L'ex direttore dell'Mi6, Richard Dearlove, ha partecipato nei giorni scorsi ad un incontro del Global Strategy Forum.
Interessanti le sue dichiarazioni sul ruolo dei Servizi nella tutela della sicurezza economica britannica. Riporto dal Telegraph:
"(…)The former C said central banks like the Bank of England maintained extensive networks of contacts to secure information on future developments. But specialist intelligence agencies should also undertake the task of financial security.
I am addressing the future of the euro and how defaults affect us economically,” he told the Global Strategy Forum. “Efficient central bankers should be able to handle themselves but I am indicating they could and might need help from time to time on the currency issue.”
Sir Richard added that 2008 financial crisis had changed his views on the role of intelligence agencies in protecting the economy. Britain needed to be 'forewarned and forearmed’ in anticipation of a future crisis.
He said: “I don’t think we should be squeamish about using all means to protect ourselves financially.”(…)
MI6 has a long track record of friendly operations in Greece, the most vulnerable and any move to more aggressively pursue its weaknesses would be bound to upset Athens (…).
"If we had known 3 or 4 years ago that the Greek deficit was really twice as much as they said it was, we would have had a great heads up of future trouble,” Raoul Ruparel, chief economist of the Open Europe thinktank. “There’s a lot of things that countries involved in the euro do behind closed door that are still not disclosed.”
Covert intelligence gathering would give British policymakers greater insight into countries on the slide. “Everybody in the financial markets and bankers think there will be defaults, it’s just the euro elite that refuses to accept it,” Mr Ruparel said.
Sir Richard noted that the Bank of England had effectively intelligence capabilities – though it did not classify these activities as spying. As such MI6 would play a subordinate role to the Bank.".