We fly back to Gatwick early Saturday morning and it seems the UK airports are in chaos. Mr. Reid is panicking. Just increase the security John you power-crazed pillock, you say the attack has been averted, don’t throw the entire airport system into a tailspin – we’re British for heavens sake, we don’t do overreaction. Anyway, causing confusion and hysteria is just what the terrorbods want (other than loss of life) – read some Sun Tzu (not just The Sun) and get a bloody grip. I can’t stand reformed Stalinists.
I’m sure happy it’s an incoming flight, but I still fear there will be delays and frustration, especially with a fifteen-month-old toddler in tow. I also can’t take my iPod on the plane, and it’s not just my taste in music that’s offensive. A book? Maybe they’ll suspect I’m going take the cabin crew hostage with my ragged copy of Letter from America.
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Oh, Aaron, ‘they’ are really working us up into a frenzy of fear at the moment !!! Have a good trip back home.
You are right, Richard. They succeeded with that tactics in the US, but I wonder whether the stoic British will ever bow to threats, even if those threats are not but lies. If they do, then alas! the world is really doomed.
Tyger and his family will have God’s protection on their return home, I am sure.
We are obviously a target in this country - and most people know that - but we also seem to know now how to live with (and deal with) ‘terrorism’ - God, let’s hope so. If not, then as you say Jose : “the world is really doomed”…
There is one thing that amazes me in this present crisis, much like the 7th july attacks, although more so here.
People are pointing to the fact that it is John Reid who is showing lead, yet it is the Deputy PM John Prescott who is “in charge.” What amazes me however, is that we have seen nothing, or heard nothing from Gordon Brown, a man, who depending on who you believe could be Prime Minister this time next year.
This is a disturbing reality. Micheal Portillo wrote last week in the Sunday Times how Blair was the only man in Britian able to master the international stage, athough his policy may have been at times questionable, his skills and experience are undoubted. Yet, through every crisis this country has faced, domestic or international, his counterparts, in both government (ie Brown) and opposition (Kennedy, Howard, Duncan Smith {remember him?} Cameron, Campbell {that despite his great knowledge}) have looked weak. On July 7th Blair stood strong and steadfast, weeks and even days previous to that the papers talked of nothing but Blair’s future. After the attacks everyone was lining up to commend his performance and courage, no one, not even the most rebellious dare have questioned Blair’s leadership at that point.
So while we may continue to hear the crap about Prescott and how foolish his remaining tenure his, it is widely acknowledged that for Blair’s and Brown’s future he must remain. However, discarding the, in my view “Prescott non-issue” (I do not believe Prescott is now, or ever was worth talking about) Britain, and the Labour Party are facing a stark future. Gordon Brown is no Tony Blair, while many may hail this as a plus, in my view it is a minus.
Tony Blair has been a strong and determined leader, tied down by the restraints of power, and yes he has made many mistakes, but then again, he has shown remarkable courage to remain steadfast in both his approach and convictions. Yet Brown has not shown that same approach, he has rarely branched out of his brief. Which, for someone meant to have Prime Ministerial ambitions is alarming. If Gordon Brown was truly serious, not just about wanting to be Prime Minister, but about wanting to make a difference, he would be on our TV screens, giving interviews and statements, he would be helping in any way, Blair may constantly be in touch, Reid may be the minister responsible for security, Prescott may be in charge, but ultimately for someone like Brown this is an oppurtunity to show, not just the British public, but the world, that he is the right man for the job. His ally Douglas Alexander has looked impressive, but John Reid has stolen the show. Come the Leadership election Brown may find more than just a few people are asking serious questions of his ability, because currently Browns critics and possible supporters have no reason to be optimistic that he may live up to the mantle that Blair has set.
The current terror plot is somewhat disturbing, but not altogether surprising.
Muslim FundamentalistsTerrorists will forever remain inventive in their attempts to disrupt our way of life, they will always seek new ways of trying to kill innocent people. That is something which is not in doubt. However, what is in doubt is exactly why these “people” think they have some “God-given right” to attack us.Today someone representing Young Muslims UK had the audacity to say that he blamed Tony Blair for the plots, for the pursuing of a foreign policy that was designed at the attacking of innocent Muslims. Special mention was given to the Lebanon crisis, and Blair’s support for Isreal.
Yet never did he condem the plots, nor those that are provoking Isreal, no matter what about Isreal’s response, a bird should not try gn provoke a tyger, for it will only end in disaster. But this attitude seemed to previal, that it was the foreign policy of Britian that was the cause of the crisis, he even had the nerve to compare it to the IRA who bombed London. Well, let me first make one thing clear, the IRA, while committing despicable acts, aimed for military targets on the whole, those collaborating or helping military authorities, or to disrupt businesses. Muslims fanatics are aimed at causing mass causalties, at causing the maximum number of deaths possible. The singe worst day of the NI troubles, happened after the peace process was formally agreed, it was the Omagh bombing, and it was carried out by a splinter group who only recently burned several businesses to the ground in Newry. Muslim terrorists would consider it a bad day if only 30 people died.
To believe that these terrorists will go away should be change our foreign policy is crap. They will never go away, there will always be a reason, there will always be a terrorist, the only way to defeat them is, to remain steadfast in our way of life and convictions to open government and democracy, and to intelligence led policing.
We must not abandon what is right, in order to pacify the terrorists, for they will only find a new reason, or we will only have moved the threat somewhever else.
In order to defeat terrorism we must make a united front and strong line to defeat them.
But most importantly, we must elect strong leaders, able to deal with them, and no matter what anyone thinks, Gordon Brown is not such a person, he has not shown himself strong, and as such, he should be given the chance to run a governemnt, but in these uncertain times, we cannot take the risk.
George W. is going around demonizing “Islamic Fascists”….perhaps he should also take a look in his own backyard - full of “Christian Fascists”.
I imagine what’ll happen if all those called by Bush Islamic terrorists, in a volte-face, would start supporting GWB’s politics in the ME.
Perhaps I’m starting to turn nuts.