I have been against the hosting of the Olympics since the inception. It seemed a vainglorious waste of money, to enable politicians to wave the patriotic flag, even before they gave away all our money to the bankers. Now it is just crazy.
It is also scarey. It has been announced that 13,000 military personnel will be policing the event together with 8,000 private contractors and 12,000 police. There will be battleships on the Thames. Euronews has just quoted a British official as defending this as being in line with what was done in Beijing. But Beijing is not in a democracy. It also claims that London in 2012 will be the “safest place in the world”.
That is “safe” in the same way that Jean Charles De Menezes was safe with all those armed police around.
http://govermentterrorism.blogspot.com/2011/12/olympics-2012.html
The EXACT MO was applied to the 7/7 London bombings, does Cameron plan on being out of the country the same way Blair was away at the time ?
Firstly, I should point out that I am not a fan in the slightest of Cameron, and I agree with you that hosting the Olympics is a waste of taxpayers money. However, the rest of this post is misguided at best, and scaremongering at worst.
Couple of brief points. You talk about China as if it was the only previous major event to have had troops deployed for protection, and seem to imply that for Britain to do so is emblematic of it becoming a fascistic police state. You may be overlooking, for just one example, Canada, who withdrew their brigade from Afghanistan when they hosted the Winter Olympics, a much less high profile event, to provide protection for it’s duration. There is also the precedent of the military presence at Wimbledon.
12,500 troops may sound like a large number, but at least ¾ of those will be support personnel, rather than front line troops. Of the 12,500, 5000 are bomb disposal experts and their associated support, who will likely only be called upon if necessary, and will hopefully not be needed. There is no real equivalent capability in the civilian or police sector, so their presence is almost a necessity.
At the risk of pedantry, and as was pointed out earlier, Britain does not have any Battleships. The roles of the ships being deployed are the deployment of troops and helicopters.
There is a genuine risk from both domestic and international terrorism in Britain, and the Olympics is a prime target for such a threat. The primary role of any Government is to protect the people of it’s country, and the failure to act in a timely and appropriate manner would be the grossest negligence.
Of course, If they weren’t hosting the Olympics in the first place then there wouldn’t be any need to deploy troops…
Mary: Cameron’s words depress me greatly. A movement is under way to co-opt Christianity into nationalism. Ironically, the near-total indifference to, and ignorance of, religion by the X-Factor-watching, Call-of-Duty-playing masses plays right into his hands: the last thing he wants is a population that knows Christianity preaches compassion and tolerance.
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I don’t know whether I believe in divine justice, I don’t know whether I’m a Christian, but I do know that it is utterly, utterly wrong to pretend to be a Christian when one knows one is no such thing. Let Cameron’s own conscience be his judge.
http://www.leap2020.eu/GEAB-N-60-is-available-Global-systemic-crisis-USA-2012-2016-An-insolvent-and-ungovernable-country_a8481.html
Franz: It may be worth recalling the words of Sinclair Lewis:
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“When tyranny arrives on our shores, it will come with a flag in one hand, and a bible in the other”
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“…But Beijing is not in a democracy.”
It’s questionable that the UK’s nano-fibre connection to that title allows one to make the distinction!
Libya
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Note that ‘a transparent and accountable financial system’ to control this massive amount of money is yet to be built. Imagine all those still bloodstained hands diving into the pot for their share of the action.
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17 December 2011
William Hague welcomes end to UN’s sanctions on Libya
The Security Council said the move was aimed at easing a cash crisis in Libya.
[..]
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The interim government in Tripoli has recently stepped up calls for the release of some $150bn (£96bn) held abroad to pay employee salaries and keep the country’s basis services running.
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The Security Council had agreed last Friday to unfreeze the assets – unless there were objections – by 17:00 local time (22:00 GMT) on 16 December. As that deadline passed, no objections had been received, diplomats in New York said.
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Mr Hague issued a statement saying he welcomed the lifting of sanctions imposed on the Central Bank of Libya and the Libya Arab Foreign Bank.
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“It means that Libya’s government will now have full access to the significant funds needed to help rebuild the country, to underpin stability and to ensure that Libyans can make the transactions that are essential to everyday life,” he said.
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“The transitional government must now redouble its efforts to build a transparent and accountable financial system which will underpin a newly prosperous Libya.”
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Mr Hague said the government would ask to European Union to allow it to free some £6.5bn being held in Britain.’
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-16229257
@ Clark (16 Dec, 2011 – 2:43 pm)
Clark That ‘2 bomb’ thing is excellent! 🙂
Are there any ‘grassy knolls’ in London?
Do you mean like Harrowdown Hill?
And Dave came upon his disciples & said unto them “Do not be afraid, for Thatcher has risen.”
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http://twitpic.com/7qqz1s
Will (and a comment from Frazer would be helpful): “5000 bomb disposal experts” – isn’t that excessive? How many experts on a team? How many teams? Are we looking at, say, a hundred teams of fifty? Are we expecting to defuse a hundred terrorist bombs simultaneously?
Well now:
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“Freedom of information laws should be amended to protect the secrecy of Cabinet meetings, Sir Gus O’Donnell, the head of the Civil Service, has said.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/8962828/Change-the-law-to-keep-Cabinet-secret-urges-Sir-Gus-ODonnell.html
O/T Capofamiglia visits new branch
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Leon Panetta in Libyan capital Tripoli for talks
Mr Panetta is the first Pentagon chief to visit Libya’s capital
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US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta is in Libya to meet its new government.
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The hours-long visit – the first by a Pentagon chief to Tripoli – will include talks with Libyan interim Prime Minister Abdurrahim al-Keib and Defence Minister Osama al-Juwali.
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It follows a UN decision on Friday to lift sanctions on Libya’s central bank and its investments subsidiary.
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That move cleared the way for Libya’s new government to gain control of tens of billions of dollars frozen overseas.
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/..
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16230267
Looks like the perfect scenario for the introduction (gentle or not as the case may be) of things to come under what might be semi military or total military rule, all seems to be in place; but do we know what is around the corner? The Southern Cone Operation backed by UK and US (same international “company” / “coorperation” essentially!) during the 1970’s and early ’80’s was one the the “experiments” required for todays long projected real implementation in the first world or more to the point at Base Camp in the UK. These are not times to be as much scared by the powers that be (or try to be) rather all of us should be that little bit more aware of what is going on around us on what has so far been a “drip, drip” mechanism. I am glad that Craig has taken up the case and I hope that he (and all of us collectively) can draw serious attention to what is really going on and what might be happening behind the scenes.
Tom Welsh @ others – Re the earlier comments on battleships on a point of nostalgia.
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In the late 50s and early 60s I lived with my parents on the shores of the then very beautiful Gareloch. Right in front of us laid three ww2 battleships, peacefully at their moorings, awaiting their turn at the breakers yard at Faslane further up the loch. I remember them well – King George 5 that had finally sunk Bismarck, Duke of York that sank Scharnhorst, and Anson. I used to sail a small 21 foot sailboat up alongside them to have a closer look; they had absolutely huge guns that would dwarf anything we have today or any cruiser’s guns. I think a set of battleship guns can still be seen outside the war museum in London – they are massive. Well these ships have long gone and indeed the breakers yard at Faslane has also long gone, and Faslane, itself, has grown like a cancer and been put to the rather more sinister use that it has today and that has ruined this once very beautiful sea loch
I like it. Glad the twerp is being questioned for just one of his war crimes. He will end up with a worse record than Straw at this rate.
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William Hague questioned over British role in drone strikes
Lawyers for Noor Khan, whose father died in Pakistan strike, want clarification of British intelligence’s role in CIA campaign
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Saturday 17 December 2011
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/17/william-hague-questioned-drone-strike
Panetta’s impulsive whirlwind tour included Iraq where he tried again to secure the release of Ali Mussa Daqduq, a suspected Hezbollah operative.
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Three other projects are on Panetta’s highly secret agenda:
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1. To enact proposals from the African Oil Policy Initiative Group to establish a military subcommand for the Gulf of Guinea and further new operating locations, main bases, forward detachments, for USAFRICOM, as the US plans to increase oil supplies from sub-Saharan Africa to lessen reliance on the Middle East. These new operations will be disguised as American efforts against al-Qaeda in the region with drone surveillance and attacks from the American base in Djibouti which hosts the military’s Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.
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2. Call on the Arab League to increase pressure on Russia to allow an UNSC ‘no fly zone’ over Syria. Russia currently has ‘tied America’s hands’ in front-end negotiations while back-end attempts to invoke civil war and overthrown Assad’s government has been thwarted by Iranian operations to round-up foreign militants and CIA trained foreign fighters.
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3. Work with pragmatist and Machiavellist Selim Türkhan to temper Turkey PM Erdogan’s links to core Islamist groups that result in challenges to the United States and Israel by supplying US$ to appease the apolitical with free energy and American weapons and training to seduce Turkey’s military command. Turkey will become a key player in America’s attempts to exert control in the Middle East and prevent Iran’s influence in the region.
@Clark
To answer the questions…there are not actualy 3000 bomb disposal experts in the British Army…more like about 80 real experts if you include the guys trained on the nuclear stuff…the rest, about 1000 are what is called technical backup..transport…security …logisticts etc etc…A team normally consists of 7 guys…1 BDT (Bomb Disposal Technician) 1 backup BDT..3 Security detail..and 2 general guys, mostly there to supply coffee and fetch cigarettes..lol..
You can normally spot the backup guys in any situation as they will be about 200 yards away from the BDT and are normally singing one of 2 songs..”Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life” or “You’ll Never Walk Alone”
Mark I find it hard to believe that Pan(c)etta is capable of such diplomacy. He could hardly string his words together in Baghdad but perhaps he takes a team of enforcers with him on his travels.
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Frazer Very droll on the song choices.
@Mary…apologies..in my job I have a limited imagination…but actually taken from my time in Afghanistan..that sort of thing tends to cheer you upa bit when you are staring into the guts of a booby trapped FX50..
Speaking of songs lol the Christmas No 1 hit is:
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‘All I Want for Christmas…’ IS YOU! Sung by the crew of HMS Ocean as part of ‘crossing the line’ ceremony. The Navy’s Here!!! Hip Hip Hooray!
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2072305/HMS-Ocean-Video-shows-crews-joy-sail-home-Christmas.html
You misunderstood me Frazer. I thought the titles were very funny. My kind of humour. Black! Is a FX50 a vehicle?
Frazer, thanks, those were more the sort of numbers I was expecting. I wonder where Will (16 Dec 11:52 pm) got his 5000 from.
It’s not just me that is thinking of the Berlin Olympics is it? And it’s not just me that is expecting some sort of false-flag operation, possibly in Scotland, to scare the jocks away from any potential oil-troubling referendum. What was once the realm of paranoia and conspiracy looks increasingly like tactics and strategy as I get older. Perhaps it’s just me, after all.
I’m also reminded of Malcolm Tucker, noting that there are enough special forces in London to mount a coup. Best do what the yanks want for a while, just in case, eh?
Brendan,
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“What was once the realm of paranoia and conspiracy”
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No,it’s now the new norm.And we thought we’d won the cold war eh?
Brendan: It’s not just me that is thinking of the Berlin Olympics is it?
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No, I expect many other people are just as silly.
“Looks like the perfect scenario for the introduction (gentle or not as the case may be) of things to come under what might be semi military or total military rule, all seems to be in place; but do we know what is around the corner?”
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Americans have discovered what’s around the corner and it’s this:
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“Combined, NDAA and SOPA simply destroy American democracy. That isn’t hype. That isn’t exaggeration. Within a few days, your freedom of speech will be gone — post something controversial online, and the government can legally “disappear” it.
Annoy the government too much, or criticize Congress’ infinite wisdom and mercy, and you may find yourself in military prison for the remainder of your life, without access to a trial or attorney. Even if you’re an American citizen on US soil.”
More: http://www.businessinsider.com/ndaa-set-to-become-law-the-terror-is-nearer-than-ever-2011-12
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and where America goes, most of ‘the West’ usually follows. Above all, the UK.
Open your eyes, Angry.
As for the Olympics, it should be scaled down. Basically, all sports in which there is already a superior international competition should be scrapped. Who wants to win the “soccer Olympic” gold? If you don’t win the World Cup you can’t claim to be best in the world. Olympic gold is meaningless. Same goes for baseball, basketball and any of those other competitions. Scrap them.
Also, anything involving judgments or holding up cards by an international panel of venal judges who vote on political grounds or on corrupt grounds should be scrapped. No more gymnastics, boxing, synchronized diving or horsey frolicking. Out, out, out!
No more different strokes for swimming. It is ridiculous to have swimmers winning five medals because they can compete in freestyle, butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and doggy-paddle. You don’t have different types of running so why have different types of swimming. Just make it fastest wins and give out one gold.
Also no more silly sports like triple jump or any other of the really unnatural events.
It should just be 100m, long jump, high jump, maybe a throwing event or two, fastest swimmer and a marathon around the host city. It could all be wrapped up in a couple of days and the IOC can spend the rest of the time buying prostitutes and quaffing champagne like they do anyway.