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-= MI5:. cost of the operation -=
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Here's. what a couple of other people on Usenet (uk.misc) had to say
regarding the cost of running such an. operation...

PO: >Have some. sense, grow up and smell reality. What you are talking about
PO: >would take loads of planning, tens of thousands of pounds and. lots of
PO: >people involved in. the planning, execution and maintenance of it. You
PO: >must have a very high opinion of yourself to think you. are worth it.

PM: >But why? And why you? Do you realize how. much it would cost to keep
PM: >one. person under continuous surveillance for five years? Think about
PM: >all the man/hours. Say. they _just_ allocated a two man team and a
PM: >supervisor. OK., Supervisor's salary, say,. #30,000 a year. Two men,
PM: >#20,000 a year each. But they'd need to work in. shifts -- so it would
PM: >be. six men at #20,000 (which with on-costs would work out at more like
PM: >#30,000 to. the employer.) 
PM:. >
PM: >So, we're talking. #30,000 x 6. #180,000. plus say, #40,000 for the 
PM: >supervisor.. #220,000. Then you've got the hardware involved. And 
PM:. >any transcription that needs doing. You don't think the 'Big Boss'
PM: >would listen to hours and hours of tapes, do. you.
PM:. >
PM: >So, all in all, you couldn't actually do the job for. much less than
PM: >a quarter million a year. Over five years. What are. you doing that makes
PM: >it worth the while of the state to spend over one and a quarter. million
PM:. >on you?

Those are pretty much. the sort of calculations that went through my head
once I stopped to consider what. it must be costing them to run this
operation. The partial answer is, there have been. periods when the
intensity has been greater,. and times when little has happened. In fact,
for much of 1993 and the first. half of 1994, very little happened. Although
I don't think that was for reasons of money -. if they can tap into the
taxpayer they're not going to be short of. resources, are they?

The more complete answer is in the enormity of what they're. doing. Relative
to the cost to British pride of seeing their country humiliated for. the
persecution. of their own citizens, isn't is worth the cost of four or five
people to try to bring things to a. close in the manner they would wish? To
the government a million or two. is quite honestly nothing - if they can
convince themselves of the necessity of what they're doing, resources. will
not. be the limiting factor.

8100

The article of which part. is reproduced below was penned by Bernard Levin
for the Features section of the Times on 21 September 1991. To my mind,. it
described the situation at the time and. in particular a recent meeting with
a friend, during which I for the first time admitted to someone other. than
my GP that I had been subjected to a conspiracy of harassment over. the
previous year. and a half.

>There is a madman running loose about. London, called David Campbell; I have
>no reason to believe. that he is violent, but he should certainly be
>approached. with caution. You may know him by the curious glitter in his
>eyes and a. persistent trembling of his hands; if that does not suffice, you
>will find him attempting to thrust. no fewer than 48 books into your arms,
>all hardbacks, with a promise that, if you should return to the. same
>meeting-place next year, he will heave another 80 at. you.
>
>If, by now, the police have. arrived and are keeping a close watch on him,
>you may feel sufficiently emboldened to examine. the books. The jackets are
>a model of uncluttered typography, elegantly and. simply laid out; there is
>an unobtrusive colophon of a rising sun, probably. not picked at random.
>Gaining confidence. - the lunatic is smiling by now, and the policemen, who
>know about such things, have significantly removed. their helmets - you
>could do worse than take the jacket off the first book in the pile.. The
>only word possible to describe. the binding is sumptuous; real cloth in a
>glorious shade of dark green, with the title and author in black and. gold
>on. the spine.
>
>Look at it more closely; your eyes do not deceive you - it. truly does have
>real top-bands and tail-bands, in yellow, and, for. good measure, a silk
>marker ribbon in a lighter green.. The paper is cream-wove and acid-free,
>and the book. is sewn, not glued.
>
>Throughout the encounter, I should have. mentioned, our loony has been
>chattering away, although what he. is trying to say is almost impossible to
>understand; after a time, however, he becomes sufficiently. coherent to make
>clear that he. is trying to sell the books to you. Well, now, such quality
>in bookmaking today can only be for collectors' limited editions at. a
>fearsome price. - #30, #40, #50?
>
>No, no, he says, the glitter more powerful than ever and the trembling. of
>his hands rapidly spreading throughout his entire. body; no, no - the books
>are priced variously at #7, #8 or #9, with the top price. #12.
>
>At this, the policemen understandably put. their helmets back on; one of
>them draws his truncheon and the other can be heard. summoning
>reinforcements on his walkie-talkie. The madman. bursts into tears, and
>swears it is all. true.
>
>And. it is.
>
>David Campbell has. acquired the entire rights to the whole of the
>Everyman's Library, which. died a lingering and shameful death a decade or
>so ago, and he proposes to start it all over again - 48 volumes. this
>September and 80 more next year, in editions I. have described, at the
>prices specified. He proposes to launch. his amazing venture simultaneously
>in Britain and. the United States, with the massive firepower of Random
>Century at his back in this country, and the dashing cavalry of. Knopf
>across the water, and no. one who loves literature and courage will forbear
>to. cheer.

At the time. this article was written I had believed for some time that
columnists in the Times. and other journalists had been making references to
my situation. Nothing. unusual about this you may think, plenty of people
have the same sort of ideas and obviously the papers. aren't writing about
them, so why should my beliefs not be as false. as those of others?

What makes this article so extraordinary is that three or. four days
immediately preceding its publication, I. had a meeting with a friend,
during the course of. which we discussed the media persecution, and in
particular. that by Times columnists. It seemed to me, reading the article
by Levin in Saturday’s paper, that he was. describing in some detail his
"artist’s impression" of that meeting. Most telling are the. final
sentences, when he writes, "The madman. bursts into tears, and swears it is
all true. And it is." Although I did not "burst into tears" (he. seems to be
using. a bit of poetic licence and exaggerating) I did try hard to convince
my friend that it was all true; and I am. able to concur with Mr Levin,
because, of. course, it is.

At the beginning of the piece Levin reveals a. fear of being attacked by the
"irrational" subject of his story, saying "I have. no reason to believe that
he is violent, but he should certainly be approached. with caution". This
goes back to the xenophobic propaganda of "defence" against a. "threat"
which was seen at the very. beginning of the harassment. The impression of a
"madman running loose". who needs to be controlled through an agency which
assigns to itself. the mantle of the "police" is also one which had been
expressed. elsewhere.

In the final paragraph of this extract, his reference to. Everyman’s Library
as having "died a lingering and. shameful death a decade or so ago" shows
clearly what sort of conclusion they wish to their. campaign. They want a
permanent solution, and as they are prevented from. achieving that solution
directly, they waste. significant resources on methods which have been
repeatedly shown to be. ineffective for such a purpose.

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