Thank Heaven for John Reid

[Lucifer Box]

Conspiracy theorists among you will reason that today's headlines seem to be a rather amazingly engineered coincidence given John Reid's speech yesterday announcing that for the good of all we just have to accept intrusive state monitoring of our lives because we are living under the threat of international terrorism (from Bradford)...

Terror 'may force freedom curbs'


Plus, of course, Gordon Brown's pronouncement earlier this week that he favours total state surveillance of citizens...

Brown to let shops share ID card data

[bogeyman]

Conspiracy theorists among you will reason that today's headlines seem to be a rather amazingly engineered coincidence given John Reid's speech yesterday announcing that for the good of all we just have to accept intrusive state monitoring of our lives because we are living under the threat of international terrorism (from Bradford)...

Terror 'may force freedom curbs'


Plus, of course, Gordon Brown's pronouncement earlier this week that he favours total state surveillance of citizens...

Brown to let shops share ID card data

Yes, Lucifer. I fully expect NL to pull the 'Red Alert' rabbit out of the hat whenever the headlines get a bit difficult for them, or they need to justify yet another gobbet of draconian legistation.

I expect General Elections may become a bit risky soon (plot exposed for massive sucide bombing campaign at the polling booths etc.) and will have to be postponed until the War on Terror(tm) is forwever won.

Get out now - while you still can.

[hyperD]

LB - don't you get this feeling that if you cook your own food and don't buy MacD's or buy processed food at Tesco's, that somehow you may be doing something that can only be described in Newspeak: as ownlife?

[Lucifer Box]

LB - don't you get this feeling that if you cook your own food and don't buy MacD's or buy processed food at Tesco's, that somehow you may be doing something that can only be described in Newspeak: as ownlife?

Or treason, in NuLab speak.

[hyperD]

Or treason, in NuLab speak.

I'm sure there will be a "Philip Green" dividend support fund tax for such crimes...

[Lucifer Box]

Yes, Lucifer. I fully expect NL to pull the 'Red Alert' rabbit out of the hat whenever the headlines get a bit difficult for them, or they need to justify yet another gobbet of draconian legistation.

I expect General Elections may become a bit risky soon (plot exposed for massive sucide bombing campaign at the polling booths etc.) and will have to be postponed until the War on Terror(tm) is forwever won.

Get out now - while you still can.

Yes, Bogey. There was serious talk of postponing this year's local elections "indefinitely or until a better system of voting can be implemented", fortunately quickly shouted down. I suspect the government to be much emboldened now and a lot of groundwork is being laid for just this sort of announcement on public order grounds. I fear that should a very serious attack be staged - sorry, take place - a "Government of National Emergency" able to rule without reference to parliament would be implemented.

[Andyw]

Plus, of course, Gordon Brown's pronouncement earlier this week that he favours total state surveillance of citizens...

]

THE KUNT !

[AlfredJPruffock]

Yes, Lucifer. I fully expect NL to pull the 'Red Alert' rabbit out of the hat whenever the headlines get a bit difficult for them, or they need to justify yet another gobbet of draconian legistation.

I expect General Elections may become a bit risky soon (plot exposed for massive sucide bombing campaign at the polling booths etc.) and will have to be postponed until the War on Terror(tm) is forwever won.

Get out now - while you still can.

Crikey!

Now I feel a bit of a muggins for turning my passport over to the Ministry of Freedom chaps, they said it was a routine measure.

BTW Whens the next Bin Laden video due for release, will Chavez be a guest terrorist in this one ?

BTW AGAIN Just read this snippet ....


At Glasgow airport, Michelle Standaloft, from Rothesay, said: "Everyone's quite calm now, but when you come and you see the police and everything, you are a bit concerned."

She added: "We know it's for our own benefit, in fact it's probably the safest day to fly."

Yes its all for your benefit Michelle, its great to live in a police state, I dont know about you but the sight of a policeman brandishing an automatic gun is very reassuring.

Or tanks outside Heathrow, rememeber that one ?

You cant be too careful these days ....

[bogeyman]

BTW AGAIN Just read this snippet ....

At Glasgow airport, Michelle Standaloft, from Rothesay, said: "Everyone's quite calm now, but when you come and you see the police and everything, you are a bit concerned."

She added: "We know it's for our own benefit, in fact it's probably the safest day to fly."

Yes Alf. It's great to feel the strong protective arms of the state around you - and it's iron-clad grip on your throat and testicles.

Call me nostalgic, but this is not quite the country I remember growing up in.

[AlfredJPruffock]

Get with the program Bogeyman, the UK is such old hat, its Airstrip One these days !


Lets go back in time a bit to the 7th Jan 2003



Tony Blair

The prime minister said the arrest of six people in London after the discovery of traces of the lethal toxin ricin underlined the threat from international terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.

He said it was "only a matter of time" before terrorists achieved nuclear capability.

Mr Blair's warning came as the UK announced the call up of 1,500 army reservists, with further deployments to follow, in readiness for possible war with Iraq.

'Listen back'

In a keynote speech on UK foreign policy, Mr Blair repeated his determination to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with United States President George Bush over Iraq.

But he also urged the US to broaden its global agenda and "listen back" to international opinion.

He said the price of UK influence in the White House was not that "we have obediently to do whatever the US asks".

And he promised he would never commit British troops to a war he thought was "wrong and unnecessary".

Mr Blair is under pressure from his own Labour MPs to justify support for US-led military action to topple Saddam Hussein.

Mr Blair said: "So when, as with Iraq, the international community through the UN makes a demand on a regime to disarm itself of weapons of mass destruction and that regime refuses, that regime threatens us.

"Unless the world takes a stand on this issue of weapons of mass destruction and sends out a clear signal, we will rue the consequences of our weakness.

"America should not be forced to take this issue on alone. We should all be part of it."

Mr Straw has since embarked on a tour of south-east Asia.

He is due to tell an audience in the world's most populous muslim nation, Indonesia, that Iraq's weapons of mass destruction could be as destructive for muslims as for people in the West.

"The consequences of a failure of nerve to deal with the threat by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction are potentially devastating for Muslims and non-Muslims alike."