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August 10, 2006
Stay lucky
We only need to be lucky once. You need to be lucky every time. — The IRA to Margaret Thatcher, after she survived the bombing of the Grand Hotel in Brighton.
And that's the problem with combating terrorists, the security forces can't afford to ignore any intelligence pointing towards an attack, lest the terrorists get lucky. And so we have situations such as Forest Gate or the de Menezes shooting.
BBC - 'Airlines terror plot' disrupted
A terrorist plot to blow up planes in mid-flight from the UK to the US has been disrupted, Scotland Yard has said.
Police arrested about 18 people in the London area and West Midlands after an anti-terrorist operation.
High security is causing delays at all UK airports, Heathrow is closed to incoming flights, and MI5 has raised the threat level to critical.
According to MI5's website, critical threat level - the highest - means "an attack is expected imminently and indicates an extremely high level of threat to the UK".
Now eventually the full details will come to light, and suspects will either be released without charge or prosecuted. And the prosecutions might succeed or fail. And successful prosecutions might be appealed against. The bottom line is that we live in such a state as a consequence of Blair's decision to re-interpret the special relationship with America as one where British foreign policy became a mere adjunct of US policy, and Blair effectively became a Presidential Spokesman with an English accent.
But the disruption and chaos caused in the fallout from foiling the plot might be used in future as a terrorist tactic. After all, why risk blowing yourself up, or getting caught red-handed with explosive materials, when effective use of electronic communications could give the impression of a credible terrorist plot. After all, the security forces can't afford to ignore it.
And the effects are impressive; Heathrow shut to incoming flights, air travel out of the UK disrupted, airline shares hammered, the FTSE down over 80 points, business meeting disrupted, increased security costs to cover additional security personal, etc, etc. Not to mention the costs of any potential, subsequent criminal proceedings.
Who needs a real bomb to cause havoc when the security services are so twitchy? Remember, even when the threat isn't real, it still costs you, personally.
Update 10:55 - Bloggerheads - They'll never take our freedaaaarrrgh!
Update 17:25 More bloggage:
Europhobia - Oh, come on...
Perfect.co.uk - Airshow
Kitty Killer - Now is the time for salt, and pinching
Blair Watch - John Reid - removing our freedoms in order to preserve them
Posted by Clive on August 10, 2006 10:04 AM in the category Terror