back to article Brit spooks bugged Edward VIII's phones, records reveal

Intelligence files kept hidden for nearly 80 years have shown that the British government was bugging King Edward VIII's phones in the days leading up to his abdication. Journalist's telegram about Edward VIII's abdication Neil Forbes Grant's telegram confirming the King's abdication. Government officials were clearly …

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  1. Yag
    Pint

    Booze!

    Bringing people together since millenias...

    1. asdf
      Trollface

      Re: Booze!

      Been around the world and when it comes to drunks its hard to beat both the UK (Irish, Scottish, Limey doesn't matter) and Russia in volume. In fact while I was in Europe whenever the cops showed up due to a disturbance in public the perpetrators were inevitably from one of the two areas.

      1. asdf
        Trollface

        Re: Booze!

        Americans think they are all badass but inevitably whenever I would see someone passed out in public in the day or the shop keepers in Amsterdam having to give emergency sugar/soda to revive someone it was a fellow American. They don't understand what a big step up it is partying in the big leagues Europe when your prior experience is largely starting in your 20's or late teens drinking %3 alcohol beer in aluminum cans.

        1. GBE

          Re: Booze!

          This particular American has never been under any illusion that he's much of a drinker. A few years back, I got to travel to England and attend my employer's UK office Christmas party. It was quite a do compared to the snooze-fests we have in the US. To quote Roy from IT:

          "You people drink like you don't want to live!"

          1. Steven Roper
            Pint

            Re: Booze!

            This reminded me of my favourite Churchill quote, attributed to him in a conversation with Lady Astor, who had accused him of being drunk:

            "Madam, I am indeed drunk. And you are ugly. But in the morning, I will be sober."

            1. J__M__M

              Re: Booze!

              What are the chances of your favourite Churchill quote and my favorite Churchill quote being different, but from the same conversation? Assuming they weren't crossing paths at cocktail parties, pool halls, or sporting events every other weekend, anyway...

              Lady Astor: "If you were my husband I'd give you poison."

              Churchill: "If you were my wife, I'd drink it."

              All this between shifts at his regular day job (saving the world). If that' isn't getting it f'ing done, I don't know what is.

      2. asdf
        Trollface

        Re: Booze!

        >(Irish, Scottish, Limey doesn't matter)

        Oops forgot a shout out the Welsh. Those hill billys are no exception either lol.

        1. Jamie Jones Silver badge

          Re: Booze!

          "Oops forgot a shout out the Welsh. Those hill billys are no exception either lol."

          I was going to say that you'd forgotten us choir-singing, sheep-shagging miners!

  2. Mat 3
    Coat

    I'll get me coat

    Winston - Wine, Stalin - Vodka, Molotov - Cocktails.

  3. Mage Silver badge

    Winston and Stalin, and Molotov

    I guess Stalin didn't let Molotov mix the cocktails.

    1. John 62

      Re: Winston and Stalin, and Molotov

      Molotov cocktails are from Finland and they named them after Molotov because he said that it was bread, not bombs the beneficent Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was dropping on Finland. So the Finns said they were throwing Molotov cocktails at the Russian soldiers, not petrol bombs.

  4. graeme leggett Silver badge

    I thought the Stalin and Churchill drinking session was well known. This is just the first time we seen the verbatim report rather than a précis.

  5. Spanners Silver badge
    Holmes

    Some Things Haven't Changed Then

    Politicians and government officials were lying in the 1930s and they still are.

    Spooks were invading the most intimate privacies then and they are now.

    You can get more business done over a few drinks than in a day sat in a meeting.

    1. ItsNotMe
      Thumb Up

      Re: Some Things Haven't Changed Then

      "Politicians and government officials have been lying ever since Eve gave Adam that apple and they still are."

      There...fixed it for you.

      1. Gray Ham Bronze badge
        Happy

        Re: Some Things Haven't Changed Then

        When Adam delved and Eve span, who was then the politician?

        1. Yag

          Re: "who was then the politician?"

          Well...

          - No arm to do real work,

          - Just slithering around like a conniving thief,

          - A big mouth filled with lies and deceptions...

          The Serpent fit the usual description of a politician.

          (NOTE : Sorry for any serpentine friend that I may offend)

  6. Irongut

    The Churchill Stalin story is interesting. But did we have to have the bit about the royal who wanted to marry someone he couldn't? Just leave that crap for ITV please.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Perhaps, as that royal, as far as I have understood, would have appreciated more some schnapps with Der Fuhrer.

      1. TeeCee Gold badge
        Pint

        Trust Hitler to drink schnapps when surrounded by some of the best bloody beer in the world. Always knew there was something dodgy about him.......

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          I have no information on Hitlers drinking habits, and no interest in finding out anything about it. And if he did not drink it did not make him less dodgy. However, in Germany people drink both beer and schnapps, often, at the same time. Sometimes using only one hand. I tried that once too and "destroyed" my trousers. Very embarrassing but to my relief and surprise that seemed to be just acceptable and not worth any attention.

          Adding Hitler to this makes me anonymous, may hes teeth rot in Moscow and if he had a grave I would piss on it.

          1. Captain DaFt

            " I have no information on Hitlers drinking habits"

            Haven't studied much History then. Hitler was a vegetarian, a teetotaler, and apparently a bit racist.

          2. asdf

            >However, in Germany people drink both beer and schnapps

            Its worst than that before Red Bull really took off they used to drink this shit called Diesel which was half Coke and half Beer and tasted even worse than it sounds.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Stalin more fun than Hitler

        Neither sociopath is a great drinking buddy.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Stalin more fun than Hitler

          "Neither sociopath is a great drinking buddy". Any experience you would like to share with us.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      It had **** all to do with slapper Simpson

      and everything to do with the fact that Edward VIII was under the security services microscope already. He had shown appalling lapses of judgement and protocol, and was widely regarded as a Nazi sympathiser. It would not be unreasonable to believe that he in some small way gave Hitler a feeling that Britain would welcome a Nazi invasion.

      Now whether an heir apparent, should be in such a position (or indeed whether we should have an heir apparent) is an eminently debatable subject. Just not for here.

      I for one, am pleased that even in the 1930s, we had a security service that was genuinely trying to protect us.

  7. NoOnions
    Pint

    Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment

    "To alcohol! The cause of... and solution to... all of life's problems"

    1. ian 22
      Pint

      Re: Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment

      Another quote not certain I agree with but interesting nonetheless.

      "Yer a fool if you drink before yer 50, and a fool if you don't drink after yer 50."

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    And this sort of crap deserves 80 years of secrecy?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Yes...

      ... it does. If you want people to accept responsibility for decisions and a well preserved historical record, people have to be able to make decisions without the public looking over their shoulder. Otherwise they will always favour the soft (popular) option and, if there is any serious discussion, not much will be recorded about it.

      1. Intractable Potsherd

        Re: Yes... @ 2nd (inexplicable) AC

        the issue is not whether this should have been kept secret for *some* time, but whether it should have kept secret for *this* amount of time. 80 years (i.e. long after anyone involved is dead) is, to my mind, unacceptable, and if it didn't involve the royal family then it would not have been. This stuff should have been released at least thirty years ago. Edward VIII was an interestingly incompetent heir to the throne with a liking for a bit of rough, and a tendency to be led into situations as a result and then refuse to be led out of them by people who saw things differently and more clearly.

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  11. frobnicate
    Headmaster

    Nokia^WWodka --- connecting people

    So it's "England" and "duty of an Englishman". Good that rumours about so-called "[Kingdom of] Great Britain" are only rumours.

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