Only two of the twelve people arrested in dramatic “terror raids” in the North West of England are still in police custody. Nine more were released from anti-terror detention on Tuesday. Their arrest was first headline on all news bulletins and announced by no less than the Prime Minister himself. Sky News is saying that despite the total lack of evidence against them, they are still regarded as a security threat and thus are being deported – thus getting rid of the embarassment of these innocent men being able to talk to the press..
This was the only major UK political blog which had the courage to stand against the manufactured terror panic and false patriotism, and point out that the whole Easter Bomb Plot story stunk to high heaven from the very first minute:
The reasons why these “Terror raids” might be the subject of political timing could not be more obvious. Both Jacqui Smith and Gordon Brown were getting a well-deserved media pasting over the outrageous ripping off of the taxpayer for personal benefit through expense claims. The Metropolitan Police were under extreme criticism for their unprovoked killing of Ian Tomlinson.
So this morning, instead of the news headline being the disgraceful fact that the policeman who launched an unprovoked assault from behind on Ian Tomlinson has still not been arrested, the headline is that the police have saved us all from certain death.
Let me be plain. I am not saying that terrorism does not exist. I am not saying that those arrested are innocent. I do not know. I am saying that Brown and Smith’s involvement in operational police arrests, and the fact that less than 1% of those arrested under anti-terror legislation in the UK have ever been charged with anything connected to terrorism, gives me the right to be suspicious of what is undeniably, at the very least, politically very fortuitous timing.
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2009/04/politically_tim.html
There was in fact never any intelligence that there was going to be an Easter bomb plot. And vast expenditure of police and military resources failed to find anything more sinister than sugar, and some photos of Manchester taken by students in Manchester.
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2009/04/bomb_squad_in_d.html
The mainstream media and the so called parliamentary opposition are determined to keep the vast over-hype of the terror threat going.
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2009/04/jacqui_plays_th.html
But it is obvious from evey internet outlet that has a comment page, that they have lost a large proportion of the men and woman in the street. The government’s desperate fallback position of branding them a security risk and deporting them absolutely without evidence, is a sickening abuse of power and evidence of a continued desire to ride a wave of xenophobia aimed at overseas students.
Does ANYONE believe any of it anymore? I shouldn’t imagine so.
I warned people I work with that this was becoming a fascist police state many years ago. They all thought I was crazy and over-reacting at the time, but recently a couple of them have commented to me that they think I was right all along.
There seems to be a general sense of depression and anger amongst these colleagues at how far it got before they’d believe what was happening in front of their eyes. They used to see all of these incidents as separate and distinct events. Now they can see the consistent patterns and links running through them all.
At least by voicing my fears, I’ve made them aware that they aren’t alone in thinking the way they do – and not so easily manipulated by the media now.
M-RES
The problem is that almost everyone DOES believe this bullshit.
A quick survey in any pub in the UK will confirm that the population at large has swallowed the propaganda hook, line and skiner.
Highly intelligent people I know still think that the security services and government can be trusted, wouldn’t make anything like this up, all young men from Pakistani backgrounds are potential bombers, etc.
If you tell a lies often enough, it becomes conventional wisdom. The crutch of politicians over the last two millennia…
ps
While we don’t like to think so, we (ie the people who read Craig’s blog or are of like mind) are in a tiny minority – there are probably only a few thousand of us, certainly less than 100K, out of 60M.
“less than 1% of those arrested under anti-terror legislation in the UK have ever been charged with anything connected to terrorism”
Do you have a source for this number? I agree that “the terrorism card” is hugely overplayed, but it would be interesting to see some hard evidence. Seems like a freedom of information request would be sensible, though I imagine someone has already thought of this.
Craig, I’ve said it before: 9/11 is the key to all this. Once that gigantic hype is smashed all the rest of the tripe we’ve been fed falls apart with it.
I suggested on a previous post David Ray Griffin’s ‘Debunking 9/11 Debunking – An answer to the defenders of the official conspiracy theory’. As a reviewer on American Amazon says: “If you can get through these often complicated, yet meticulously detailed arguments, and still not believe the 9/11 Commission Report was a huge cover up – you will certainly make a fine, obedient citizen in the New World Order.”
“The government’s desperate fallback position of branding them a security risk and deporting them absolutely without evidence, is a sickening abuse of power”
Yes, and this is power it has granted itself, evidently for this very purpose. These outrageous stunts would not be possible without the power to detain ‘suspects’ for 28 (or is it 42?) days without charge.
Some have been decrying false terror alerts for years (e.g. Canary Wharf fake terror spin on Queens speech day 28 Nov 2004 – anyone remember that???).
‘We’ are not looking for a pat on the back but just to remind the good folks that righteous civilian opposition against a very rotten grubbyment, irrespective of its colour, doesn’t only become valid after a mainstream media outlet has finally picked up the scent.
What was the best expression du semaine? Ah yes… Wake up and smell the pepper spray.
Will Mr Quick be re-instateded?
I am truly outraged that Brown had the audacity to state that a ‘very big plot’ had been foiled and turns out to be absolutely nothing. There should be a massive backlash because of this but people just don’t seem to understand and or care about what has happened here.
Craig you really hit it on the head the first time round.
‘While we don’t like to think so, we (ie the people who read Craig’s blog or are of like mind) are in a tiny minority – there are probably only a few thousand of us, certainly less than 100K, out of 60M.’
Well, it’s hard to guess a figure, but i’m sure you make a good point. The thing is people haven’t thought about it in the first place. It’s not that they have thought about it and said ‘I believe it’. We need folk to start thinking. We need to convince someone on live BBC news, maybe a newsreader that understands the stakes, to just come out and say the ‘War On Terror’ is just A BIG LIE. We need more prominent people and celebrities to speak out in the media. Stella Rimington has spoken out. George Michael spoke out. Jim Corr spoke out. There must be many others. Spread this video as much as possible:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8274552561914055825
“ps
While we don’t like to think so, we (ie the people who read Craig’s blog or are of like mind) are in a tiny minority – there are probably only a few thousand of us, certainly less than 100K, out of 60M.
Posted by: John D. Monkey at April 22, 2009 9:55 AM”
>>>Is this why they’re taking us out one by one? I know several independent and thinking and wholly innocent professionals who’ve been stitched up one way or another. The rest have been through the Common Purpose mill.
BTW – there were c 2million of us at Hyde Park who didn’t believe the lies….as I looked around me in awe at the ability of people to peacefully protest en masse, I realised that all those ‘dodgy’ media studies courses were not in vain. (Watch for Media Studies to be dropped from curricula…)
I disagree we are in the minority.
The vast majority of people i encounter-right across the spectrum of age,creed and colour-see right through all this guff and consider the mainstream media nothing short of a pthetic joke.
The Big Terror,Inc LIE will become so absurd that finally,a bit like the banking collapses,it will all crumble under the weight of its own utter bull$hit.
Mark my words.
“You can fool some of the people some of the time…” etc etc…
Wise words.
There’s something about the 9/11 Truthers that makes them so adorable. Perhaps its the same thing that makes the LaRouchies and the Lizard Theorists so cuddly.
The trouble with conspiracy theorists, of course, is not just that they’re laughably wrong, but that they’re laughably wrong for a pathetic, but sympathetic and quite sad, reason. “If only we could get people to realise that 911/The Gold Standard/The JFK assassination was all a huge cover up it will all be alright!” I agree, the idea that the world really is this terrifying and that there is no magic bullet shot of truth that will get people to sit up and revolt against their oppressive overlords is rather an unpleasant one. But it is, nonetheless, an uncomfortable and rather messy truth.
People are not, as a rule, very bright. They’re attracted to shiny things, strong personalities, compelling narratives and the opportunity to feel better than some group of other people somewhere else. You don’t need a huge complex conspiracy to fool us, you need, at most, a TV show. Sad but true.
@ sam
“BTW – there were c 2million of us at Hyde Park who didn’t believe the lies” – I severely caution that.
As I remember it BEFORE the war (protests = Feb 2003, war = March 2003) the question was that UN authorisation should be obtained NOT that the grubbyment was lying. This comprised the loudest section of the ‘anti-warites’ said in fact they WOULD support an attack on Iraq if the UN passed a specific clarifying resolution.
Remember the intense focus on Blix? The reason being that was to be the primary channel to get the ‘world’ to submit to war. It’s also why Scott Ritter was told words to the effect of “no matter what you do there will always be (about 10) unaccounted ‘missiles’)” and it’s why the tried to impose impossible conditions upon Saddam, and it’s also why there was the UN bugging and Lard Goldsmith fiasco when it was clear the UN wasn’t going to vote for it, then the USUK coalition of the killing caused international outrage when they decided to kill the Iraqi people anyway.
Mr Charles Kennedy, to his great shame said he would support war if the UN gave it the OK. Tony Benn – I can’t remember, Tam Dalyell learned in the pro UN direction too. And we all remember idiot Clare Short in/out/UN stuff and nonsense too. I think Galloway was just about the only one against it no matter what.
Good For George. A prickly pear indeed but a man among mice.
And, rewinding slightly, from what I saw of it, most people bought the perverted sick pantomime of Colin Powell et al in the UNSC. Even Gilligan didn’t have much support at the time, but it was he who chiefly opened up the YOUR BRING LIED TO line.
Perhaps you didn’t buy the lies. I certainly didn’t but we very VERY FEW in number. No where near the 2m (most of whom IMHO looked to the UN)
There was mass conversion to the ‘we’ve been lied to camp’ only AFTER the invasion of Iraq, when all the lies stated to become public.
If That murdering cnut Bliar and Campbell and Garden Broom et al had a proper Hutton (minus Mr Hutton himself) enquiry now their heads would adorn the spikes outside Westminster Abbey today (allow me that little fantasy).
JB posted at April 22, 2009 10:34 AM
_”less than 1% of those arrested under anti-terror legislation in the UK have ever been charged with anything connected to terrorism”_
Do you have a source for this number? I agree that “the terrorism card” is hugely overplayed, but it would be interesting to see some hard evidence. Seems like a freedom of information request would be sensible, though I imagine someone has already thought of this.
Jacqui is still sorting out the figures to 31 March 2008:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/c7e6ry
@lwtc247 – I confess that I might have been persuaded at the time of the invasion that the UN route would have legitimised it. Was that because I was aware at the time that UN authorisation was highly unlikely, or just that my fledgling political ideology was not yet well-worn by repeated government mendacity? Or a blind faith in the collective wisdom of non-imperialist nations? I don’t honestly know.
However, looking back, the lies and propaganda are open for all who want to see them. I hope and trust that should an invasion of similar scale be proposed again, this time around, the cnuts will have a riot on their hands. I am not sure they will be able to be so brazenly murderous again, at least in the short term.
Nice comment and praiseworthy honesty Jon. Most ppl felt like that way I think. My epiphany had occurred earlier and I had often seen the suffering of the Iraqi’s during the smothering sanctions. So I saw the lies – clear as daylight for what they were.