The BBC are breathlessly reporting this morning, as their lead news story, that antibiotics resistance is now so huge a threat, it is on a par with terrorism.
Let us consider that for one moment:
UK deaths last year from antibiotic resistance: 5,000
Uk deaths last year fron terrorisn: nil
Or:
UK deaths last decade from antibiotic resistance: 33,000
UK deaths last decade from all terrorism: 71
This insistence of the media in ramping the “terrorist threat”, even in completely unrelated stories, is farcical. Today they also have Abu Qatada to follow up as second news story and put terrifying images of terrorist attacks perpetrated by Abu Qatada – oh sorry, there aren’t any – err terrifying images of his obviously terrorist beard on our screens.
Sky News has been running the Qatada story for three days solid, every time introducing Qatada as “the man once called Osama Bin Laden’s right hand man in Europe”. Yet no serious claim has ever been made, anywhere, that Qatada ever met Osama Bun Laden. No evidence has ever been produced that he was in communication with him, and the intelligence services have nothing that indicates that either. I could call Teresa May a hysterical evil populist Muslim-hater, but my doing so would not make it true. However I look forward to hearing “Teresa May once called a …” next time she is mentioned on Sky.
Qatada has lived in this country now for nearly 20 years and there is no evidence he has ever committed any crime in all that time here, no evidence despite his being under intense surveillance. There is no credible, untainted evidence of his having done so in Jordan either. I am perfectly prepared to believe he is somebody who holds unpleasant views. He may well be very unpleasant. Terrorist mastermind he is not.
The actual terrorist threat is at such a low level – much less than so many of us lived through in the 70’s and 80’s – that it needs incarnation to work as a demon of the mind. If Abu Qatada does get deported, the media will have to find someone else with a scarey beard to terrify children into going to bed – sorry, us into giving up our liberties and cash to our “protectors”.
Muslims – more dangerous than E. coli. Give me a break.
Mary truth and justice. Just because I don’t buy into your conceited self important drivel doesn’t make me a troll, I’m merely expressing my freedom of speech that you seem to celebrate and defend in wanted terror suspects. On Welsh I’m being silly? Really perhaps you should take a step back and read through these threads ie Robin Cook assassinated, good grief. Having served in the Falklands, Northern Island and Bosnia its my belief that the impact of terrorism is real in a lot of people’s minds and Qatada is a symbol of this.
Agree on Boaden. What was it now? Same vast salary and a sideways move from Head of News to Head of Radio.
Ref Sa Vile and all that, more of the muck is exposed.
‘Artist Graham Ovenden accused of sexual abuse
An internationally-acclaimed artist has been described in court as a paedophile who blindfolded girls and committed indecent acts.
Graham Ovenden, 70 – who has had work hung at the Tate Gallery – is accused of sexually abusing children in London and Cornwall.
Truro Crown Court heard Mr Ovenden’s “target of abuse was young girls.”
He denies nine charges of indecency with a child and indecent assault on victims aged between six and 14.
When he was arrested over the alleged abuse of one of the girls, Mr Ovenden admitted he had taken photographs of her – a few of them being “nudies”, the court was told.’
/..
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-21745915
This too which I think was mentioned before here. His work is in other collections apart from the Tate’s. Be careful what you say though. I think Mrs Bercow is still being pursued.
http://the-tap.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/mcalpine-admits-he-owned-ovenden-art.html
Oh fine Boomtownrat. Carry on with the killing then. Defensive war, like WWII, I understand but not occupation and offensive war(s).
Are you possibly connected with any other establishment appearing regularly on this blog?
Cut out the insults too. Thanks.
Defensive war like WWII? We declared war on Germany due to the invasion of Poland but neither had the ability or will to actually support them. Then in 1944 whilst Polish troops were fighting at Cassino sold them out to the Russians under Stalin, who was every inch the monster that Hitler was
Am I a member of any other establishment? No. There is no conspiracy, just an every day person who disagrees with your opinion. I stumbled upon this thread as it was championed by Frankie Boyle. I was appalled by the ridiculing and conceit
Carry on the killing? I detest violence, but sadly due to the human condition sometimes it’s necessary, so that we can enjoy the freedoms that we do.
Cut out the insults……. I’m a troll and a rat?! Bit hypocritical
Robin Cook told me al-Qaeda was a creation of the CIA, a coherent terrorist organisation with OBL at its head. Hillary Clinton admitted the Mujahideen were the “database” of Al-Qaeda assets. Al-Qaeda are a controlled opposition force of the Central Intelligence Agency to promote their middle east destabilization process. To give empirical U.S. Military Industrial Complex a reason to invade wherever they want in the ever widening “war on terror” fraud.
In 1999 MI5 planned a huge covert operation to break up violent racist organisations such as the BNP…. This information published in the MSM was I believe Lies & Propaganda.
A reliable low level(engineering)insider source whom I trust said the operation intended to subvert certain illegal immigrants to work as operatives needed to implement the planned ‘war on terror’ by coercing other fellow innocent Muslims.
The plan drew on the resources of the National Criminal Intelligence Service, Department of Social Security, Inland Revenue, immigration organisation and Customs. Benefits agencies, local authorities, British Telecom, credit agencies, schools and other educational institutions.
Here, an interesting insight into how international law owns your life and body to some degree.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-0f6LoNeaU
boomtownrat: I would strongly disagree that you have protected mine or anyone else’s right to free speech (aside from a few thousand Falkland Islanders who were used by Thatcher to get her re-elected. She ignored many times the increasing Argentinian threat and I doubt she gave the injured or killed a second thought). The only danger to it comes not from far away lands but from the warmongering elite who use people like you to do their killing/die for them…..Any genuine threat to this country would be resisted just as staunchly by UK citizens as the people of Iraq and Afghanistan resist the occupations your comrades have taken part in.
Andy. I have to agree with your opinion on the Falklands. However I suspect that both sections of the divide were grateful for the British army preventing tiny sections of there communities from imposing their will on the majority. The British government made some dreadful mistakes in the 70s which are fact. You speak of Thatcher but Blairs record is pretty awful, birds of a feather. It’s naive to say that the armed services haven’t protected your freedoms and democracy’s, and yes someone has to do it, but it can’t always be solved from behind a keyboard, shame really
Sorry about the rat suffix. I must have been thinking of Geldof.
Forgiven….. We are obviously of the same generation!
Syria latest atrocity:
Terrorists on Sunday targeted a kindergarten microbus near Dahiat al-Assad Roundabout in Harasta in Damascus Countryside as a child was killed and nine children were injured, some of them are in a critical situation:
http://sana.sy/eng/337/2013/03/11/471770.htm
“Robin Cook told me al-Qaeda was a creation of the CIA, a coherent terrorist organisation with OBL at its head. Hillary Clinton admitted the Mujahideen were the “database” of Al-Qaeda assets. Al-Qaeda are a controlled opposition force of the Central Intelligence Agency to promote their middle east destabilization process. To give empirical U.S. Military Industrial Complex a reason to invade wherever they want in the ever widening “war on terror” fraud.”
Well if Hillary says so it must be true.
You see the problem is that the database was set up in 1988 towards the end of the Soviet occupation yet Al Qaeda hardly seems to have existed before September 2001.
Read this Times article about Osama Bin Laden from June 2001, no mention of Al Qaeda at all.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,131866,00.html
So what terrorism is Abu Quatada suspected/accused of, Boomtownchav? Anything concrete? or is it that we just can’t comprehend and accept his freedom of speech?
As for having to kill, sometimes, bless, for the freedom we enjoy,… what of lot of brainwashed nonsense you are displaying, you signed up for something that could get you killed, your choice.
Nobody ever asked you to do it and to make out you do it for us, I suppose that’s what they tell young minds, still, when you swear to do it for king and country, defending the establishment effectively, is a load of hogwash, you have sold your soul for a certain time, and for money.
The Falklands always belonged to Argentina and one wasted referendum will not change this. That Thatcher had to sacrifice all these life’s for her electoral stance and vested oil interests, is just a fact. Very much agree with Andy on the defense of the realm, which is here, not in Bosnia Argentina or Afghanistan, when it comes to the crunch, island mentality will always oppose occupation, although we feel somewhat castrated by those who steal from society and drag us into other people’s wars.
Fighting an invented construct and covering up the self perpetuating moves, the torture done for our freedom and liberty, which is in reality, the self interest of arms pedlars who are creating their own enemies. After Iraq and Afghanistan, Libya and Syria, in progress, we are now attacking key countries such as Mali, strategically the most important west African nation, hooray, with a Junta in charge which can easily be swiped aside by our demands.
Has anybody seen an election timetable for democratic elections in Mali?, or is this not part of our agenda anymore, i.e. to stabilise and strengthen a self determined state of Mali.
The supporting argument for drone assassination is that “it has been very effective in the killing of known al-Qaeda ‘terrorists’
That invokes a question: If a foreign country wanted to kill one of it’s own, who currently lived in Britain, would the British government allow the foreign power to send one of their drones to nassassinate this target? hint: extradited to one’s death.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/03/11/293016/one-of-largest-war-criminals-to-run-cia/
Of course a British government would not, therefore that makes the drone assassiantion program in foreign lands illegal under international law.
I need guidance to prove this point.
“The Falklands always belonged to Argentina and one wasted referendum will not change this.”
I disagree. I believe everyone has the right to self determination. Who they wish to be governed by is a matter for the Falkland Islanders alone.
Laughably:
“In order to assert their inherent right to choose their own form of government, the inhabitants of the Falkland Islands will hold a referendum on March 10–11, 2013, to decide whether they wish to maintain their allegiance to Great Britain. Britain has administered the Islands peacefully and continuously since 1833, with the exception of the two months in 1982 when the Islands were invaded and illegally occupied by Argentine forces. The Obama Administration has backed Argentina’s calls for a U.N.-brokered settlement for the Islands and so far has refused to recognize the outcome of the referendum. This policy poses serious risks to U.S. interests and is an insult both to Britain—the U.S.’s closest ally—and to the rights of the Islanders.”
http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2013/03/the-united-states-should-recognize-british-sovereignty-over-the-falkland-islands
Some history:
John Strong is the first to land, in 1690. He names the islands after the treasurer of the navy, Viscount Falkland, and then sails on.
The islands remain uninhabited until the French found a colony at Port Louis on East Falkland in 1764 (they call the islands les Îles Malouines because the expedition arrives from St Malo). In the following year a British expedition under John Byron (grandfather of Lord Byron the poet) establishes a fort at Port Egmont on the tiny Saunders island north of West Falkland. Byron claims the islands for Britain (unaware that the French are on East Falkland, though this would not have deterred him). Soon the British acquire new neighbours. The French cede their settlement on East Falkland to Spain.
Spain, adapting the French name to become las Islas Malvinas, is the first nation to take settlement on the islands seriously. Spanish forces make repeated efforts to expel the British from Saunders Island. They finally succeed in 1774.
For the next sixty years the islands are exclusively in Spanish hands, but during this period the allegiance of the local Spaniards changes. When the Argentinians assert their independence from Spain, in 1816, they also lay claim to the Spanish territory of the Malvinas.
Argentinians take possession of the islands in 1820.
That is until Queen Victoria points her finger and the British Navy absconders followed by British workers are transported free to work for the Falklands Islands Company.
@ Fred (14h20) :
“we know the security services and the police infiltrate radical groups as a matter of routine”
I should jolly well hope so. They would be failing in their duty and not fit for purpose if they didn’t.
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La vita è bella, life is good! (safeguard the Realm)
DEATH BY BEE STING
US deaths by bee sting in 2003 – 60. US deaths by terrorism, worldwide – 23. No, Really!
$26B (B AS IN BILLION) STOLEN — IN NEO-CON PORK — PER US LIFE LOST TO TERRORISM
2003 – US deaths by terrorism, worldwide – 23. US deaths by bee sting – 60. Amount spent on so-called US War of Terror – $3T (T as in Trillion) in five years. Or $26B (B as in billion) per life lost to terrorism over five years. ($3T / (5 x 23) ) = $26B. A War of Terror on brown people, in case you gave a damn.
WAR ON AN ABSTRACT NOUN
SUCKERS!
So one assumes that something else was going on. Like the US Imperialists / Neo-Cons / and their Defense Contractor pals getting filthy rich with their imaginary ‘War on an Abstract Noun.’ (Gore Vidal)
The big fear of the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan was that they were the suckers being used to enrich the Neo-Con Nazis. Boy, were they ever right!
US EMPIRE ‘CRIMINAL STRUCTURE’
$26B (B as in billion) per life lost to terrorism. “But, I mean, it leaves intact the whole criminal structure.” “Groups within the elite in a ferocious battle for power.” Who wouldn’t battle over that much corruption? Is that why they talk about a US ‘criminal structure’??? No change there, then!
But pity the poor bloody US taxpayer. Never mind the unemployed and the homeless. And the millions dead in Iraq, Afghanistan and the in the rest of the Empire’s victims.
– Peter Dale Scott – ‘911, Left Gatekeepers, Zelikow’. – @4.05 –
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDZR72PPUO0#t=04m05s
NUREMBERG Mk II
Poor US Empire (Neo-Con?) Nazis / ‘Our Tony’ Bliar, Brown, Cameron, Clegg, Bush, Cheney — Terrified of their date with destiny — A long drop on a short rope. – Nuremberg Mk II. –
Mk I for comparison – Nuremberg Executions of N_zi Leaders for ‘Crimes Against Humanity’ and ‘Crimes Against the Laws of War.’ – Original –
– http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=95d_1206462963
Abu Qatada is the UKs Emmanuel Goldstein, waved about in public whenever the appetite for authoritarian government is on the wane. No coincidence that Qatada’s recent media exposure coincides with the ridiculously over-hyped threat of terrorism visa-vis mass killing of people by pharmaceutical industry engineered superbugs, which will be allowed to kill millions of people simply because there is no profit in manufacturing new antibiotics. Much like how we are all enslaved to personal and national debt because criminal and fraudulent banks are ‘too big’ to fail, despite failing on every level except for enslaving people in a ponzi scheme of mass destitution. This is what happens when people allow the government to abdicate all responsibility for the welfare of the population to profit making corporations.
Ah, I see that Mary (For Justice and Truth, Bigotry and Intolerance)is getting ready to bring the Archbishop of C. into her personal Pantheon of Evil.
Just imagine – when in the oil business, he chatted with the future head of MI6 in Bahgdad! Shock and horror! (Stalin used to have people executed for being acquaintances of “enemies of the people”).
Mind you, the former Archbishop doesn’t seem to have met with Mary’s approval either, because she thinks he was “rather too friendly with the Chief Rabbi” (we know, Mary, we know, he should have beaten him up…).
While with religion : could Mary tell us something unpleasant about the future Pope? (please don’t let the fact we don’t yet know his name stop you)
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La viuta è bella, life is good! (Fight Bigotry and Intolerance)
Just so there is no doubt, Abu Qatada has never been charged with any crime in the UK.
Times journalist Daniel McGrory (now deceased) stated in an article in March 2004, that Qatada was an agent working for Mi5.
.
Al-Qaeda cleric exposed as MI5 double agent – War on Terror
Times, The (London, England) – Thursday, March 25, 2004
Author: Daniel McGrory and Richard Ford
.
Questions have been asked about Qatada since 2001, however he has always evaded arrest…..
.
Fancy that!
Terrorism has in fact murdered more people than any disease. Government terrorism is prolific if you believe the definition:
The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies, often for ideological or political reasons.
Intimidation and/or coercing has increased since Barack Obama assumed the office of the President of the United States, he signaled his commitment to make his administration “the most transparent in history.”
In his inaugural address, he pledged his administration would “do our business in the light of day – because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.”
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/change_has_come_to_whitehouse-gov
Bollocks!!
Nice typo, Craig. ‘Osama Bun Laden’ conjures up such a homely image 🙂
In other news, ‘Osama Bin Laden’ is an anagram of ‘Obama, sin laden’
Habbabkuk said: “… While with religion : could Mary tell us something unpleasant about the future Pope? (please don’t let the fact we don’t yet know his name stop you)”
While not wanting to speak for Mary, I might suggest that it’s almost certainly going to be some old Catholic dude, who likes to dress up and carry on in the most grand style imaginable. His manner and lifestyle couldn’t be further from the practice and teachings of the biblical Christ.
He’ll preside over an organisation guilty of crimes against humanity that make the head spin, in all probability, to the extent that it causes untold misery, poverty, fear and wasted lives, not to mention disease, profound bigotry, war and death in the process. This is simply continuing its very long tradition, you understand.
It could rather accurately be said the new Pope – like all others before him – will be the head of an almighty pedophile ring.
Is that enough unpleasantry to be going on with?
Belmarsh.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HM_Prison_Belmarsh 900 souls
http://batchgeo.com/map/england-prisons-suicides
SE28 0EB
# suicides 2001: 0
# suicides 2002: 1
# suicides 2003: 3
# suicides 2004: 1
# suicides 2005: 1
# suicides 2006: 0
# suicides 2007: 4
# suicides 2008: 1
# suicides 2009: 0
# suicides 2010: 3
# suicides 2011: 2
Suicides total (2001-2011): 16
The other night I found a link about a backlog of inquests that have not been held for some of the suicides that have been committed at Belmarsh but cannot now find the link.
We have much more to fear from the Superbugs, and the MEdia does it’s best to keep the phear alive.
“FEAR is the mind killer” Frank Herbert
Habbabkuk: The infiltration of alleged terrorist groups ultimately result in 3 or 4 young Muslim men being incarcerated for very long periods convicted through male bravado but barely a shred of real evidence.
Recent accounts of at least one undercover officer reveals that he slept with several of the female members in an environmental group. Now I’m no prude but it doesn’t seem quite right to me that this behaviour is morally justified in pursuit of extreme environmentalists(?).
Similarly, the undercover officer in a suspected terrorism investigation knows that every conversation is recorded. He knows what result his commanding officer wants from him. In my view, this a deeply flawed method of investigation because all the resources are being ploughed into procuring a particular outcome. The suspects aren’t simply chatting amongst themselves they are being led towards certain statements. Any charismatic man or woman could induce some shocking statements from people who aren’t aware they are being manipulated.
So far as Qatada goes, anyone who supports the treatment he has received by UK authorities probably supports the principles of Guantanamo too.
Back to Craig’s initial point about the threat of terrorism …..It can’t even compare to the hazard of DIY, never mind the loss of effective antibiotics.
Nevermind. Have you any idea about the subject of the Falklands or do simply make it up on the hoof? I ask no sympathy for my actions in the forces, and it takes a blinkered keyboard warrior to offer them. I did what I had to do and left when I no longer believed.
The Falklands have always been Argentinas? Strange that Argentina didn’t exist when it was first colonised. Mr Golding is pretty spot on until his last paragraph. The Falklands became British due to an act of piracy by the United States corvette Lexington in 1831. In a dispute over the completely legal arrest of American sealing ships they murder Louis Vernet the Islands governor, anarchy reigns until order is restored in 1833 by the British sloop Clio. Thatcher may well have snatched war from the jaws of a peaceful settlement, but the military government in Argentina were no shrinking violets, murdering people in football grounds is just not cricket
If your going to be a patronising nob please be accurate
@ Andy :
Actually I would agree with most of what you write (or at least have considerable sympathy for it). Thank you for posting that.
@ Andy : I should have added that I consider entrapment a particularly filthy technique which should have no place in the security arrangements a state puts in place.
Almost all the terrorism related convictions in the US have been engineered by the FBI, even supplying fake bombs to mentally ill people in order to obtain a highly publicised conviction.
None of the alleged ‘7/7 suicide bombers’ never had a single conviction and all had respectable lifestyles. The most ‘Islamic’ activity that they could pin on one was that he had gone to Mecca. However, they were all ‘known’ to MI5. Anyone that has seen the ‘confession video’ by Mohammad Sidique Khan (who liked to be called ‘Sid’) can clearly tell that he is reading a script and even looks embarrassed at what he has to say. He was 30 and a teaching assistant, the others were 18,19 and 22, quite possibly former students who needed a few quid, one was still living at home with his mum and dad.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/uk/05/london_blasts/investigation/html/bombers.stm
It is quite possible that Khan was recruited by MI5 to take part in the ‘excercises’ that were being conducted by Visor Consultants that day and he in turn recommended former pupils to take the role of a ‘cell’. The video was made as part of the ‘excercise’. There are so many anomalies in the ‘official narrative’ that only make sense when one considers they were perfectly law abiding people who thought they were helping combat terrorism and duped into these ‘excercises’, the scenarios of which happened to have been exactly what transpired into reality.
http://www.julyseventh.co.uk/july-7-terror-rehearsal.html