quote: The UK faces a range of covert threats to its security. The background information available on these threats aims to put our security advice in context.
There is a serious and sustained threat from international terrorism to the UK and UK interests overseas. The current threat level is assessed as "Critical".
quote: "The [security] threat we face is not conventional. It is a challenge of a different nature from anything the world has faced before" Prime Minister, Tony Blair
posted
a bit scary as i had back-to-back dreams about planes crashes last night. planes into rocky cliffs, planes into electrical wires, planes into bridges. the worst was the dream in which i sat in the rear part of the plane and it almost landed safely but then it's wing was blown off and we went crashing into trees, tail end first.
quote: These security measures are being carried out for the right reasons, shut up moaning and complaining , this is modern life .By the way I'm flying on Friday .
Dave, Barnstaple
I'm sitting here at Heathrow 3 hours late for a flight to Edinburgh. You know amongst the thousands of people here I can't say that I can see a single Asian person amongst all the passengers.
posted
I've become so cynical, that whenever I hear stories like this I just think it's propaganda to give weight to the war on terrrrrrrrrrrr.
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posted
I am flying on my not-middle-class package holiday tomorrow and I am not so much worried as concerned about the expensive stuff I shall have to put in my suitcase. Should I buy those cheepo throwaway cameras and not take my natty little new digital? Will the extra whatever they do with the cases damage my shiny new camera? Greece is not exactly a hot destination for terrorist bombs - so my camera is about my main worry, which shows how shallow I really am. Mind you, the Turks and Greeks do have a history, of course, but I suspect America will always be top of the terrorist list.
Seriously though, I gather that they are not even allowing passengers to carry bottles of water on flights so I am wondering what sort of bombs were being planned. Can you get liquid semtex? Do people still play around with nitro? I am assuming that the proposed bombs would have been assembled on the plane and taken on in bits in an attempt to by-pass the scanners. That's why I found the stupid bint this morning on TV a bit annoying. She was asking what good repacking does as anyone could simply put the bomb in their suitcase instead. I wanted to slap her. Like, yeah, they cause massive disruption and lose themselves a fortune in future domestic flights because the duty air controller woke up with PMT. Like, some people are so DOH!
I am glad that I didn't arrive today though and have to repack at the airport.
-------------------- A day without laughter is a day wasted. In memory of Alastair Posts: 1936
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quote:Originally posted by herbs: I've become so cynical, that whenever I hear stories like this I just think it's propaganda to give weight to the war on terrrrrrrrrrrr.
To do that seems a bit extreme. There's money involved. It may, of course, be wildly exaggerated in order to make America feel we are doing something, but do you really think this is some sort of conspiracy?
-------------------- A day without laughter is a day wasted. In memory of Alastair Posts: 1936
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quote:Originally posted by Grianagh: obviously i slept well
Have you been watching Lost?
I was reading *this page yesterday, which is all about the U.S. Air Force's response to 9/11. It includes transcripts and inline audio clips of their communication during the fateful day. I hadn't realised quite how confused the authorities were at the time of the attacks.
quote: 8:37:56 WATSON: What? DOOLEY: Whoa! WATSON: What was that? ROUNTREE: Is that real-world? DOOLEY: Real-world hijack. WATSON: Cool!
quote:Originally posted by herbs: I've become so cynical, that whenever I hear stories like this I just think it's propaganda to give weight to the war on terrrrrrrrrrrr.
That's not cynical, it's just nonsensical. If this were the case, why would the story specify that the alleged bombers are British? That wouldn't make any sense. To be effective propaganda it'd have to make out that the terrorists were - you know - the people that the government is fighting. It's pretty shoddy stuff if they create a terror group that has most likely been radicalised as a result of the 'war on terror'. How would that work? "Look guys! you are at threat! ha! And it's sort of our fault! Send us your money!" It's only likely to turn people off the war.
While it may be tempting (or rather, fashionable) to blame the Government for literally everything, it may occasionally be worth considering the possibility that occasionally there are groups outside of Government that do wish to perpertrate harm on others.
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I didn't say I was right, I said, or meant to imply, that it was my knee-jerk reaction. No doubt because I'm trying to be 'fashionable'. Or maybe down to the increasingly hysterical ravings of Blair, Reid, etc.
quote:Originally posted by Thorn Davis: [QUOTE]While it may be tempting (or rather, fashionable) to blame the Government for literally everything....
It's a bit hard to suggest it might merely be a fashion statement. After all the more media driven politics has become, the more reason people have to be cynical. Things may happen in the real world, but also things are clearly manufactured and it is not surprising that the lines between the manufactured and the real get blurred.
Politicians have been pretty quick to use 'hype' and 'spin doctors' and then Governments have the nerve to complain no-one has enough faith any more to vote.
A voter or 'the man in the street' who finds it difficult to cope with the feeling of being perpetually deceived, and I am one of those, is going to protect themselves by taking it all with a pinch of salt. It's a survival thing; we can't spend our lives feeling as if we are constantly misled and fooled without keeping something of ourselves in reserve; back there in our psyche where the bastards can't get at it.
So, a dose of salt and watch that slug turn inside out. If it doesn't and it's all real and we are personally involved in the consequences; well we wake up and cope then.
It's sad, but it's what happens imo.
-------------------- A day without laughter is a day wasted. In memory of Alastair Posts: 1936
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Louche
Carved TMO on her clit just to make you feel bad
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BBC News 24 is showing LIVE FOOTAGE of a house in High Wycombe that might have been used for TERRORIST PURPOSES! God, it looks ndire. If I'd lived there, I'd have probably wanted to blow up a plane as well. Gods.
Sam, you're so sweet, I want to keep you in an eglu in my garden.
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posted
Thank you very much louche. I would like to live in an eglu in your garden.
Thorn, I am curious about your opinion re my opinion. Leaving aside the touchy feely element about keeping one's inner core pure and all that, what do you think about modern cynicism? Do you think it is rampant and understandable, and how do you think it might have come about.
I am thinking there was a similar cynicism about politics etc during the regency period but I am not 100% sure why.
Or anyone for that matter. Fancy a chat about it? If that fails some really appalling jokes would do.
-------------------- A day without laughter is a day wasted. In memory of Alastair Posts: 1936
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quote:Originally posted by sam: A voter or 'the man in the street' who finds it difficult to cope with the feeling of being perpetually deceived, and I am one of those, is going to protect themselves by taking it all with a pinch of salt. It's a survival thing; we can't spend our lives feeling as if we are constantly misled and fooled without keeping something of ourselves in reserve; back there in our psyche where the bastards can't get at it.
I don't see too much of a difference between being 'misled and fooled' by believing everything, and being 'misled and fooled' by immediately believing everything to be a government scam. I imagine both of them are motivated by the desire to not really want to think to much beyond the absolute surface, and the only real difference is that at the end you either dismiss it or assimilate it. Either way it saves you having to consider it, and either way it gives you a sense that you know the real score and therefore the world's understandable, disgestable and you can get on with things. Just, I guess, saying 'Oh it's obviously propaganda' lends you an air of being in the know, of being a step ahead, even if it's a stupid thing to say.
quote: Leaving aside the touchy feely element about keeping one's inner core pure and all that, what do you think about modern cynicism? Do you think it is rampant and understandable, and how do you think it might have come about.
I dunno. I'm not really old enough to be able to judge 'modern' cynicism against anything; not really able to even say whether it's a particularly new thing. I have vague memories of the Conservative Government being the subject of relentless distrust and perpetual ridicule in the eighties, and my rotting recollection of British History keeps throwing up examples of similar levels of cynicism of the people towards their leaders - things like Disraeli being accused of vote winning legislation, or that Irish dude being smeared becuase he knobbed that chick called Kitty (Keir Hardy, was it? I forget). There's been unpopular, untrusted rulers as far back as I can think. Anyway. My point is, I don't even know if people are that much more cynical than they've ever been, so it's hard to comment on how it may have come about. In this instance I think maybe if you believe it's all government spin it's a lot easier to cope with than if you try to process the idea that people might suddenly attempt to injure you without warning and without you being able to defend yourself. Declaring it propaganda obviously turns it into an imaginary threat and what's more, the Goverment is actually something we have control over - something we can accuse, hold accountable, ridicule and vote out, so I guess it creates a feeling of power, whereas erally, there's not much you can do about a terrorist cell you have no knowledge of.
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posted
'They' put big concrete barricades around the entrance to Victoria station, recently. A friend who's on gossiping terms with the local plod said this was because they'd received intelligence about mad bombers driving a car full of explosives into the station, across the concourse, down the platform and into a packed commuter train. This plan seemed so ludicrous as to make me do a RL LOL. I suppose the policeman may have been winding her up.
posted
No, the concrete blocks are in front of the pedestrian access into the station, the big arch on Wilton Road. The access road in front of the station (used by cars, taxis, etc;) is still open for business.
quote:Originally posted by herbs: BM - To stop people leaving with the luggage trollies?
THey could put up a barrier of little metal pylons or a cattle grid-type thing to do that. Cheaper, less obstructive, more aesthetically appealing. These are the vast concrete lozenges (like they have outside the American Embassy) I'm talking about here.
posted
Have Your Say is really getting on my nerves today:
quote: So how am I supposed to take a 2 year old child on a 12 hour flight - with no activities and toys (not even a teddy bear because it isn't an essential medical requirement)?
What kind of fucking mong-tard sadist takes a two year old on a 12 hour flight in the first place?
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Louche
Carved TMO on her clit just to make you feel bad
posted
BBC News is now interviewing someone who could be William Hague or Ian Hislop. Has my brain really atrophied that much?
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Louche
Carved TMO on her clit just to make you feel bad
posted
It's William Hague. God, I bet you're all glad I cleared that up. Is it too early to get drunk?
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Louche
Carved TMO on her clit just to make you feel bad
posted
It's never too early to get drunk, is it? I hate my sister.
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quote:Originally posted by Thorn Davis: Have Your Say is really getting on my nerves today:
quote:As no-one can take food or drink on to a plane at the moment, will the various airlines be reducing their ridiculously high onboard prices for these items?? No, I thought not!
Annia Valainistima, United Kingdom
quote:Just to clarify, I'm not allowed a book to read or a bottle of water to drink, I need to put my tampons in a clear plastic bag for all the world to see and I can't have my glasses case to protect them if I take them off for a nap. Bet John Reid won't have my problems when HE'S flying.
Abject nonsense designed to increase fear so the sheep will happily accept the erosion of our hard won civil liberties. There's no need to take things this far, we can be protected without this scaremongering.
SM, Glasgow
quote: There’s probably some scam behind it. So what’s going to happen. ONLY checked in luggage, all passengers screened, Duty Free securely delivered to the plane. Sounds to me like a way of speeding up the check-in process, embarking / disembarking, reducing the general hassle around luggage in the passenger compartment. So who wins out of this? Hmmm. Airbus plan to have 550 seater planes, Heathrow has the new terminal 5 and wider runways to cope with the traffic that will come through. I wonder…
quote:My mum is flying out of Gatwick today to the Dominican rep! What are people supposed to do on the flights for 10 hours when they have no books or magazines!
Laura Acus
What kind of calculable risk is that? I waiver my rights to a safe journey as long as I gat ma magazeens!
quote:Today is my birthday, and sofar I have spent the whole day waiting in the terminal. My 'partner' was supposed to be taking be on a surprise trip to New York. What a great 30th birthday this is turning out to be!
Ben, Cirencester
There's always one person who somehow manages to turn everything into "I'm gay everybody! Look at me!"
quote: since when has a family going on holiday costing £4500 to disneyland been a potential terror threat - even I can screen the most likely from the unlikely terrorists - and why not do a hand search of hand baggage if you do not trust the xray machine as it cannot take any longer.
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