How Low Can They Go?

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25100083
Violating the diplomatic bag, what next?

[sandyRoe]

They're looking for diversion from their domestic problems.

[hc4361]

Opening a diplomatic bag could have very serious consequences. It is a huge breach of political diplomacy.

[237SJ]

That`s a huge no-no, that is. Carriage of diplomatic mail is governed by so many regulations. Even Customs can`t touch it. The Spanish must be making a point, it seems.

[Buenchico]

>>>How Low Can They Go?

Perhaps as low as the USA, who are happy to routinely intercept diplomatic communications?

[ToraToraTora]

perhaps sandy, so is half the world but they are not scoring own goals like this.

[craft1948]

The Spanish do seem to be getting desperate...............

[New Judge]

Never mind, 3Ts. Both the UK and Spain are members of that big happy family that is the European Union. How on earth can anyone take offence?

Strangely, instead of this being among the headlines on the news section of the BBC’s website (which is dominated today by the Scottish nonsense - not news for another 10 months - and the ludicrous “Plebgate” affair - now 15 months old. Instead details of this most serious breach of the Vienna Convention (the last example of which against the UK’s diplomatic corps was thirteen years ago in a country where such a transgression would be less surprising) is buried among details of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year candidature and a story about MRSA in chickens. After all, the Beeb would not want to rock the EU boat.

[jake-the-peg]

When we've been involved with the US intercepting massive amounts of internet correspondence and tapping the phones of people like Chancellor Merkell I think it's a little rich to be taking the moral high ground

[Hypognosis]

Perhaps they'd like to rent a pair of B52s and overfly The Rock as part of a routine training exercise, next?

[Gromit]

Strange how the people who want to hang draw and quarter Edward Snowden just for revealing that GCHQ and the NSA have been routinely listening and reading communications from virtually every world leader, are up in arms about a bag being opened.
Certainly it was a breach of protocol, but the Spanish need to distract their population from its dire domestic situation. A similar thing was done in the UK. In 1982 Mrs Thatcher was hugely unpopular, bottom of all the polls, yet managed a fantastic election win in 1983.

[youngmafbog]

How on earth does openeing a diplomatic bag compare with the treacherous actions of Snowden. In days gone by opening a bag would be cause for war.

But of course you two are using the same distracting techniques because it is yet another example of how bad your beloved and corrupt EU really is.

[Gromit]

Ymb

The Diplomatic bag may have once contained secrets but unlikely to now. Secrets are moved electronically and encrypted. Which is why intercepting those electronic messages are far greater violation.

Inspecting the Ambassodor's pyjamas is nothing compared to listening to yours friends' phone calls and reading all their emails.

[sandyRoe]

People in the UK may view this as an 'own goal'. The Spanish will probably see it differently.

[brionon]

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sandyRoe
They're looking for diversion from their domestic problems.

My thoughts exactly. Get the public hating the Brits instead of their Crisis government.

[ToraToraTora]

Nice bit of attempted diversion from the anti British. Yes spying has occurred, no doubt often out of order but that's another subject.

This is a completely different it's about violating an international agreement and protocol that is major aspect of diplomacy. If the bag can be violated then that will effect world wide diplomacy.

[bhg481]

Gromit - surely the diplomatic bag is just as likely to contain secrets now as it ever did. If it is known that electronic messages are intercepted then the safest way to get classified information across national boundaries is to carry it personally, provided the inviolability of the diplomatic bag is guaranteed.