Shooting outside the House of Commons

[jay_mcfc]

You're beginning to see the truth.

ISIS aren't a particular threat to us here. Due to the work of our security services they have little to no real power or connections here and they certainly don't have "soldiers" here. ISIS don't even exist as a proper group, they're a collection of pre-existing militia who have banded together under a single flag and lack any cohesive structure or Command and Control infrastructure.

However, it is in the best interests of everybody that we all pretend they are. Fear is the most useful of all political tools that politicians have in their arsenal, intelligence services get funding and authority to do whatever they like, the media get massive clickbait and sales, ISIS get legitimacy to help with their recruitment to fight in Syria.

Presenting them as a big bad monster helps everybody apart from the citizens.

ISIS can't even hold back a poorly trained Iraqi army filled with traitors and kids. Their "press agency" was routinely hacked by teenagers in the US who were fucking about. The idea they're some secret global agency who have terror cells all over the world is quite frankly an absurd Republican wet dream.

Sunni extremism is bigger than just ISIS and the ideology is spreading a bit in Europe but not in any concerted or organised fashion.

Excellent post. The number of people that can benefit personally and financially from these attacks is staggering and part of the reason why they'll never truly be stopped - too many people with varying degrees of power don't want them to, or at least they know it's not in their best interest. Would 24 hour news stations even exist if it wasn't for the 'War on Terror'?

 

[Damocles]

I mean, I don't want to be crass or anything but do you really need a manual to know that running people over hurts?

And we can all just presume I made a comment about how absurd the Daily Mail is as I can't actually be arsed expending the mental energy needed to make one.

 

[CTID1988]

I mean, I don't want to be crass or anything but do you really need a manual to know that running people over hurts?

And we can all just presume I made a comment about how absurd the Daily Mail is as I can't actually be arsed expending the mental energy needed to make one.

Ridiculous. I don't even understand the point they are trying to make there. If its dangerous that its so easy to find this info then surely it would be happening every day

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

They are increasingly desperate for there to be an 'intelligence failing'

Laura Kuntsberg was harping on about this when she was interviewing Amber Rudd. The BBC has become the pits.

 

[Uncle Wally One Ball]

Lets wait and see on this guy, i think theres more to him than meets the eye, seems to have had a lot of associates and plenty of money, bet he's been abroad training, it will all come out eventually

More probably been radicalised in prison over here

 

[che_don_john]

ISIS aren't a particular threat to us here. Due to the work of our security services they have little to no real power or connections here and they certainly don't have "soldiers" here. ISIS don't even exist as a proper group, they're a collection of pre-existing militia who have banded together under a single flag and lack any cohesive structure or Command and Control infrastructure.

However, it is in the best interests of everybody that we all pretend they are. Fear is the most useful of all political tools that politicians have in their arsenal, intelligence services get funding and authority to do whatever they like, the media get massive clickbait and sales, ISIS get legitimacy to help with their recruitment to fight in Syria.

Presenting them as a big bad monster helps everybody apart from the citizens.

ISIS can't even hold back a poorly trained Iraqi army filled with traitors and kids. Their "press agency" was routinely hacked by teenagers in the US who were fucking about. The idea they're some secret global agency who have terror cells all over the world is quite frankly an absurd Republican wet dream.

Sunni extremism is bigger than just ISIS and the ideology is spreading a bit in Europe but not in any concerted or organised fashion.

I was thinking about this yesterday and about how only five people have died (so far, at least).

Now, before anyone jumps on me - yes, five people is still five too many. But in the context of terror attacks that is still a very low number, especially when you also factor in that, Lee Rigby aside (which would've been classed as a one-on-one homicide had the assailant not been a muslim), this is the first attack in nearly 12 years.

IRA bombings in mainland UK were much more frequent (although at least they came with a warning). In Turkey, terrorist attacks (be it by the PKK in the past or IS today) usually claim in the region of 20-30 victims, and occur around twice a year. In Pakistan you're looking at around 50 victims in a similarly regular basis. In Iraq, the number and frequency is staggeringly high. Indonesia and Nigeria also suffer regular attacks but they aren't reported as much.

And yet if you were to believe the news media and the politicians in the last two days you'd think that we had suffered a major attack and that we are facing a huge and unique threat. Of course there are many planned attacks that get foiled (I think an intelligence expert interviewed yesterday said around four per year) but if anything that just goes to show how prepared we are and how capable we are at fighting terrorism.

But the truth about our security doesn't fit the fear narrative. I've had a couple of friends tell me they're too scared to go to the England game, forgetting that they are far more likely to die on their journey down the M1. My girlfriend is Filipino/Canadian and she's had family from both countries texting her to see if she is OK (she lives in Luton!), which just goes to show that the idea that we have just suffered a major catastrophe and are under attack as a nation is spreading beyond these shores, perpetuated by the rent-a-gobs like Katie Hopkins Nigel Farage, and the politicians/civil servants who view this as an opportunity to consolidate their position.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

I was thinking about this yesterday and about how only five people have died (so far, at least).

Now, before anyone jumps on me - yes, five people is still five too many. But in the context of terror attacks that is still a very low number, especially when you also factor in that, Lee Rigby aside (which would've been classed as a one-on-one homicide had the assailant not been a muslim), this is the first attack in nearly 12 years.

IRA bombings in mainland UK were much more frequent (although at least they came with a warning). In Turkey, terrorist attacks (be it by the PKK in the past or IS today) usually claim in the region of 20-30 victims, and occur around twice a year. In Pakistan you're looking at around 50 victims in a similarly regular basis. In Iraq, the number and frequency is staggeringly high. Indonesia and Nigeria also suffer regular attacks but they aren't reported as much.

And yet if you were to believe the news media and the politicians in the last two days you'd think that we had suffered a major attack and that we are facing a huge and unique threat. Of course there are many planned attacks that get foiled (I think an intelligence expert interviewed yesterday said around four per year) but if anything that just goes to show how prepared we are and how capable we are at fighting terrorism.

But the truth about our security doesn't fit the fear narrative. I've had a couple of friends tell me they're too scared to go to the England game, forgetting that they are far more likely to die on their journey down the M1. My girlfriend is Filipino/Canadian and she's had family from both countries texting her to see if she is OK (she lives in Luton!), which just goes to show that the idea that we have just suffered a major catastrophe and are under attack as a nation is spreading beyond these shores, perpetuated by the rent-a-gobs like Katie Hopkins Nigel Farage, and the politicians/civil servants who view this as an opportunity to consolidate their position.

That is a very well observed post.

 

[bucks]

Laura Kuntsberg was harping on about this when she was interviewing Amber Rudd. The BBC has become the pits.

Did you see the smirk on Kuntsberg's face when she did this? Rudd should have given her a slap, the cow.

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

Did you see the smirk on Kuntsberg's face when she did this? Rudd should have given her a slap, the cow.

I was listening on the radio but you're right that Rudd should have given her a slap. I thought Rudd held her temper remarkably well; I'd have been a bit more forthright with Kuntsberg.

 

[Damocles]

Did you see the smirk on Kuntsberg's face when she did this? Rudd should have given her a slap, the cow.

If her, Diane Abbott, Katie Hopkins and that woman who used to say "aromatic spices" in that fajita advert were all aligned in a Loose Women type show, I'd probably consider some form of terrorism.