so different?
The KGB/FSB is more active now that at any time since 1989.
I’ve always assumed leftists are traitors, they generally hate this Country and love the vile little commies in the east. I wonder what files MI5 have on the BBC? I’ve love to know that.
Good old traitorous Jack – no need to correct the record then, eh Troll?
In good time, I’m sure. But in the realm of things the BBC needs to cover, perhaps not as urgent as you seem to believe. Plus the Mail piece is, as yet, a little light on proof. And as a forensic journalist yourself, you wouldn’t want to get it wrong. Would you?
Troll – I would have thought 45 years of betraying his country was time enough to tell the tale on nice man Jack. Still, those hard working highly trained BBC journalists who can command all the really big issues of the day (such as the rescuing of Imelda Marcos shoes or the growing of a giant pumpkin in Cottingham) know how to set their forensic priorities.
Y-e-e-e-s. You have, wisely, omitted my point about proof. The Mail, in typically ebullient form, gives us chilling details about fat fingers drumming on desktops in KGB offices. And there’s a chunky file in Moscow. Though they haven’t seen it. But their sources have. And who are they? Former Soviet agents in London and in Moscow. KGB spooks.
In other words, your 45 years of betraying his country requires us to depend on the word of the very people you insist that Jones was wrong to deal with.
The Mail’s KGB chaps may be telling the truth, though they’re not, as a breed, known for it. And maybe the BBC will, one day, find something interesting in this. But it’s unlikely to be top of anyone’s must-do list. For a while, at least, I’d guess. Still…, another stick to beat the White City quislings with, eh, comrade?
On the plus side, since the statute of limitations now appears to be twenty years, I guess the BBC and the left – but I repeat myself – won’t be proceeding with their quest to indict every country in Eastern Europe for being pro-Nazi sixty years ago. Right?
Traitor? That’s a rather quaint and oldfashioned term isn’t it?
Ed
Yes, so passe! I suppose they didn’t use it in Prague back in 1989 O:-)
Surely ‘differently patriotic’?
Oh yes very BBC…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/burgess/index.shtml
According to our very own BBC fans not only is it immaterial that Jones was a traitor but they attempt to smear the sources of his exposure: the sources which even the BBC itself appears to accept are reliable. I look forward to appeals from the fans demanding the pardoning of Wiiliam Joyce and John Amery. After all WW2 ended more than 60 years ago and loyalty to your country and your countrymen is soooo boring and unsophisticated!