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In this exclusive interview, I speak to Professor Sir David Omand, one of Britain’s most senior ex-intelligence officers. He was the first UK Security and Intelligence Coordinator, responsible to the Prime Minister…
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I worry that the emotional side has these days too much dominance over the rational. We think we're being rational, but unconsciously we're being swayed by the power of some of the images and words that we've seen, particularly on social media.
— Professor Sir David OmandFormer UK Security and Intelligence Coordinator & National Security Adviser
The ability to build trust is an essential human skill but it's not easy to build trust relationships quickly and certainly not in the midst of crisis. That comes from consistent behaviour that demonstrates integrity, honesty, truthfulness, and keeping one's word.
— Professor Sir David OmandFormer UK Security and Intelligence Coordinator & National Security Adviser
We wouldn't want to live in a world of full transparency. That is a world where I can see into your brain, and you into mine. Perhaps one day this will be possible… we will be able to plug into each other's brains, and I will experience the world as you, and you as me…. A hive-mind… I just hope I'm not around when that technology arrives.
— Professor Sir David OmandFormer UK Security and Intelligence Coordinator & National Security Adviser
In comparing alternative explanations, it is not necessarily the one with the most evidence apparently in its favour that we should choose but the one with least evidence against it. One solid piece of evidence can demolish a hypothesis.
— Professor Sir David OmandFormer UK Security and Intelligence Coordinator & National Security Adviser
Our knowledge of the world is always fragmentary and incomplete and our explanations of how the world works have therefore to be considered as provisional. This means we have to accept that sometimes we will turn out afterwards to have been wrong. But we can use that knowledge to learn and refine our ideas.
— Professor Sir David OmandFormer UK Security and Intelligence Coordinator & National Security Adviser
The purpose of intelligence is to improve the quality of decision making by reducing ignorance. The more you know the more likely it is that a sound decision will be taken. That applies to all of us in our day-to-day decisions.
— Professor Sir David OmandFormer UK Security and Intelligence Coordinator & National Security Adviser
We wouldn't want to live in a world of full transparency. That is a world where I can see into your brain, and you into mine. We all need privacy for our thoughts, and inside government we need politicians and advisers to be able to explore ideas in private.
— Professor Sir David OmandFormer UK Security and Intelligence Coordinator & National Security Adviser
Our knowledge of the world is always fragmentary and incomplete and our explanations of how the world works have therefore to be considered as provisional. This means we have to accept that sometimes we will turn out afterwards to have been wrong.
— Professor Sir David OmandFormer UK Security and Intelligence Coordinator & National Security Adviser
In comparing alternative explanations, it is not necessarily the one with the most evidence apparently in its favour that we should choose but the one with least evidence against it. One solid piece of evidence can demolish a hypothesis.
— Professor Sir David OmandFormer UK Security and Intelligence Coordinator & National Security Adviser
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