[spoilers] Sir Harry Pearce 2.0

[A Cousin]

(16-11-2010 02:41 PM)HellsBells Wrote:  Why would Harry know that Albany didn't work? It is not really within his remit as Head of Counter Terrorism. Something like Albany would have been held securely at Porton Down (military research base), and knowledge would be on a need to know basis, with perhaps the Head of MI5 knowing and possibly the Home Secretary.

Sure it might not be in the realistic purview of the Head of Counter Terrorism and more in the DG or DDG, but as has been established in the Spooks lexicon, the administrative levels between the HS and Harry don't exist. Not truthful, but not outside of the understood construct of the programme since S1. Therefore, Harry moves up the need-to-know ladder.

Clearly Harry is on a pretty high rung because Malcolm was following his protocol for when anyone comes looking for Albany. I think that reason is linked to that fact that he knows that it is just a deterrent. Seems to me that one way to "counter terrorism" is to threaten the release a very horrific agent that is genetically altered to target specific populations. He could use that in his bag of tricks for "negotiation." This idea was explored with the parocycybin of 9.3 which is a deterrent as well. As long as the FSB *thinks* that the AFF has it, the AFF is safe.

In the real world, it is actually reasonably common knowledge that while it *could* work, it doesn't/can't/shouldn't for a few reasons. The first are the obvious ethical, legal and social issues (ELSI). Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, European Union, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, Russia, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the United States are all part of this ELSI discussion. The second reason is that, from what I have read, it takes a pretty genetically homogenous population which is hard to find these days. And lastly, I question if the analysis of the HGP has moved far enough forward in the 8 years since finishing simply mapping the human genome to make it feasible. I struggle with these ideas a bit because I think that Ruth (at least) would have known all this. Even if in as general a way as I do. (So if anyone knows better, please say so. I am no expert. All I know I picked up through my own research of my own daughters genetic disorder.) However, another clearly established construct is the team taking Harry at face value until their need-to-know requires it, so I accept it, as Silktie says, as "dramatic license."

Since Spooks works on the worst case scenario premise, that is not to say that any of the countries who have access to the information may not be trying on their own under the radar. News reports? "Not always accurate."