With massive pressure on the government, and on Jacqui Smith in particular, I can tell you what will happen next. The government will play the terrorism card, just as it did last weekend.
The Great Manchester Easter Bomb Plot was a bit of a damp squib. It is only a week ago, but it seems an age, since Gordon Brown told us he had foiled “a very big terror plot” and we had dramatic police swoops and the arrests of twelve “Islamic Extremists” in the North West. Eleven of them are still held without charge.
But the Great Easter Bomb Plot lacked any bombs. Or firearms. Or detonators. They have found some photographs of Manchester and a small quantity of sugar, which we have been assured can be a component of an explosive.
The police will be under huge pressure now to come up with something else. Household bleach would be good. Or even better a confession from one of the teenagers held without charge and interrogated for over a week now, who may be persuaded to turn evidence against the others.
Expect an announcement this weekend, to move the news agenda on from Ian Tomlinson. And expect a statement from Jacqui Smith by Monday at the latest. It will go like this:
Grave terrorist threat foiled – could have been massive atrocity – imminent threat – constant vigilance – reliable intelligence indicates – communication intercepts – photographs of potential targets – possible explosive ingredients – bollocks – bullshit – bollocks.
Then expect all the “opposition” MPs to rally round and sing the national anthem, and Jacqui Smith to be saved until David Blunkett comes back in the summer reshuffle.
Craig, if you are setting up stall as Mystic Meg, have a peep into your crystal ball and see the hitherto supine PLP panicking after the June European elections and giving Brown the bum’s rush before the autumn.
Wanna bet?
Totally agree Craig.
Whenever things get, how shall we say, a little “inconvenient” for Labour…….they always seem to find some “Islamic Militants” to arrest and then release again when the heat of the original problem has died down again.
At the rate that Labour Sleaze is becoming virtually a daily occurrence; they’re going to have to arrest a good part of the population of Leicester and Birmingham to keep them in ‘manufactured terrorist threats’ in the run up to the General Election.
Would you go as far as saying some kind of false flag attack is imminent? Perhaps that’s just conspiracy theory nonsense 🙂
Absolutely spot on Craig.
Craig, the Guardian reports the Smith et al are going down the appeasement route:
Jacqui Smith’s tactical withdrawal
The Home Office is reviewing RIPA laws that let councils spy on people, but only to preserve its own surveillance project
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/libertycentral/2009/apr/17/ripa-jacqui-smith-councils?commentpage=1&commentposted=1
It is getting harder and harder for them to play the terror card. People are either becoming desensitised or suspicious.
That said, I wouldn’t really put ANYTHING past them….
‘It is getting harder and harder for them to play the terror card. People are either becoming desensitised or suspicious.’
The image of that red London bus with the top blown off can only go so far. We need some of the victims of the 7/7 families to join our ranks. If the nation sees them expressing doubts and speaking out a lot of people will wake up. I’ve heard there are at least a couple that don’t buy the official story. I wouldn’t put ANYTHING past them either. The elitist agenda will not stop.
Craig
You left one bit of the script out – no mention of that phrase first used by Blair, and since then by various ministers (and Brown) – ‘real and present danger’. These days, whenever I hear those words, I KNOW the speaker is lying.
Jaded As I have said before here, there has never been an inquest for any of the 52 who died on July 7th 2005, nearly four years ago, nor is there any likelihood of one.
oh come on ffs you may hate the government but we all saw what happened on 7/7
we all saw the suicide videos, we all saw the guys getting on the various buses and tubes and sadly we all saw the carnage that ensued.
No disrespect jaded but even the most desperate consipracy theory can’t pint that one of “the forces of the eliteist agenda”
You may have serious doubts ove rthe validity of these terror claims but given the fact we have already seen the death of 52 people on our streets due to a terrorist attack.
The police have to be allowed to carry out their enquiries.
I/m no fan of brown but there us a threat out there and to ignore it would be just daft
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumours_and_conspiracy_theories_about_the_July_2005_London_bombings
Muck off you despicable spook bunt.
That’s the most amusing bit for me Mary.
Was enough known about the attacks (through normal investigative channels) no more than eight hours after they occurred for Efraim Haveli, former head of Mossad to be able to write this (from an article published 7/7/05 in the Jerusalem Post)? “The multiple, simultaneous explosions that took place today on the London transportation system were the work of perpetrators who had an operational capacity of considerable scope. They have come a long way since the two attacks of the year 1998 against the American embassies in Nairobi and Dar-Es-Salaam, and the aircraft actions of September 11, 2001. There was careful planning, intelligence gathering, and a sophisticated choice of timing as well as near-perfect execution. We are faced with a deadly and determined adversary who will stop at nothing and will persevere as long as he exists as a fighting terrorist force. There will be supreme tests of leadership in this unique situation and people will have to trust the wisdom and good judgement of those chosen to govern them. The executives must be empowered to act resolutely and to take every measure necessary to protect the citizens of their country and to carry the combat into whatever territory the perpetrators and their temporal and spiritual leaders are inhabiting. The rules of combat must be rapidly adjusted to cater to the necessities of this new and unprecedented situation, and international law must be rewritten in such a way as to permit civilisation to defend itself. Anything short of this invites disaster and must not be allowed to happen.”
@Peter Owen: “we all saw the guys getting on the various buses and tubes”
I only saw two and a half dodgy stills from videos: and so did you –
http://julyseventh.co.uk/7-7-cctv-evidence.html
@Peter Owen,
A useful reminder of the events and evidence of 7/7, and of the consequences, the video ‘Ludicrous Diversion’ –
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4943675105275097719
David blunkett??
I feel I have to vote tories for the first time in my life
abualshawareb – No. No. No. The only excuse for voting Tory would be if it was the only way to keep the BNP or UKIP out. No chance. The Tories won’t be any better than NuLabour. Probably even worse. They always were and always will be. In conscience it’s Green or LibDem in England, Plaid in Wales and SNP in Scotland.
Peter Owen: “we all saw what happened on 7/7”
No we didn’t. You clearly need reminding that the only “evidence” linking the alleged bombers to the attacks was correspondence found in the wreckage. Quite how this survived the blast, and how the police were able to determine that it belonged to the bombers, are issues that a proper enquiry would undoubtedly wish to address.
I am a good friend of a Giant Lizard and he told me that Peter Owen is one of his fellow trolls.
He told me that Peter will never mention Peter Power and the ‘exercises’ taking place, coincidentally, at the same stations struck by those who can not defend themselves.
He also told me that the guys who were paid to ‘do videos’ as part of that exercise were only paid in promises of virgins.
Peter Owen is Peter Power and I claim my fiver’s worth of virgins.
(when people like Mr Owen come up with these dreadful conspiracy theories it just shows ‘they can’t be very careful’.)
Ha ha ha, ‘we all saw the videos’. Very good.
And sugar you say? The Devil! I wonder if those hapless police found any eggs and butter? Because if you mixed those together you could make yourself a… wait for it… Bombe Alaska!
Yes, thank you, thank you.
What’s all that groaning? Is somebody unwell?
Peter Owen,
There may be good reason for the police to arrest the “Suspects” in the North West, though from what I know at the moment it does just look like a fishing expedition.
But even if the police operation does prove to be justified, there is no justification at all for the Prime Ministerial involvement and hype.
Blunkett,
Yes. I concur with Gerard on voting. But I am not sure there is a parliamentarian of any party quite as obnoxious as Blunkett. Any nominations?
Being gauleiter of Sheffield City Council was too big a job for Blunkett. He’s always been a pain in the posterior.
Any nominations? Well the field is pretty open, but with Blunkett you have set a high bar. Must consider and get back soon.
MJ “You clearly need reminding that the only “evidence” linking the alleged bombers to the attacks was correspondence found in the wreckage. Quite how this survived the blast, and how the police were able to determine that it belonged to the bombers, are issues that a proper enquiry would undoubtedly wish to address.”
According to forensic expert Clifford Todd who examined the wreckage of the bomb sites:
“Although they were damaged to some extent, they [personal materials and documents, such as ID cards relating to the ‘bombers’] did not show the damage that would be expected if they were on the body of the bomber or in the rucksack, suggesting that in each case they had been deliberately separated by some distance from the actual explosion.”
“The bombers were not wearing the rucksacks at the time of the explosions, but had instead put them down on the floor of the bus and Tube trains.”
http://preview.tinyurl.com/d45mbm
In summary: The explosions occurred on the floors of the trains, a detail which has been known for some time, and they occurred “some distance” from the ID which was scattered all over the place ‘deliberately separated by some distance” from the explosions.
Physically impossible on the crammed to capacity Piccadilly Line train which exploded within minutes of leaving Kings Cross.
My personal nomination for most obnoxious parliamentarian is Craig’s nemesis, Jack Straw. A winning combination of vanity, evasion, hypocrisy and hubris. This man has it all!
Let’s hope there’s nothing ‘planned’ for the Arsenal v Chelsea FA cup semi-final today!
“Football fans going to the FA Cup semi-finals may face potential travel problems due to a strike by British Transport Police support staff.
About 150 civilian staff at two centres in Birmingham and London started their strike at 7am this morning.”
http://preview.tinyurl.com/ddyxvj
When the Tories get back in they will be New Labour, but in TURBO MODE.
John D. Monkey’s nomination is a good one. I’d probably nominate John Reid myself; whilst he has probably less responsible for foreign torture than Straw, he seems to make the obnoxiousometer go haywire at least twice as much. But then I imagine the same would go for Charles Clarke, too. Plenty of choice!