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[Wooster]

It's hard to comprehend how huge this is.

Personally I think that it's a bit of a double edged sword, in that on the one hand a lot of discussions between diplomats could be a bit strained, but on the other, the veil has been lifted and we can see exactly how the people we put into power operate...it's a leveller.
If there was any doubt before that these people are real human beings (despite what they might like us to think), with normal attitudes and normal prejudices, it's now written large.

I welcome it.
At last we can see through the political double talk and see many issues as they really are (or infer that, given the documents are not exactly recent).

Last night I watched an interview where one correspondent said that those documents were never meant to have been seen 'by the likes of us'...I almost put my foot through the TV and sent him the bill..

The comment implies that we're not fit to decide what is right, or what is wrong (imho).

What will be released has to be taken within context and this is probably the biggest worry by the US administration, since the press forego this basic process in order to put up a sensational headline. (i.e. Recently Sarah Palin made a gaff regarding the situation in Korea. During the interview she repeatedly made reference to South Korea as a US ally, but one slip of the tongue inferring that North Korea was the ally was damn hear headline news.)

Anyhoo..we need more of this kind of thing.
If we had a bit more honesty and openness in world politics there would probably be far less hassle.

[keasy]

I don't trust it and think it's equally as manipulative as any other mass spread media.

I don't think for one minute it's all about information freedom, it has ulterior motives  none of us plebeians are privy to.

[Wooster]

So you think it's a manipulated release of information by parties 'unknown' (i.e. the Chinese)?

-edit- removed the   after 'Chinese' in brackets...that's some scary shit that's not beyond the bounds of reason.  
..but they have the man and they have the method. So are you saying that Bradley Manning is just a patsy?

[gi joe]

I was thinking it could end up starting WW3.  Although it looks like Iran hasn't taken some of it seriously.  However, I think why are the Middle East suggesting to American they should attack Iran.  If they want it sorted, go to the UN and get an agreement that they can do it themselves and spend some of their own money and military do it themselves.

[Wooster]

Why would it?
It's playground politics and everyone involved probably has a good idea of what has been said about them long before this stuff came out.

The tricky issue is them being caught in a lie.

[gi joe]

Because some of them, Iran, are unstable and might think "OK so they def want to start a war with us.  Well, as they in a street fight, make sure you get the first punch".

[Wooster]

Their intelligence sources probably already know what the score is.
Lets be realistic here, they're hardly likely to be mugs.  

[keasy]

Yup, it's nothing new to any of them, they all play diplomatic one-up-man-ship with each other and giggle at silly names and slaggings they give each other.

The difference is when it's leaked like this it becomes the domain of officialdom rather than the small childish whisperings of diplomats and party workers having a laugh whilst tagging people.
So it does carry a particular embarrassment and diplomatic situation for higher ranking/public face politicians/diplomats that needs easing. The fact is, you can't just cut out the human factor and the fact that it will affect judgement as it will find its way to peoples hearts to ultimately end up being taken personally, no matter how hard a face or thick skinned a face they put on it. Nicolas Sarkozy especially, boom boom.

[Wooster]

It's the press that drives them, that's the problem.
They address themselves to suit the lowest of the low in that respect.

..sort of shows how much respect Politicians have for us at the end of the day.

[keasy]

Russia is on the receiving end now.

And just as I suggested the Ruskies are stating that wikileaks are probably being fed misinformation by political adversaries keen to discredit with their own agenda.

Personally I think wikileaks is now shooting itself square on the foot and completely discrediting itself to be defaulted as information to be taken with large doses of salt. There is to much negative concentration and not enough positive.
Yes, it probably is sensationalism and it probably is down to the media choosing what to report. But that IS the world we live in and that IS how information is portrayed and presented to the masses. Like it or not.
Wikileaks knows that as much as anyone, so it's hardly even excusable.

Sick of it already.

Wikileaks, GTF!

[Roscop]

I heard a bit about this on the news today

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11898323

Really, if you were the founder of a website like Wikileaks you would be careful of even getting a parking ticket never mind being accused of commiting the list of crimes that Julian Assange has. I havent even had a look to see what the conspiricy theory guys are saying about it.

[gi joe]

I heard a bit about this on the news today

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11898323

Really, if you were the founder of a website like Wikileaks you would be careful of even getting a parking ticket never mind being accused of commiting the list of crimes that Julian Assange has. I havent even had a look to see what the conspiricy theory guys are saying about it.

He's apparently wanted for questioning, not because they want to charge him.  People believe it's an attempt by certain governments to discredit him.  As it's a big of a coincidence that it's happened now.  Oh and the way the media are going, they seem to think he's guilty.  But being accused of something doesn't mean you're guilty.

[Wooster]

I think it smells a bit like a smear campaign myself.

As someone mentioned, given that he's pissed off almost every government in the world (or is likely to), is this the best that they can do?
...it's a wonder they haven't done him for forgetting to take a library book back when he was 12 years old.

[Thermalsig]

He's apparently wanted for questioning, not because they want to charge him.  People believe it's an attempt by certain governments to discredit him.  As it's a big of a coincidence that it's happened now.  Oh and the way the media are going, they seem to think he's guilty.  But being accused of something doesn't mean you're guilty.

He may or may not be guilty of crimes committed in Sweden, but he is guilty of endangering international relations and possible harm to many people. It's all fluff up Julian political BS. I've heard all his views on the "the world needs to know this and the world must know that and society must be educated bullshit". I challenge anyone to bring up anything that not petty partisan sniping and that won't do anything but bruise egos. Which of course will lead to consequences not yet guessed at. Fucking why? We did not learn anything of importance we couldn't have already guessed at. Hang the fucker and hope you don't have some low level clerk in your govt. willing to give up this kind of asinine BS. All governments do this exact thing.

[Wooster]

Guessing is one thing, having the proof is quite another.

For instance, if we'd had the proof that Bliar had agreed with the US to go to war against Iraq eighteen months before Parliament even got a whiff of it, the twat would have been history and we'd never have gotten involved in the fiasco.
We have also found out that the subsequent Iraq Inquiry was rigged to protect US interests.

We are also seeing exactly what the US (and others) think of us politically and militarily.
Tbh I could have guessed that myself but despite our support we still get a blank refusal when we ask the US Administration for a minor concession.
Hamid Karzai (the corrupt US puppet in charge of Afghanistan) didn't think much better of other NATO troops in the region, stating that he'd rather they stayed at home.

Politics in the UK is in a state of flux at the moment and I'm hoping that these leaks will lead to us seeing a bit more integrity among politicians.