Richard Norton-Taylor

Profile: Full name: Richard Norton-Taylor Area of interest: Security affairs: defence, foreign affairs, security and intelligence agencies, freedom of information, civil liberty Journals/Organisation: The Guardian Email: richard.norton-taylor@guardian.co.uk Personal website: Website: Guardian.co / Richard Norton-Taylor Blog: Defence and Security blog by Richard Norton-Taylor and Nick Hopkins Representation: Networks: https://scribe.twitter.com/#!/NortonTaylor | http://www.linkedin.com/pub/richard-norton-taylor/13/b66/ba4

Biography: About: Education: The King's School, Canterbury; Hertford College, Oxford; College of Europe, Bruges Career: Freelance, Brussels, 1970/73; The Guardian, European correspondent 1973/75, Whitehall and security correspondent 1975/95 Current position/role: Security affairs editor since 1995 also writes/has written for: Other roles/Main role: Author, Playwright Other activities: Disclosures: Viewpoints/Insight: Broadcast media: Regularly contributions to BBC news and current affairs programmes Video: worked for BBC and independent television and radio, and Granada TV investigations – World in Action see IMDb Controversy/Criticism: Awards/Honours: Freedom of Information Campaign Awards, UK Press Awards (Team) for Hamilton and Aitken investigations, 1986, 1994; Manchester Evening News Theatre Award for The Colour of Justice, 1999; Time Out Theatre Award for The Colour of Justice, 1999; Joint winner of the Winston Award with Stuart Millar presented by civil rights group, Privacy International, 2003 Scoops: Other:

Books & Debate: Whose land is it anyway?: agriculture, planning, and land use in the British countryside OCLC 9778255 , 1982 The Ponting affair OCLC 59701591 , 1985 Blacklist: the inside story of police vetting OCLC 21195362 , 1988 In defence of the realm? - the case for accountable security services OCLC 19352479 , 1990 Betrayed: the real story of the Matrix Churchill trial OCLC 35002111 , 1993, see: Arms-to-Iraq; Scott Report Truth is a difficult concept OCLC 32410314 , with Mark Lloyd, 1995 Knee deep in dishonour OCLC 35614955, with Mark Lloyd and Stephen Cook, 1996 A conflict of loyalties: GCHQ (1984-91) OCLC 24953993 , with Hugh Lanning, 1991 The colour of justice (play based on the Stephen Lawrence case) OCLC 43100212 , 1999 Justifying war: scenes from the Hutton inquiry OCLC 54389636 , 2003 Bloody Sunday: scenes from the Saville Inquiry OCLC 62074258 , 2005, see: Bloody Sunday Inquiry Verbatim: documentary theatre and politics OCLC 72150752 , 2007 Called to account: the indictment of Anthony Charles Lynton Blair for the crime of aggression against Iraq OCLC 86168693 , with Nicholas Kent, 2007, (also see: Criticism of Tony Blair) Latest work: Speaking/Appearances: Debate:

The Guardian: Column name: Remit/Info: Security affairs: defence, foreign affairs, security and intelligence agencies, freedom of information, civil liberty Sections: News, Politics, Comment Role: Security affairs editor Pen-name: Email: richard.norton-taylor@guardian.co.uk Website: Guardian.co / Richard Norton-Taylor Commissioning editor: Day published: Regularity: Column format: Average length: also a regular contributor to comment is free... blog

Articles: MI6 and MI5 must be held to account - The Gareth Williams case is just one in a series of failings – the security services need reform, for our sake and theirs - 1st May 2012 Abu Hamza ruling should be a wake-up call to the legal system - The UK and US in particular must stop treating security or terrorism cases as too sensitive for publication - 11th April 2012 Secret justice? Ken Clarke would simply help hide what should be exposed - Plans to prevent any MI5 or MI6 intelligence being disclosed in court may please the spooks, but should spook the rest of us - 4th April 2012 The Mark Duggan case shows we must change the law on evidence - A legal anomaly that continues to cause injustice may be preventing an inquest into Mark Duggan's death - 30th March 2012 Nuclear weapons are the great taboo of British politics - The MoD demonstrates its sensitivity about Trident by the way it has interfered over a play on the subject - 21st February 2012 Why is Abu Qatada not on trial? - That Qatada has not been prosecuted under criminal and conspiracy laws makes a mockery of our legal system - 14th February 2012 Iran and the US: from words to war - As US intelligence chiefs ratchet up the rhetoric against Iran and our ships patrol the Gulf, the danger of war increases - 1st February 2012 Ministers' role in the Libyan renditions must not be kept secret - In a democracy, the question of whether M16 officers sought ministerial approval to render Libyan dissidents is vital - 14th January 2012 How many ministers are questioning the plan to replace Trident? - Two-thirds of Thatcher's cabinet were reportedly against buying Trident. Thirty years on, debate about its replacement is stifled - 30th December 2011 Is William Hague spooked by rendition 'allegations'? - It's no coincidence Hague's effusive praise for secret services comes as an intelligence inquiry is to be held – in secret - 18th November 2011 Liam Fox has lost the Ministry of Defence's trust - Even if his Adam Werritty dealings show only a lack of judgment, the ministry can no longer easily have faith in its political master - 10th October 2011 Britain's decline as a major military player is a truth we can't stomach - This post-imperial hubris must be shaken off. Britain hasn't been a superpower for decades - 28th September 2011 What did ministers know about the Libyan rendition link? - Whether MI5 and MI6 collusion with Gaddafi's secret police was sanctioned by Straw, Miliband or Blair is the key question - 5th September 2011 Libya: a new breed of military intervention - High-level bombing, planning by low-level ground forces and a back seat for the US. This was no great victory for Nato - 26th August 2011 Under attack: Britain's defence cuts - The government's cuts to defence have been criticised by a cross-party committee. Are its concerns justified? - 4th August 2011 Clear the Chinook two - A new inquiry reveals what has long been evident: the helicopter was faulty, not the pilots - 11th July 2011 Theatre will miss Nicolas Kent - The cuts in funding to venues such as the Tricycle look like a facile attempt to stifle political debate - 5th July 2011 Libya: The general's reality check - It's not hard to fathom why the defence chief has shifted position on regime change in Libya - 17th May 2011 Libya gives spies a chance to shine - British intelligence officers have a firm foothold in Libya. Their subtle moves may be more explosive than the bombing campaign - 6th April 2011 Explode this SAS mystique -The botched operation in Libya reveals how official SAS secrecy encourages a gung-ho arrogance - 7th March 2011 End this official silence on the SAS - The MoD policy of never commenting on special forces operations, such as the one in Libya, does no one any good - 1st March 2011 Why do revolutions such as Tunisia's come by surprise? - Diplomats and intelligence agencies often tell ministers what they want to hear – and overvalue secret sources of information - 1st February 2011 Control orders deserve a calm debate - Nick Clegg is accused of gambling with national security, but questioning the claims of the securocrats is not irresponsible - 7th January 2011 Brian Hanrahan's famous phrase masked a media battle with the MoD - Reporting restrictions placed on Hanrahan by the MoD during the Falklands are still cause for dispute with the media today - 21st December 2010 I spy a lot of innuendo in the Mike Hancock case - Planting parliamentary questions is akin to shouting from the rooftops. Serious spying is done as silently as possible - 6th December 2010 Waterboarding is no basis for truth - George Bush's defence of torture relies on a belief in information that our intelligence agencies treat with deep scepticism - 10th November 2010 Linda Norgrove: secrets and lives - Linda Norgrove's tragic death reveals the murky world in which ministers must often seek advice - 12th October 2010 UK defence: A horse and tank moment - Ministers face a supreme test in defence policy. Will they muddle on or be courageous and decisive? - 28th September 2010 Ministry of Defence needs a cultural revolution - If Liam Fox is serious about an MoD shakeup he should take aim at the dead and dangerous hand of the civilian bureaucracy - 14th August 2010 Trident blows up - The current row over the nuclear missile system shows just why it should be subject to review - 31st July 2010 Afghanistan war logs: Shattering the illusion of a bloodless victory - Real picture of a conflict longer than Vietnam, or either world war, refutes the idea of a 'revolution in military affairs' - 26th July 2010 Afghanistan: summary Conditions won't get in the way of Afghan withdrawal deadline - The coalition talks of a 'conditions-based' Afghanistan withdrawal but those conditions can be changed to hit the deadline - 23rd July 2010 Come clean about torture - Former ministers should speak up at the judicial inquiry over rendition of British citizens - 16th July 2010 Afghanistan: the wait for talks to start - For military and political leaders, the only question now is when negotiations with the enemy open - 29th June 2010 Time to end mixed messages over Afghanistan policy - The new defence secretary must have the confidence to deliver clear explanation of our role in Afghanistan - 25th May 2010 We can't remove human rights - There may be hysteria over two Pakistani terror suspects staying in the UK, but repealing the Human Rights Act is no solution - 20th May 2010 MI5's propaganda own-goal - The head of the security service is denouncing the media for simply reporting the judicial truth of its complicity in torture - 12th February 2010 Our Afghan intelligence failure - The CIA has been criticised for its ignorance of Afghanistan – but Britain's intelligence service is scarcely more competent - 5th January 2010 Chilcot's lessons on Iraq - The preparations for the aftermath of the invasion were criminally inadequate, which led to appalling acts of abuse - 23rd December 2009 The great Afghan U-turn ignores reality - The US and UK are in denial about the situation in Afghanistan – for a start, they should stop channelling aid through Kabul - 4th November 2009 Official MI5 history sheds little light - The problem with Christopher Andrew's book is we do not know what files he did not see and what he omitted from those he did - 6th October 2009 This is not disarmament - Brown wants to be seen to be taking action on nuclear weapons, but he should cut warheads, not a submarine that carries them - 24th September 2009 Buzzwords can't mask Afghan failure - Talk of a 'new strategy' doesn't disguise the fact that we have been wasting time, billions of dollars and lives in Afghanistan - 23rd September 2009 The military's message to Afghanistan - In saying we could be there for 40 years, Sir David Richards is trying to tell Afghans foreign troops won't leave them in the lurch - 11th August 2009 The Iraq inquiry must not back down - Sir John Chilcot should not ignore evidence that British officials plotted with their US counterparts to topple Saddam - 31st July 2009 Cruel truths from Basra - Abuse of Iraqi prisoners reveals a lack of discipline among UK troops and arrogance at the MoD - 23rd July 2009 Time for honesty over Afghan mission - The wonder is not that army top brass are now openly calling for more resources, but that they have not done so before - 22nd July 2009 Insufficient force in Afghanistan - British generals are frustrated by Gordon Brown's refusal to send more troops to the troubled nation - 24th June 2009 The Iraq inquiry debate won't go away - A head of steam is building up for an open inquiry into the Iraq war, or at least for most of it to be held in public - 19th June 2009 Another Whitehall whitewash - Given what we know already from leaks, the secrecy surrounding the Chilcot Iraq inquiry is as absurd as it is scandalous - 16th June 2009 (See: Anger as Gordon Brown announces Iraq war inquiry will be held in private) Defence: Reshape spending for the 21st century - The government must urgently carry out a major defence review that looks at Trident, aircraft and foreign policy - 10th June 2009 Blair: man of faith, in his own ideas - The Iraq war damaged Britain's standing, wellbeing and security – but Tony Blair still believes in his doctrine of intervention - 24th April 2009 Miliband has dodged the issue - Yes, the government condemns torture. But why was there ever talk of a US threat in the first place - 20th February 2009 Top brass on the warpath - Some of the greatest critics of the operation in Afghanistan are among British military chiefs - 9th December 2008 Guardian readers, Britain needs you - If nothing else, it's a good time to be a spy: it must be, MI6 is advertising on the front of the Guardian - guardian.co.uk - Wednesday, 20th August 2008 Distracted and weakened, Nato is lost - The alliance, influenced by the US, is chasing phantom enemies. Meanwhile in Afghanistan, the real ones prevail - guardian.co.uk - Tuesday, 19th August 2008 Britain can't take the credit in Basra - The city may be seeing an economic upturn, but that is less to do with our military might than Iraq's strategic planning - guardian.co.uk - Friday, 15th August 2008 Kafkaesque rendition - The government is once again using the fig leaf of national security to hide the truth about torture - 7th August 2008 Angry denials are not enough - The US and UK must now provide explanations to Ron Suskind's claims about intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq war - Guardian.co.uk - 6th August 2008 Hanging on the telephone - It seems that some terror suspects can't help using their mobiles, despite knowing they're being listened in on - Guardian.co.uk - 29th July 2008 Selling our soldiers short - The MoD is spending billions on jets, ships and submarines but failing to properly equip the army - 3rd July 2008 One year on, the verdict - Today marks the first anniversary of Gordon Brown taking over as prime minister. Here Guardian experts assess how he has fared since being handed the keys to No 10 - 27th June 2008 Pandora's box of bugs - Whisper it: the byzantine world of surveillance oversight has had a very bad week indeed - 7th February 2008 Secrets and lies - National security is being invoked not to protect us but to shield politicians from embarrassment - 11th January 2008 The remains of occupation - The handover of power in Basra is motivated by self-interest, and leaves the region on a knife edge - 18th December 2007 Unconvinced by the conspiracy theories in The Strange Death of David Kelly by Norman Baker - 1st December 2007 Aleksandr Feklisov: KGB officer linked to the Rosenbergs, Klaus Fuchs and the Cuban missile crisis - 20th November 2007 Obituary Nato's whole mission is in doubt if its members won't provide necessary support in Afghanistan - 7th November 2007

News & updates: Richard Norton-Taylor leaves Guardian staff after 38 years - Press Gazette, 6th June 2011

References:

Links: Wikipedia bio doollee.com "not for profit" free online guide to modern playwrights and theatre plays: plays by Richard Norton-Taylor