predicted terrorist attacks..

[mullein1]

i have just heard on the news that ayman al zawahim who is osama bin ladens right hand man has predicted more attacks on london..i wonder how much all this extra security wages are going to cost us in tax?as without a doubt the bill will end up at our doors..blair has certainly opened a can of worms with taking us to war in iraq..it makes you wonder where it will end..any thoughts on the subject??

[luckyboy]

These fanatics will always have a political excuse to carry out their outrages before iraq it was afghanistan, before that us troops based in saudi arabia, before that palestine etc...democracies must never cave in to these facist murderers...tax increases or no tax increases..

[MargeB]

I mostly agree with you, luckyboy, but I think 'fascist murderers' is being a little harsh on Blair and Bush, they thought they were doing the right thing, even though none of us agreed with them at the time.

[LeMarchand]

I very, very much doubt that B&B thought they were doing the "right thing". I suspect that Bush was doing the right thing for the people who financed his campaign, and Blair was just doing whatever he was told.

[adydb]

mullein1 get real....better still the facts.

[mfewell]

MargeB, good evening - "...none of us agreed with them..." - who's us ? I agree(d) with them. Recall the Falklands, and how resoundingly the country was behind Mrs T. Now she is evil personified. It's just the current fad, to live in a democracy and snipe at it from behind the blankets. I have the greatest confidence in TB's integrity as a man and a politician, even though nobody else seems to (please read "nobody else" in the same light as "us", above). An additional reassurance for me is that he is a committed Christian, although that one has already been exhausted elsewhere.

The country had the chance to elect an alternative to Blair, but as ever many were too disinterested to vote, and we have as we always have, a minority government. If you want a better government then get people off their bums on polling day. (How would Michael Howard have acted, I wonder - a Jewish prime minister). I think some will oppose anything Bush or the USA does, and most of what Blair does.

Was Chamberlain right or wrong to take the country to war with Nazi Germany ?

[Alan2]

He was also spouting off about there being no let up until we take all our people out of the muslim countries, I've got a great idea, We'll take all our people out of the muslim countries if you lot will take all the muslims out of ours! Job Done.

[THECORBYLOON]

mullein1  would you rather the Prime Minister took the police and security forces off the streets to save you a few pennies?

[LeMarchand]

mcfewell - a bit of a tangent, but I'm of the firm opinion that more people might vote if it was a case of supporting a candidate whose manifesto and/or party you believed in (and could trust to keep their election promises) rather than the current case of choosing the least bad candidate...

Nazi Germany had invaded other countries and had intended to conquer Europe/the world. Iraq just (allegedly) had powerful weapons.

[destiny26]

lets not forget that 9/11 happened before we took troops into iraq! and that saddam hussain was a control freak that had to be dealt with! for that are we really that sorry? we as british people have the right to vote and the majority voted tony blair in im afraid. i am happy to pay more taxes if it keeps us safe. i agree the troops should be pulled out now but finish what you start eh? we will never solve it ourselves! lets just hope it doesnt get worse

[mullein1]

corbyloon..of course i wouldnt take the police off the streets..and i can assure you we pay more than our fair share in tax of any kind..which is more than i can say for some..security is essential..i just dont think we should have gone to war ..and i am entitled to my opinion the same as anyone else..every day it gets worse in iraq..and i am not sure of the figures but many usa servicemen have died over their besides our own and its never ending..and yes the cost will hit us in the pocket so i am real about that..and now we have our own people afraid to travel around london and use the underground ..all because of this country getting involved..

[flaming]

How long does anyone suppose that this level of security can be kept up?  It is not just the amount it is costing - the police themselves say they haven't enough manpower to maintain such a presence.  We have drawn "enemy fire" by going into an illegal war in Iraq, although I agree with luckyboy that there was a prior chain of events that encouraged Muslim fundamentalists to build up their "army".  Also, B & B were encouraged by members of the Iraqi intelligentsia who were exiled here and in the U.S. long before the war, and really wanted the Coalition to take out Saddam Hussein.

Muslim refugees from the Balkans integrated OK  but the Middle Eastern Muslims never will, nor will they want to.  Even the peaceable ones want to have their own country within a country. If the non-peaceful ones feel so strongly they should be fighting in Iraq.  I think Alan2's idea is good.  I am sick of seeing of blokes with beards in robes being allowed to say what they like  here. (I saw "Newsnight earier this week.)  Where are the womenfolk?  Not allowed to say anything much, I suppose.  It takes about 20 years for integration of any sort to take place - if the immigrants want to integrate, that is.  Do we fancy 20 odd years of this?

[reportmonkey]

I say two fingers up to him and carry on as normal.

[reportmonkey]

mullein1 - 'and i am not sure of the figures but many usa servicemen have died over their besides our own and its never ending..and yes the cost will hit us in the pocket so i am real about that..'

I think the human cost to be far more expensive than a couple of pence out of my pocket, It hits my pocket when I give to charity but I don't give a damn because my money is helping people get back on their feet...unfortunately the Bombs in Iraq are being mainly caused by the Sunni/Shia Struggle.  If we pull out now we risk civil war breaking out and economies across the world collapsing.  Plus at some point left to his own devices i'm sure Sadamn would have started Nuclear Weapons Development.

[BigDogsWang]

reportmonkey - spot on. Pulling out would be a grave mistake at present. The indifferences between shia's / sunni's is growing at an alarming rate. The shia population so far have been remarkably restrained, and the US & British forces have a full time job on their hands just trying to keep the two of them from waging all out war.

The frightening thing is, if and when the shia's do decide they have seen enough of their people being blown to bits, and retaliate, sunni militants from all Arab countries will join in. And from what I have read, their are far more sunni's than shia's (no jokes about the 60's pop act please, it's wearing a bit thin now!).

The daft thing is, these people are prepared to murder each other over a difference in their beliefs of the order of the prophets of Mohammed.

Sorry to digress on your question mullein1. But this whole affair has so many deep implications, I think we should all be very worried.

[smudge]

That made me smile Alan2!

[Aschenbach]

MargeB - the irony wasn't lost on all of us.

THIS JUST IN! Ayman al Zawahim also predicts the sun will rise tomorrow!

[d0gsb0dy]

The truth is, we shouldn't be in Iraq. Attacking their country was an act of aggression. OK, so Saddam was a scumbag. So are lots of other dictators, but Bush and his cronies choose to ignore them. Iraq posed no threat to this country. Saddam's problems began when he started to deal in Euros for his oil. America didn't want this, as it meant they would lose control over oil supplies. Hence France and Germany's reluctance to fight him. Iraq also planned to deal in Euros, so Bush also started making noises and creating aggression myths about them. He still is. This situation has nothing to do with tyranny. Only oil.

[Booldawg]

yes, I thought maybe that now we are being persecuted by islamic extremists, we Britons have a very good case for seeking asylum in a more peaceful country. I was thinking possibly of Hawaii or St.Lucia, where, no doubt, a 3 bedroom house and plenty of state benefits will await!