The alert is politically motivated, but what government announcement isn't, it doesn't change the reality:
1. There will be mentally deranged people returning here fuelled with hate against any non muslims who in their view shouldn't exist and have no worth. 2. We can't stop them coming in 3. If identified, we have limited protection under laws concerned mainly with protecting human rights and avoiding the possibility of the accusation of racism.
The government, and most people who do not support muslim extremism, probably understand this, the government has precious little power to do anything, so the best it can do is give the impression it is doing something and counter accusations of not giving us any warning when the next atrocity occurs.
Can't see any other reason for the announcement - outside of the usual conspiracy theories that assume Cameron can't wait to get involved in a war we can't win, can't afford and don't have enough troops to send out to be blown up..
The alert is politically motivated, but what government announcement isn't, it doesn't change the reality:
1. There will be mentally deranged people returning here fuelled with hate against any non muslims who in their view shouldn't exist and have no worth. 2. We can't stop them coming in 3. If identified, we have limited protection under laws concerned mainly with protecting human rights and avoiding the possibility of the accusation of racism.
The government, and most people who do not support muslim extremism, probably understand this, the government has precious little power to do anything, so the best it can do is give the impression it is doing something and counter accusations of not giving us any warning when the next atrocity occurs.
Can't see any other reason for the announcement - outside of the usual conspiracy theories that assume Cameron can't wait to get involved in a war we can't win, can't afford and don't have enough troops to send out to be blown up..
I think you are right to say that the announcement and specifically the way it was done was indeed politically motivated. Because I'm sure there are a multitude of channels available to make sure that those people that have to know (security personnel at airports, etc, etc) will be told - so an announcement is not really necessary at all. But the actual change itself, well, I'm not sure. I thought the actual alert level was decided upon by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, which functions as part of MI5? I don't know if there are any politicians who are involved in the decision-making process at all. Are there? Or do they just tell the politicians what to do when they pitch up at the COBRA meetings?
Is this ISIS mob the same lot that we were considering helping in Syria as freedom fighters? Was it a case of 'better the devil we know' when we decided not to bomb Assad's forces?
No. That was another group os Syrian rebels which ISIS has since thought. In fact Assad has given a lot of funding to ISIS partly because they were figting other groups and partly to give the Syrian opposition a bad name and to deter western intervention. Assad has now realised what a dangerous game this is and is attacking ISIS.
I take your point cafcfan, they are different. I would assume the military and security people advise the politicians. David Mellor on LBC over the weekend said when he was involved in COBRA he would struggle to explain the difference between one level and another, which suggests the politicians can come up with what suits.
Is this ISIS mob the same lot that we were considering helping in Syria as freedom fighters? Was it a case of 'better the devil we know' when we decided not to bomb Assad's forces?
No. That was another group os Syrian rebels which ISIS has since thought. In fact Assad has given a lot of funding to ISIS partly because they were figting other groups and partly to give the Syrian opposition a bad name and to deter western intervention. Assad has now realised what a dangerous game this is and is attacking ISIS.
Thanks Jints. I was thinking yesterday's freedom fighters were today's terrorists. Obviously not the case.
Is this ISIS mob the same lot that we were considering helping in Syria as freedom fighters? Was it a case of 'better the devil we know' when we decided not to bomb Assad's forces?
No. That was another group os Syrian rebels which ISIS has since thought. In fact Assad has given a lot of funding to ISIS partly because they were figting other groups and partly to give the Syrian opposition a bad name and to deter western intervention. Assad has now realised what a dangerous game this is and is attacking ISIS.
Thanks Jints. I was thinking yesterday's freedom fighters were today's terrorists. Obviously not the case.
That's often the way (or the other way round) but maybe not this time...
Two election ploys, the enemy within and the enemy without. But there's no Malvinas / Falklands this time, so thank you Isis and assorted Mooslims, we can raise the terror levels, nothing happens, ergo Cameron knows what he's doing so we'll vote for him. Islam is tearing itself to shreds and Cameron is playing the race card in its widest sense. If I were an Etonite mess seeking re-election, I'd do the same.
I don't wish to be contentious, but the last big war we got ourselves involved in was largely down to Blair and in the face of very widespread public opposition he went ahead. Just in the name of fairness I think it is worth a mention, along with MT and DC.
I fully agree, but I just don't like Tories whichever party they masquerade in ;-)
Is this ISIS mob the same lot that we were considering helping in Syria as freedom fighters? Was it a case of 'better the devil we know' when we decided not to bomb Assad's forces?
No. That was another group os Syrian rebels which ISIS has since thought. In fact Assad has given a lot of funding to ISIS partly because they were figting other groups and partly to give the Syrian opposition a bad name and to deter western intervention. Assad has now realised what a dangerous game this is and is attacking ISIS.
Thanks Jints. I was thinking yesterday's freedom fighters were today's terrorists. Obviously not the case.
Fire fighters fight fire, crime fighters fight crime... so what do freedom fighters fight?
On the bright side, I don't remember a terrorist attacking ever happening during an elevated threat level period.
I believe it was raised at the time of the Glasgow Airport bomb attempt as well as the other attempt to blow up the 6 planes flying between UK and US back in 2006.
The latter didn't happen though...unless this is the conspiracy thread and I've gotten lost. The former only made it to the front door!
This new victim was apparently well versed in Islamic culture and loved the culture.
These extremists are tearing the soul out of Islam. They are tarring it with a very bloody and inaccurate brush.
Please just remember an Islamic extremist is seen by most Muslims as not Islamic at all.
So why aren't other Muslims forming a coalition to destroy them?
Or openly condemning them and organising protests such as the ones they did in the city, when some newspaper drew a couple of cartoons of the prophet Mohammed???
This new victim was apparently well versed in Islamic culture and loved the culture.
These extremists are tearing the soul out of Islam. They are tarring it with a very bloody and inaccurate brush.
Please just remember an Islamic extremist is seen by most Muslims as not Islamic at all.
You are quite right. BUT the Muslim population in the UK and, particularly, the Middle East, could have been much, much less ambivalent about extremism and much more vocal in their denunciation of these individuals and those within their faith who preach utter nonsense.
That would have been beneficial to the World in general and to the way their faith is perceived by the rest the world.
I don't know if the concept actually exists but scattering around a few Islamic equivalents of excommunication might have helped to focus the mind.
Meanwhile, all the rest of the World sees is: Wilful misinterpretation of the teachings of their prophet; the prevalence of FGM in Muslim countries; the atrocities of Boko Haram, IS and other groups; horrendous medieval laws and practices in places like Saudi Arabia; bigamy; etc, etc. Until moderate Muslims stand up and be counted and the Gulf States get themselves off the fence and involved in defeating terrorism in the region, then they will inevitably be tarred with the same brush as the terrorists and the wrongs inflicted upon regions like Gaza will not be taken seriously.
Obviously, after the latest act of brutality, and whether a threat to The West or not, ISIS needs to be wiped off the face of The Earth.
I'm sure you'll agree we need to wipe the Saudi government off the face of the earth too then... they've beheaded 22 people since August 4th... "criminals" I should add, although some of the crimes they were found guilty of was "sorcery".
Obviously, after the latest act of brutality, and whether a threat to The West or not, ISIS needs to be wiped off the face of The Earth.
I'm sure you'll agree we need to wipe the Saudi government off the face of the earth too then... they've beheaded 22 people since August 4th... "criminals" I should add, although some of the crimes they were found guilty of was "sorcery".
This thread isn't about the Saudis is it? It's about the threat the ISIS terrorists pose to us.
This new victim was apparently well versed in Islamic culture and loved the culture.
These extremists are tearing the soul out of Islam. They are tarring it with a very bloody and inaccurate brush.
Please just remember an Islamic extremist is seen by most Muslims as not Islamic at all.
So why aren't other Muslims forming a coalition to destroy them?
Where do you think the intelligence agencies get much of their information from?
Hasn't helped lately it seems.
I must've missed the bombs going off on every street corner in London and the rise of Shariah law being enforced by packs of armed thugs roaming the streets...
Jokes aside, I think our intelligence agencies do a great job. Unfortunately, due to the nature of their work, going under-appreciated is perhaps the most recognition they will ever get for a job well done.
Only a fool would allow the words ' troops on the ground ' to even be whispered. A far more intelligent method of dealing with the situation will be required, and that in my opinion will force us to choose our leaders for very different reasons. The gift of the gab and kissing babies will have to be replaced by super intelligence and judgement incorporated within sharp teamwork. Or put another way, get your tin hats out everybody.
Of course, although the thrust of what I was trying to say was as usual why ISIS over other terror fuelled organisations around the world? Why is it we only seem to want to get involved with those threatening oil rich or strategically positoned states? Why do we sell billions of arms to the Saudi's and Qatar etc while they perform such barbaric acts on a frequent basis as part of their own every day culture and fund ISIS and terrorist cells across the region? We can't pick and choose what is barbaric. The whole stance of the governments in the West is hypocrisy itself and fuelled by capitalist interests.
ISIS pose almost zero threat to us in the UK or US. The disenfranchised youth who are heading out there are disillusioned with the actions of the West over the years and their current living circumstances, so much so that they have then searched for a purpose in life, which unfortunately for some has resulted in them wanting to travel overseas and fight for something they can believe in (however f'd up that is!!) They're not religious fanatics who are going there because of some holy awakening. Our governments and foreign policies are behind their disenfranchisement and extremist views as much as anything. Our governments are as big a threat to us as the terrorists in their misjudged and endlessly changing foreign policies.
The bigger issue is surely more nuanced than whether they have beheaded another journalist - it's an ongoing series of atrocities one after the other and I feel no more or less angry and disgusted by what they're doing after seeing this news. I was taking issue with your inference that now they've beheaded another US citizen that's the straw that's broken the camel's back and now we need to get rid of them through any means possible. Whether that's right or not surely one more beheading doesn't make the rest of the rational argument and debate of how to deal with them irrelevant?
But yes, they need to be dealt with I completely agree. However I don't believe that we should be getting involved with "wiping them off the face of the earth". Every time we get involved in the middle east we make things worse. Offering logistical support to a unified coalition of governments in the region would be a good move, but not selling arms, bombing or sending troops (Obama is already putting boots on the ground "to protect US interests"... a trojan horse if ever I saw one). Genuine humanitarian aid though, absolutely we should help if we can.
ISIS are despicable and need to be removed from existence I agree, just to be clear. I don't buy into the idea that the West should pile in again gung-ho and get involved yet again in something else that will come back and bite us. And let's be honest, in a couple of years we'll be treating ISIS as allies against the next bad guy over there.
Of course, although the thrust of what I was trying to say was as usual why ISIS over other terror fuelled organisations around the world? Why is it we only seem to want to get involved with those threatening oil rich or strategically positoned states? Why do we sell billions of arms to the Saudi's and Qatar etc while they perform such barbaric acts on a frequent basis as part of their own every day culture and fund ISIS and terrorist cells across the region? We can't pick and choose what is barbaric. The whole stance of the governments in the West is hypocrisy itself and fuelled by capitalist interests.
ISIS pose almost zero threat to us in the UK or US. The disenfranchised youth who are heading out there are disillusioned with the actions of the West over the years and their current living circumstances, so much so that they have then searched for a purpose in life, which unfortunately for some has resulted in them wanting to travel overseas and fight for something they can believe in (however f'd up that is!!) They're not religious fanatics who are going there because of some holy awakening. Our governments and foreign policies are behind their disenfranchisement and extremist views as much as anything. Our governments are as big a threat to us as the terrorists in their misjudged and endlessly changing foreign policies.
The bigger issue is surely more nuanced than whether they have beheaded another journalist - it's an ongoing series of atrocities one after the other and I feel no more or less angry and disgusted by what they're doing after seeing this news. I was taking issue with your inference that now they've beheaded another US citizen that's the straw that's broken the camel's back and now we need to get rid of them through any means possible. Whether that's right or not surely one more beheading doesn't make the rest of the rational argument and debate of how to deal with them irrelevant?
But yes, they need to be dealt with I completely agree. However I don't believe that we should be getting involved with "wiping them off the face of the earth". Every time we get involved in the middle east we make things worse. Offering logistical support to a unified coalition of governments in the region would be a good move, but not selling arms, bombing or sending troops (Obama is already putting boots on the ground "to protect US interests"... a trojan horse if ever I saw one). Genuine humanitarian aid though, absolutely we should help if we can.
ISIS are despicable and need to be removed from existence I agree, just to be clear. I don't buy into the idea that the West should pile in again gung-ho and get involved yet again in something else that will come back and bite us. And let's be honest, in a couple of years we'll be treating ISIS as allies against the next bad guy over there.
Hang on, unless I've missed something ISIS have actively threatened the UK and the US, have beheaded two US citizens ON FILM and threatened to do the same to a UK citizen. Not only that, but there are hundreds of people who have been brainwashed by ISIS into hating the West who are now back in this country and have the ability to carry out barbaric attacks.
Now don't get me wrong, some of the stuff the Saudi Arabians have done is similarly shocking, but correct me if im wrong they havnt actively threatened us have they in barbaric films?
Comments
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/08/30/king-abdullah-of-saudi-arabia-warns-west-will-be-jihadists-next-target/?_ga=1.4575024.2088911758.1392789828
1. There will be mentally deranged people returning here fuelled with hate against any non muslims who in their view shouldn't exist and have no worth.
2. We can't stop them coming in
3. If identified, we have limited protection under laws concerned mainly with protecting human rights and avoiding the possibility of the accusation of racism.
The government, and most people who do not support muslim extremism, probably understand this, the government has precious little power to do anything, so the best it can do is give the impression it is doing something and counter accusations of not giving us any warning when the next atrocity occurs.
Can't see any other reason for the announcement - outside of the usual conspiracy theories that assume Cameron can't wait to get involved in a war we can't win, can't afford and don't have enough troops to send out to be blown up..
But the actual change itself, well, I'm not sure. I thought the actual alert level was decided upon by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, which functions as part of MI5?
I don't know if there are any politicians who are involved in the decision-making process at all. Are there? Or do they just tell the politicians what to do when they pitch up at the COBRA meetings?
Just let them back in and shoot bstds in the neck and let them slowly leak all over Gatwick airport
Anyone In those countries that's left in the last 4 months tell them sorry you ain't coming back in
(I know I'm being facetious I just don't care.)
This new victim was apparently well versed in Islamic culture and loved the culture.
These extremists are tearing the soul out of Islam. They are tarring it with a very bloody and inaccurate brush.
Please just remember an Islamic extremist is seen by most Muslims as not Islamic at all.
That would have been beneficial to the World in general and to the way their faith is perceived by the rest the world.
I don't know if the concept actually exists but scattering around a few Islamic equivalents of excommunication might have helped to focus the mind.
Meanwhile, all the rest of the World sees is: Wilful misinterpretation of the teachings of their prophet; the prevalence of FGM in Muslim countries; the atrocities of Boko Haram, IS and other groups; horrendous medieval laws and practices in places like Saudi Arabia; bigamy; etc, etc.
Until moderate Muslims stand up and be counted and the Gulf States get themselves off the fence and involved in defeating terrorism in the region, then they will inevitably be tarred with the same brush as the terrorists and the wrongs inflicted upon regions like Gaza will not be taken seriously.
Jokes aside, I think our intelligence agencies do a great job. Unfortunately, due to the nature of their work, going under-appreciated is perhaps the most recognition they will ever get for a job well done.
ISIS pose almost zero threat to us in the UK or US. The disenfranchised youth who are heading out there are disillusioned with the actions of the West over the years and their current living circumstances, so much so that they have then searched for a purpose in life, which unfortunately for some has resulted in them wanting to travel overseas and fight for something they can believe in (however f'd up that is!!) They're not religious fanatics who are going there because of some holy awakening. Our governments and foreign policies are behind their disenfranchisement and extremist views as much as anything. Our governments are as big a threat to us as the terrorists in their misjudged and endlessly changing foreign policies.
The bigger issue is surely more nuanced than whether they have beheaded another journalist - it's an ongoing series of atrocities one after the other and I feel no more or less angry and disgusted by what they're doing after seeing this news. I was taking issue with your inference that now they've beheaded another US citizen that's the straw that's broken the camel's back and now we need to get rid of them through any means possible. Whether that's right or not surely one more beheading doesn't make the rest of the rational argument and debate of how to deal with them irrelevant?
But yes, they need to be dealt with I completely agree. However I don't believe that we should be getting involved with "wiping them off the face of the earth". Every time we get involved in the middle east we make things worse. Offering logistical support to a unified coalition of governments in the region would be a good move, but not selling arms, bombing or sending troops (Obama is already putting boots on the ground "to protect US interests"... a trojan horse if ever I saw one). Genuine humanitarian aid though, absolutely we should help if we can.
ISIS are despicable and need to be removed from existence I agree, just to be clear. I don't buy into the idea that the West should pile in again gung-ho and get involved yet again in something else that will come back and bite us. And let's be honest, in a couple of years we'll be treating ISIS as allies against the next bad guy over there.
Now don't get me wrong, some of the stuff the Saudi Arabians have done is similarly shocking, but correct me if im wrong they havnt actively threatened us have they in barbaric films?