Thursday, 10 August 2006
Terror alerts, and believing the government
The problem with combining being dreadfully right-wing, which I am, with an enduring loathing for this most appalling of governments, which I have, is the quandary that you are placed in when events like those of morning take place.
I have absolutely no doubt that there are people out there - and, far more worrying, people here - who would be perfectly prepared to blow up airliners mid-flight to "make a point" - no doubt namechecking Iraq, Palestine and Lebanon among the myriad crimes against Islam for which they were striking a vengeful blow. Nor do I oppose swift and, where need be, ruthless measures against such nihilistic fanatics.
Yet, when I switched on the TV this morning, the first thing I saw was John Reid sitting at his desk, solemnly announcing the full extent of the horror from which we had all just been saved, and in the time it took to absorb the salient information from the strapline and caption, my curiosity and anxiety found itself jostling for early-morning brain cell capacity with cynicism. We've seen this before (albeit not on this scale), I thought, and there's a palpable feeling of crying wolf every time a new terror alert is announced.
There's also the concern that this will be used to justify further intrusions on civil liberties, such as those Reid was talking up only today in the paper (no doubt in the full knowledge that this terror plot would "go public" soon afterwards), castigating political opponents for being "soft on terrorism" in an echo of the absurd statement of the egregious Kitty Ussher MP a few months back that the Terror Bill opponents would have "blood on their hands".
There is little in the track record of this government, frankly, that inspires any confidence that my fear of a further kneejerk crackdown will turn out to be unfounded. Simply put, I do not believe what Dr John Reid says, and this is because he has shown a remarkable propensity, in every Cabinet job he has occupied, to play to the gallery rather than actually tackle the challenges of government.
But at the same time I have no desire to fall into the trap of those on the left, particularly the "Stop The War" mob, who continually warn that our policy in Iraq, Afghanistan and so on, as well as the plight of the Palestinians, will lead to more terrorism not less, and "forces" young Muslims into the arms of the raidcals, but then flatly deny that there is any threat whenever these alerts happen and blames 9/11 on Mossad. You can't have it both ways, moonbats.
On balance I, like most others, would rather be safe than sorry. We'll have to wait until the dust settles on this one before we can truly know just how close we were to disaster; sadly, it's not impossible (though it seems unlikely) that this is another in a long line of false alarms. But in the meantime, our ongoing - and entirely justified - suspicion of the mendacious bastards that run this country might usefully be leavened with a healthy dose of gratitude at the vigilance of our security services. In this day and age, sadly, the state's duty to protect its citizens is no mere philosophical conceit, but a day-to-day reality, and it is increasingly the security services, not the armed forces, which are at the front line in this [very real] war. It's not paranoia if they're actually out to get you.
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You're not alone. I watched Reid this morning and was immediately filled with the warm glow of healthy cynicism
I shall be looking out for any government news releases slipped out under cover of all the fuss
'Course it could just be an attempt to distract us from the fact that John Prescott has been considered sufficiently competent to be left in charge of the country
I shall be looking out for any government news releases slipped out under cover of all the fuss
'Course it could just be an attempt to distract us from the fact that John Prescott has been considered sufficiently competent to be left in charge of the country
Surely in this time of mortal danger to the British public, Tony Blair should be back in Downing Street, not sunning himself with Cliff Richard in the Carribean?
I just kept thinking "Ricin plot".
Good to see Reid trotting out the usual 'temporary' restrictions on civil liberties line. What a crock of shit.
C
Good to see Reid trotting out the usual 'temporary' restrictions on civil liberties line. What a crock of shit.
C
In a quiet moment I hope our rulers will tell us what difference the restrictions on our civil liberties since, say, 1997 have made to our security. Some hope! I can see the White Paper now, probably entitled something like "Your security, our Watchfulness" or "Moving towards a diverse security policy . . ."
The penultimate paragraph nailed it.
I'm reminded frequently nowadays of a vicious parody of American Neo-Nazis, who would simultaneously deny the Holocaust and proclaim a malevolent Jewish consipracy to rule the world.
This preposterous viewpoint was summed up neatly by one cynical outsider as "It never happened, and it served them right".
It could apply equally to those today, both within and without the Muslim population, who seek to be apologists for terror while insisting on a conspiracy (no doubt with the Jews behind it all).
Idiots.
I'm reminded frequently nowadays of a vicious parody of American Neo-Nazis, who would simultaneously deny the Holocaust and proclaim a malevolent Jewish consipracy to rule the world.
This preposterous viewpoint was summed up neatly by one cynical outsider as "It never happened, and it served them right".
It could apply equally to those today, both within and without the Muslim population, who seek to be apologists for terror while insisting on a conspiracy (no doubt with the Jews behind it all).
Idiots.
Where was the Bar Steward, Prescott, today?
Does the DPM not have chairmanship of COBRA within his remit?
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Does the DPM not have chairmanship of COBRA within his remit?
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