I`m in the UK and its damn frightening. But theres no need to let those f**kers know about it thats when they win.

We`ve been under attack from the IRA for many years but the security services are good at finding these people out.

This is yet another example of government manipulation of a hungry media too ravenous to actually look at what they're being fed.

My grandfather used to have bowls of castor beans in his greenhouse.Today he would be arrested and detained on our new terrorism laws,laws that since Sept 11th 2001 have been used to detain around 300 people so far without any trials to my knowledge.

So a policeman is stabbed.That is always upsetting,but it is indicative of the threat that the Manchester police force felt they were under that no police officers were wearing protective clothing and that the suspects were not restrained with handcuffs.That immigration officers were present is also very revealing.This appears to be an immigration raid that sadly went wrong and when it did go wrong it was in everyones interests that it should be elevated to a matter of national security in our fight against terrorism.To the policemans family and friends he has now become a hero,to the police force their blunders in a routine operation are hidden because supposedly it wasn't routine these were vicious hardened terrorist,and finally to the Government they can dubiously link this episode to their war on terrorism and therefore even more tenuously to the war they hope to prosecute against Iraq,a war that polls in the UK show that the people of the UK are three quarters against.

Apple seeds contain small quantaties of arsenic I'm sure with enough apples you could create a deadly poison.So beware if you're a muslim when you're in your supermarket that you don't buy too many Granny Smiths.You just don't know what an hysterical media and a desperate government might claim next.

Quote Cassini,

"The fact is the UK accepts more than its fair share of refugees, this is dangerous as any number of people with terrorist connections can and will threaten us."

So what are you trying to say?Stop immigration?All immigrants should be treated as potential terrorist?Put them in concentration camps on arrival?Pray tell me,What is your prefered option?
"I don`t see in the respectable press anyone blowing this out of proportion. The government don`t seem to desperate to me (they have a huge majority and can do what they want without serious opposition) and the media far from hysterical unless you read the gutter press."

Point one,It may sadden you to realise this but the vast majority of people do not buy the "respectable"press in the UK.As a consequence twice as many people bought The Mirror(With it's skull and crossbones front page with the words "It's Started")as bought The Times,Telegraph,and Guardian on that day combined.
Point two,When you are reading your respectable Guardian today did it not say that about 50% of Labour back benchers are against a war against Iraq without UN aproval,That at least two cabinet members are likely to resign if Blair goes ahead regardless,That the Foreign Secretary and the Defense Secretary are obviously divided if not on how to act at least in terms of retoric,That polls are regulally showing Labour membership against war and the vast majority of the public also against war(See tonights Channel 4 news poll 7pm)I buy and read The Times and Telegraph everyday(I hope they are respectable enough for you)and for the last week at least they have been reporting the desperate corner Blair has been painting himself into by backing Bush without the support of his party.

Perhaps your have a different source on the people arrested and charged in North London last week under the terrorism act?

No, I have no other source,but to quote your link to the "respectable" Guardian.

"While the detention of an Algerian asylum seeker was the purpose of the operation in Manchester, detectives, including a liaison officer from Scotland Yard's anti-terrorist branch, became intrigued when they discovered two other north Africans in the flat."

As I said in my previous post nothing but an immigration raid that developed into a fishing trip that when it went wrong was blamed on international terrorism.

Finally I'd just like to say that I have nothing against The Guardian I do,however resent your inference that my sources are from the "gutter press".Also your belief that only broad sheet newspapers have any influence.Why is it ,do you think ,that the Labour Party invested so much time and energy on wooing Rupert Murdoch's Sun?(answers on a postcard and placed in a self addressed envelope)

Apologies I never meant to infer that your sources were the gutter press, I would n`t willing put that on anyone and yes the times and telegraph are repectable enough for me.

For myself I`m quite happy to accept any refugee who wants to come here. Unfortunately not all of their intentions will be honest and I think more caution should be taken by the authorities.

It saddens me greatly that the people in this country listen so much to papers like the sun and Mirrror etc. I did n`t say the gutter press don`t have any influence, sadly in my experience people are far more likely to listen to the mirror or sun than the broadsheets.

I still believe that when push comes to shove Mr Blair will get his way for War on Iraq UN resoltion or not.

Your point on Mr Murdoch`s Sun is well taken
however.

PS Please don`t infer I`d like to put these people in concentration camps or the like I never said anything like that I was just trying to point out that a small number represent a certain danger to us.

Cool,
I agree. Blair will get his way or at least do what he wishes even without public and party support.However the long term consequences for him personally as leader of the Labour Party and Prime Minister may not be pleasant.

I am concerned that so many people are being arrested on terrorism charges with so little evidence.Infact the only evidence of any terrorist activity put before the public is the revelation that there were traces of Ricin in one house.Words are always chosen carefully and so I think it's important to look at the word "trace".Bread has trace elements of peanuts.I've even seen a bottled water with trace elements of fat.I suspect that under scientific definition of the word trace.You wouldn't even have to refine castor beans to get a trace reading of Ricin.

The media(all media) would love to report on a serious terrorist threat to the UK.I suspect that Newspaper editors are all secretly dissapointed that nothing has happened in the UK.After all if nothing bad ever happened in the world newspapers and armsdealers would be the first to go out of buisness.So eager to report on anything they are given they devote large sections of their newspapers to the most trivial of things.I think it's bad enough that this police officer was killed by an illegal immigrant without saying he was a victim of terrorism.Incidently,do you think that he would have been so quickly described as a terrorist if he had been an Irish Catholic?Today?No.Thirty years ago?Maybe.

All conveniently at a time when Blair is trying to build up a case for going to war.Blair wishes to make any threat personal and imminent in the hope of bouncing public opinion into believing that they are somehow acting in self defence by attacking Iraq.

If these people had been Irish catholics and described as terrorists we`d all be up in arms about political correctness, probably with the Guardian at the forefront of such nonsense.

Tony Blair really has very little to worry about, he can run off and have his war with best buddy GW and then hand over to Gordon Brown and get his peerage and job with the Carlye group