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Female spies of MI6

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Re: Female spies of MI6

#161

Post by bpye »

implements wrote: post #54
pazimzadeh wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah this feels like a submarine article

It’s certainly a PR piece - I wondered what the purpose was beyond the obvious and naive ‘getting more women into Intelligence’? Elsewhere there’s been news stories about British MPs complaining that the security and intelligence services have too high a media profile … so perhaps there’s some ‘push and pull’ going on behind the scenes.

> Elsewhere there’s been news stories about British MPs complaining that the security and intelligence services have too high a media profile … so perhaps there’s some ‘push and pull’ going on behind the scenes.

Likely true. I can only really talk for GCHQ, but they have certainly made a significant effort in recruitment for years, growing up near a GCHQ ground station we had a visit during my final year pre-university to try and sell us on working there. I'm fairly sure that GCHQ was also at my university's careers fair.

The security services (MI5, MI6, GCHQ) really don't pay very well in the UK as they are on the same civil service pay scale as the rest of government. I'm hardly surprised they struggle to hire against private companies.

Re: Female spies of MI6

#162

Post by pyuser583 »

species9606 wrote: post #149
hallway_monitor wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Obligatory "I'm sure you're fun at parties". Honestly though why would anyone have this attitude? It seems like having a conversation with someone while getting your hair cut has zero downside, and the guaranteed upside both of you being a little more entertained. Possible upsides are actually getting into a meaningful conversation or stumbling on a new opportunity. Seems like a win-win to me.

Right near the CalTech campus, there was a barbershop owned and operated by a sole older gentleman. You’d sit down, tell him what you wanted, and he’d give you a magazine (often Scientific American) and cut your hair in silence. It was perfect.

Best haircut I ever got was by and Indian gentleman in the Dominican Republic. He was so intensely focused he never said a word.

Re: Female spies of MI6

#163

Post by pyuser583 »

signatoremo wrote: post #138
medo-bear wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

im not talking about merits of chinese political system. but the thesis that communist-party-ruled societies are more favoured toward men than it is the case in most western governments is false. also according to statistics rwanda and cuba are world leaders in terms of % women holding office

Huh? This is just false. What is the basis for your opinion? There is no woman in the 24-member Politburo, the highest body of Chinese leadership. None. It had a single woman in the last cycle 2017-2022. The Standing committee, the top echelon with seven members has never had a woman as member. Of 205 members of the Central Committee, only 5% are women. https://amp.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3196848/abs...

Rawanda requires 50% of elected representatives to be female.

In practice, it lets the ruling party keep power. Winning and election against them isn’t enough- you have to win with at least 50% female candidates.

Re: Female spies of MI6

#164

Post by mattkrause »

foobarian wrote: post #29
ZseeBrz wrote: post #12

There's a very good book in French on the same topic (Espionnes by Dalila Kerchouche). The author interviewed several women in the various FR services (DGSE, DGSI, etc.) in various leadership and non-leadership positions. If you can read French, you will find it very interesting. It's both a cultural trip and partial demystification of the trade.

On that note just wanted to also plug the fantastic French spy show "The Bureau" [1]. It's fiction but loved the characters and the scheming, and more high level, a glimpse into the French flavor of the CIA/MI6 verticals. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bureau_(TV_series)

On a goofier note, Au Service de la France ("A Very Secret Service" on Netflix) is another fun French spy show. The first season is a bit like Parks and Rec, in that it's misfits having funny misadventures. The second is more serious but has a plot.

Re: Female spies of MI6

#165

Post by dmix »

tamiral wrote: post #147
dmix wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t talk to cab drivers either. My girlfriend always finds a way to start conversations with ever driver but I rarely ever do unless I’m in some peppy mood. The pressure to talk to barbers seems much higher though.

I treat my barber like family........ i need to look good!

Good point. It's always good to take care of service workers that do a good job.

Re: Female spies of MI6

#166

Post by medo-bear »

signatoremo wrote: post #138
medo-bear wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

im not talking about merits of chinese political system. but the thesis that communist-party-ruled societies are more favoured toward men than it is the case in most western governments is false. also according to statistics rwanda and cuba are world leaders in terms of % women holding office

Huh? This is just false. What is the basis for your opinion? There is no woman in the 24-member Politburo, the highest body of Chinese leadership. None. It had a single woman in the last cycle 2017-2022. The Standing committee, the top echelon with seven members has never had a woman as member. Of 205 members of the Central Committee, only 5% are women. https://amp.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3196848/abs...

http://archive.ipu.org/wmn-e/classif.htm

Re: Female spies of MI6

#167

Post by jeffrallen »

lifeisstillgood wrote: post #144
sudomatic wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ἀδολέσχου δὲ κουρέως ἐρωτήσαντος αὐτόν, “πῶς σε κείρω;” “σιωπῶν,” ἔφη. When a talkative barber asked him [Archelaus, king of Macedonia], ‘How should I cut your hair?’ he said, ‘In silence!’ — Plutarch

Oh yes :-) There have not been enough "HN moments" recently but here we are ... following a thread on spies, we perfectly segue into a quote from Plutarch, that is not only on point and unforced, but in the orignal Greek. You have restored my lost faith in social media, my recently-signed-up friend - long may you enjoy our weird corner of the internet. We have cookies.

> We have cookies.

But we block 'em.

Re: Female spies of MI6

#168

Post by nix23 »

robofanatic wrote: post #107
photoGrant wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What exactly is your experience? This just seems so innocently naive about how spies actually work

> What exactly is your experience? watching spy documentaries/movies on netflix, youtube

But to be honest SpyGame is kind of a accurate picture..well minus the Hollywood-additions.

Re: Female spies of MI6

#170

Post by kimburgess »

harry8 wrote: post #140
Reason077 wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "rooted" Aussie? In any case, you may not have good hearing, but at least you have good hair!

Gotta love the way australians think being polite and couth is achieved by using another word for f&^k that literally means f^&k. "The gearbox is totally f&^ked! Oh, sorry Cheryl, didn't see you there. I mean it's rooted."

We have a long, proud history of screwing the queen's, sorry, king's english.
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