AOG - " ... In this day of heightened terrorist security, should the way have been cleared of such persons before the passage of the leader of the opposition?"
'Such persons' as you choose to put it probably pose less of a threat than any stranger a politician walks past in the street.
Does the fact that she is of Asian extraction raise your alarm, or would it be any 'such person' who is homeless and happens to be on the route Mr Milliband is walking.
I have no doubt he passes homeless people every day, but the fact that this was a woman, and apparently of Asian extraction made it a photo opportunity.
If politicians are going to avoid walking the streets and interacting with people who potentially vote for them, then they might as well drive around in bullet-proof cars and avoid the potential threat altogether.
That has to be a better solution that sweeping the streets in advance so that perceived ‘undesirables’ can be moved on, lest they pollute the area Mr Milliband is about to occupy as he walks past.