Explosion In London

[privatehudson]

The real IRA he's referring to IIRC are a splinter group of the main IRA similar to the continuity IRA and so on. I don't think it's likely they did it, but in the total lack of evidence we have right now I wouldn't go ruling anyone out.

The PM referred to Islamic terrorists after the emergency cabinet meeting, which implies he had evidence put before him in that meeting. He wouldn't have used that language if it wasn't strong evidence.

I sure hope that evidence is strong before we blunder into another intelligence mess.

 

[chancellor_dan]

The Provisional IRA wouldn't have carried this out. That's ridiculous.
And it seems to be far too efficient, calculated and large scale to be carried out by any of the splinter groups, who comprise mainly of backwards farmers from the border with the Republic.

This is clearly an attack of Islamic fanatism.

Given that surveys show almost 10% of British Muslims (200,000) are sympathetic to Al-Qaeda, no one is safe.

 

[wilbill]

I hope and prey all our Londoner CFC'ers and their families and friends were spared being too close to this awful attack.

 

[privatehudson]

The Provisional IRA wouldn't have carried this out. That's ridiculous.

I haven't seen anyone suggest they did so far, merely that we shouldn't jump to conclusions that the "prime suspect" is automatically guilty. Just because it's unlikely that the splinter IRA groups or anarchists or whoever could have done it does not automatically mean it has to be another group.

Given that surveys show almost 10% of British Muslims (200,000) are sympathetic to Al-Qaeda, no one is safe.

Really? Do you happen to have a link to that survey by any chance?

Not that it's the point, that still leaves 90% who do not of course.

 

[chancellor_dan]

I will try to find a link on the internet, but that was the figure put forward by Jeremy Paxman on the BBC.

 

[chancellor_dan]

Not that it's the point, that still leaves 90% who do not of course.

200,000 - that can't be dismissed as 'not the point'. That's like a city the size of Norwich.

That is a sizeable percentage of the population who could harbour terrorists, or even participate in such acts.

 

[GenMarshall]

Dang, so much crasy things happen when I am sleeping . Dang terrorists making our terror alert on rails n busses bumped into the orange level.

 

[kronic]

My condolences to the victimes. Another sad day. I hope (and think) that Blair and his government will now react with reason. Hopefully, your rights and freedoms won't be restricted because of that, because that would mean a victory for the terrorists.

It has already been said, but I'll repeat it: it was not so much the question that the terrorists would strike again but where and when. Unfortunately, I don't see how to prevent these attacks.

So which city will be the next? Amsterdam, Rome, Copenhagen, Sidney, Warsaw? These might be the obvious choices. However, the war against terror is not only about Iraq (actually, it wasn't about Iraq at all, but that's something for another thread), all opponents of the Iraq war are involved in the fight against terrorism. So terror might hit Berlin, Paris or Brussels some day as well.

 

[amadeus]

Given that surveys show almost 10% of British Muslims (200,000) are sympathetic to Al-Qaeda, no one is safe.

If you can send surveys to people to find out if they're sympathetic to al Qaeda, why don't you just expel them? Seems like it would save you a whole lot of trouble.

 

[privatehudson]

200,000 - that can't be dismissed as 'not the point'. That's like a city the size of Norwich.

One could probably have said the same in the past about the IRA or the UDA/UDF. For that matter 3-4 times that many people support the BNP at this moment in time. My point is that in any society or section thereof there will always be extremists and people that support them.

What I'd be more interested in is the content of the survey and how it was carried out as they can often be misleading.

 

[SeleucusNicator]

One could probably have said the same in the past about the IRA or the UDA/UDF. For that matter 3-4 times that many people support the BNP at this moment in time. My point is that in any society or section thereof there will always be extremists and people that support them.

What I'd be more interested in is the content of the survey and how it was carried out as they can often be misleading.

The BNP doesn't blow people up. You can't compare it to al-Qaeda.

 

[wit>trope]

Let's hope the British government will not make the same mistake as the Spanish government after the Madrid bombings: blame a group before they know what has happened.

The Madrid train bombings were done by Muslims right? Who did they blame before they knew about that? Did they blame some separatists or something?

You know what's a little disturbing aboubt the London bombings is that you'd think that security would be very tight due to the G8 summit even though it is being held in Scotland.

 

[nonconformist]

The BNP doesn't blow people up. You can't compare it to al-Qaeda.

Actually, it does.
EDIT: Clarification is various members belonging to C-18 do, but that's irrelevant.

 

[privatehudson]

The BNP doesn't blow people up. You can't compare it to al-Qaeda.

Nor was I especially doing so, though some of it's former members have been involved in terrorist acts.

I was using it as an example of an extremist group or party being supported by a large number of people. Certainly it's not an overly violent extremist group, but it's still an extremist group, and still draws support from a large number of people.

You know what's a little disturbing aboubt the London bombings is that you'd think that security would be very tight due to the G8 summit even though it is being held in Scotland.

Well I did hear today that a whole load of specialist police officers were being moved back to London. However it would be my guess that since they had no idea the events of today were going to happen, that even had the G8 not been happening these specialists would not have been able to prevent todays events.

 

[Rik Meleet]

The Madrid train bombings were done by Muslims right? Who did they blame before they knew about that? Did they blame some separatists or something?(..)

The Spanish government immediately blamed the Basque "ETA", despite the ETA claiming they had nothing to do with it. And the Government stuck to blaming the ETA, when it was getting more and more obvious it wasn't the ETA.

That lie cost them the elections a few days / weeks later, not the actual bombing.

At least; that is how I remember it. Some Spanish members might be able to confirm or correct me in this.

 

[chancellor_dan]

The BNP does not have the support of 10% of the British public.
You're not looking at things in perspective, even if the BNP had 500,000 voters, that is nowhere near the same degree of support as 200,000 of Britain's two million Muslims sympathising with Al-Quaeda.

 

[chancellor_dan]

Erm why was that edited?

Moderator Action: Ask by PM please. No need to muddy a thread up with such questions

 

[wit>trope]

Turn the middle east into a parking lot then send the royal marines to paint the lines.

That MIGHT be a good idea except that unfortunately they are everywhere. Because of immigration both legal and illegal a lot of them are in European countries like France and, yes, England. So bombing the Islamic countries in Middle East, Africa and South East Asia won't solve the problem. It might even cause a larger world war of an economic or even military nature if countries like China don't like it or Russia doesn't like it or if some European countries don't like it.

So the only way to solve the problem effectively using your kind of strategy would be to couple it with politically incorrect restrictions on immigration and heavy politically incorrect "racial profiling" (or religious profiling as the case may be) and a super-duper Patriot-style Act. In the US I know there's been talk of not just renewing the Patriot Act but also of a "Patriot Act II" that will make it even stronger (and more controversial).

Another way to solve the problem might be to encourage understanding, cooperation, and/or stop doing things perceived by them as bad. But I read that their goal is to install Muslim states all over the world. So until the whole world is made up of Muslim states, I don't think they will stop.

 

[Flak]

Things are quieted down now. I think the English handled this emergency magnificently. Their emergency services really were on top of things. A stellar job!

 

[Sickman]

The Spanish government immediately blamed the Basque "ETA", despite the ETA claiming they had nothing to do with it. And the Government stuck to blaming the ETA, when it was getting more and more obvious it wasn't the ETA.
That lie cost them the elections a few days / weeks later, not the actual bombing.

That is exactly what happened.

Even though it's hard to say what actually cost them the elections because there were numerous factors involved about the war on terror (and also other things).