Didn't hear that on the News. What excuse are they using now?

"Non threat specific intelligence"

Severe. Jolly good. Just like an old Victorian headmaster. Now we just need some more snow. Did you know that according to an article on the web, Lincoln has the most dangerous trees in England? The question is, are you more likely to fall victim to a bra bomber or a silver birch? Ask Robin Hood, he'll know.

Its such a shame I can't embed an image here, because part of the comic effect is lost....

Home Secretary Alan Johnson: "I have to emphasise the fact it does not mean an attack is imminent."

Right -

http://news.sky.com/sky-news/content/StaticFile/jpg/2010/Jan/Week4/15533873.jpg

So, reading directly from the chart then Alan. So glad to see you can do that. And telling us the square root of f**k all in the process?

Cue the tanks at Heathrow.

Well may be the upping of the 'terror threat' is just an excuse to account for maximum security being given to protect the mass murderer, Blair, and his Privy Council cronies sitting on the panel.

Or maybe the raising of the terror threat level is make us feel a little more sympathetic to the 'challenges' faced by Blair.

The oneliners are always the best.

Ruth,

I think that is how it is played:-

" Or maybe the raising of the terror threat level is make us feel a little more sympathetic to the 'challenges' faced by Blair. "

If there is a UK incident just before Blair comes on - then - you can measure the level of desperation....

I'm with Craig on this one, that was my thought too. He's made me into a cynical bugger

Does this mean that authoritarian plods will arrest us even more for being on the streets in a funny way, take our dna and brush the obviously totally innocent of anything off with

"it's the world we live in"?

That's what they say, to ordinary confused citizens, at the total lack of commonsense.

It really is. Documented!

Yes, folks. They have a prepared script. Must come from central control.

Ohh err. Bit of conspiracy feery there.

Who gave them these ridiculous powers of arbitrary arrest, and do we really need them. The real crime that people daily worry about has not abated and police are most incompetent in this area. The plod are brilliant at ticking minor issue boxes but useless at dealing with serious crime.

Oh yeah. Step up Tony B. Liar, war criminal and friend of the corporate elite, who amazingly had three official prime ministerial phone conversations with Rupert Murdoch in the days leading up to the Iraq invasion.

Is there any possibility of taking back democratic control of our own country, or have we already lost it to others more powerful?

And anyway, where is eddie in this moment of existential crisis for our nation?

"Where have you gone eddio, our nation turns its lonely eyes to you"?

It's not for me to say Craig, but I think there needs to be a meeting at least, to ascertain eddie's competence to serve as a poster when he's derelict in his duty and off down the pub when the rest of us are under severe threat from terroristas.

I'd say a charge of serious incompetence, at the very least, is appropriate.

I'll leave it to a jury of his peers to decide, and absent myself from further comment, other than to request mercy for his ignorance.

Chris Morris sums up the banality of the new terror plot thangs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZVfyQyu9RY

From BBC article:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8476238.stm

"It is in response to the perceived increased threat from international terrorism following the failed Detroit airliner bombing on Christmas Day."
...

"The decision to raise the threat level was not specifically linked to the failed Christmas Day bomb attack on a plane bound for Detroit or to any other incident, he said."

Glad we got that straight, then.

More likely linked to this

"CCTV in the sky: police plan to use spy drones" (Guardian headline 23/01/10)

Or does it mean Britain is about to terrorise somewhere else?

Craig,

Whilst I admit I am extremely pissed, I thought you were taking the piss

UK terror threat raised to 'severe'

• Threat raised from 'substantial' to 'severe'
• Home secretary says no attack is imminent

*
* Jenny Percival and Vikram Dodd
* The Guardian, Saturday 23 January 2010
* Article history

The threat of international terrorism to the UK was raised from substantial to the second highest level of severe last night, meaning an attack is "highly likely".

Alan Johnson, the home secretary, said there was no intelligence to suggest an attack was imminent.

The escalation reversed a decision in July to downgrade the likelihood of a terror attack from "severe" to "substantial".

So what are we supposed to make of this?

Should we be worried that our home secretary - what the fuck is he called agian? - has no intelligence?

Are all you Elite Twats Off Your Head?

WTF are You Smoking?

How Can You Raise UK terror threat from 'substantial' to 'severe' on "No Intelligence"?

Has Bono Landed or Something?

Whilst He Is Completely Up His Own Arse, Even If He Sings Whilst Up There It Won't Cause a Massive Explosion Will It?

Surely All We Have To Do Is Stand Clear.

Sometimes I think I am a bit mad, but it is hard to make any sense of this.

We have known our politicians have no intelligence for years. It is nothing to panic about - they have always been completely useless - even the ones who could think.

Tony

What we really need is a threat level against authoritarian non-democratic government.

On a 1 to 10, where 1 is anarchy and 10 is dictatorship, we in Britain are probably on 8. The US is about 6.5.

We could take our country back to ourselves by voting only for independents. That's probably the only way out at this stage.

It would require organisation amongst what are mostly distinterested people.

It wouldn't have the benefit of media support, in fact It'd mostly be attacked.

But still, I'm sure there are good people in every constituency in the land who could get local support for taking government back to the people.

Let's have a parliament of the people, as it was always meant to be.

Leaked interview from the Ministry for Public Disclosure:

Interviewer: Minister, why has the threat level in the UK from Terrorism been raised to "Severe"?

Minister: Well, I read of this Serbian terrorist called the Black Hand. Their ringleader called Gavrilo Princip shot Archduke Ferdinand and started World War I. You see how these chaps threaten the whole world..

I: But Minister, that was nearly a hundred years ago.

M: Well, I just found out about it!

Why we're totally wasting our time with these useless clowns; let's elect competent people from our own communities.

Issue 1

Alan Johnson, Home Secretary, "I'm only a politician, what do I know".

on being asked his opinion on the extradition of Gary McKinnon, which he signed, citing advice from Home Office lawyers.

This politician, Alan Johnson, doesn't even know enough about our democratic system that he is there to be the common sense human screen on the civil service advice.

More importantly, he doesn't have the ability nor even less the nous to perform the function he's been charged with.

This is how Blair and Mandelson destroyed what was left of British democracy.

They ensured that buffoons like Johnson and Prescott were in place in critical ministeries, intellectually incompetent to challenge the changes that were being made.

I laugh myself to sleep at the idea that Johnson could ever be PM, that he could ever run anything.

And yet. He's a serious contender in media.

We are not well served.

Off with their heads...

I think my American Friends Now Have a Bit Of a Soft Spot For me

I Didn't Write It.

I just Copied and Pasted It

Its a bit weird actually

Like I am suggesting the Total Opposite of Anarchy

We Should Protest Demanding That The Law is Implemented

We are Not Protesting Against The Law

We Want The Law

At The End Of The Day The Law Is Our Only Real Protection

Of Course We Can Change The Law

But The Law Comes From Us - The People - It Is About Having a Just Society - Where Everyone Has To Obey The Most Basic Rules About How To Behave

Sure The Law Has Space For All Sorts of Behaviour Between The Basic Rules

If You Don't Cause Any Harm To Anyone Else And Try To Be Nice To People And Your Home Our Planet Earth - Then You Can Look Like a Frog If You Want To - Or Adolf Hitler - Or Even Tony Blair or Dick Cheney

It is Not How You Look Like - But How You Behave To Your Fellow Man - and Woman - and Every Blade of Grass and Creature That Inhabits Our Wonderful Planet

Law Evolves, But It NEVER encompasses EVIL

And Currently We Have Evil In Our Society At The Highest Level

But Even So

The CREAM Always Rises To The Top Amongst The Turds

And The Mess is Seen

And The Turds Are Picked Out - and Slung Into The Earth

The Rule of Law Has Been Lost Part 1
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Posted by: tony_opmoc on Jan 20, 2010 4:09 AM
Current rating: 4 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article24444.htm

The Rule of Law Has Been Lost. full text

By Paul Craig Roberts

January 19, 2010 "Information Clearing House" -- What is the greatest human achievement? Many would answer in terms of some architectural or engineering feat: The Great Pyramids, skyscrapers, a bridge span, or sending men to the moon. Others might say the subduing of some deadly disease or Einstein’s theory of relativity.

The greatest human achievement is the subordination of government to law. This was an English achievement that required eight centuries of struggle, beginning in the ninth century when King Alfred the Great codified the common law, moving forward with the Magna Carta in the thirteenth century and culminating with the Glorious Revolution in the late seventeenth century.

The success of this long struggle made law a shield of the people. As an English colony, America inherited this unique achievement that made English speaking peoples the most free in the world.

In the first decade of the twenty-first century, this achievement was lost in the United States and, perhaps, in England as well.

As Lawrence Stratton and I show in our book, The Tyranny of Good Intentions (2000), the protective features of law in the U.S. were eroded in the twentieth century by prosecutorial abuse and by setting aside law in order to better pursue criminals. By the time of our second edition (2008), law as a shield of the people no longer existed. Respect for the Constitution and rule of law had given way to executive branch claims that during time of war government is not constrained by law or Constitution.

Government lawyers told President Bush that he did not have to obey the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which prohibits the government from spying on citizens without a warrant, thus destroying the right to privacy. The U.S. Department of Justice ruled that the President did not have to obey U.S. law prohibiting torture or the Geneva Conventions. Habeas corpus protection, a Constitutional right, was stripped from U.S. citizens. Medieval dungeons, torture, and the windowless cells of Stalin’s Lubyanka Prison reappeared under American government auspices.

The American people’s elected representatives in Congress endorsed the executive branch’s overthrow of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Law schools and bar associations were essentially silent in the face of this overthrow of mankind’s greatest achievement. Some parts of the federal judiciary voted with the executive branch; other parts made a feeble resistance. Today in the name of “the war on terror,” the executive branch does whatever it wants. There is no accountability.

The First Amendment has been abridged and may soon be criminalized. Protests against, and criticisms of, the U.S. government’s illegal invasions of Muslim countries and war crimes against civilian populations have been construed by executive branch officials as “giving aid and comfort to the enemy.” As American citizens have been imprisoned for giving aid to Muslim charities that the executive branch has decreed, without proof in a court of law, to be under the control of “terrorists,” any form of opposition to the government’s wars and criminal actions can also be construed as aiding terrorists and be cause for arrest and indefinite detention.

The Rule of Law Has Been Lost Part 2
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Posted by: tony_opmoc on Jan 20, 2010 4:07 AM
Current rating: 4 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article24444.htm

The Rule of Law Has Been Lost. full text

One Obama appointee, Harvard law professor Cass Sunstein, advocates that the U.S. government create a cadre of covert agents to infiltrate anti-war groups and groups opposed to U.S.government policies in order to provoke them into actions or statements for which they can be discredited and even arrested.

Sunstein defines those who criticize the government’s increasingly lawless behavior as “extremists,” which, to the general public, sounds much like “terrorists.” In essence, Sunstein wants to generalize the F.B.I.’s practice of infiltrating dissidents and organizing them around a “terrorist plot” in order to arrest them. That this proposal comes from a Harvard Law School professor demonstrates the collapse of respect for law among American law professors themselves, ranging from John Yoo at Berkeley, the advocate of torture, to Sunstein at Harvard, a totalitarian who advocates war on the First Amendment.

The U.S. Department of State has taken up Sunstein’s idea. Last month Eva Golinger reported in the Swiss newspaper, Zeit-Fragen, that the State Department plans to organize youth in “Twitter Revolutions” to destabilize countries and bring about regime change in order to achieve more American puppet states, such as the ones in Egypt, Jordan, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Canada, Mexico, Columbia, Ukraine, Georgia, the Baltic states, Britain, and Western and Eastern Europe.

The First Amendment is being closed down. Its place is being taken by propaganda in behalf of whatever government does. As Stratton and I wrote in the second edition of our book documenting the destruction of law in the United States:

“Never in its history have the American people faced such danger to their constitutional protections as they face today from those in the government who hold the reins of power and from elements of the legal profession and the federal judiciary that support ‘energy in the executive.’ An assertive executive backed by an aggressive U.S. Department of Justice (sic) and unobstructed by a supine Congress and an intimidated corporate media has demonstrated an ability to ignore statutory law and public opinion. The precedents that have been set during the opening years of the twenty-first century bode ill for the future of American liberty.”

The Rule of Law Has Been Lost Part 3
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Posted by: tony_opmoc on Jan 20, 2010 4:10 AM
Current rating: 4 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article24444.htm

The Rule of Law Has Been Lost. full text

Similar assaults on the rule of law can be observed in England. However, the British have not completely given up on accountable government. The Chilcot Inquiry is looking into how Britain was deceived into participating in the illegal U.S. invasion of Iraq. President Obama, of course, has blocked any inquiry into how the U.S. was deceived into attacking Iraq in violation of law.

Much damning information has come out about Blair’s deception of the British government and people. Sir David Manning, foreign policy advisor to Blair, told the Chilcot Inquiry that Blair had promised Bush support for the invasion almost a year in advance. Blair had told his country that it was a last minute call based on proof of Iraq’s possession of weapons of mass destruction.

Sir William Patey told the inquiry that President Bush began talking about invading Iraq six or seven months prior to September 11, 2001. A devastating official memo has come to light from Lord Goldsmith, Prime Minister Blair’s top law official, advising Blair that an invasion of Iraq would be in breach of international law.

Now a secret and personal letter to Prime Minister Blair from his Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, has surfaced. In the letter, the Foreign Secretary warned the Prime Minister that his case for military invasion of Iraq was of dubious legality and was likely as false as the argument that removing Saddam Hussein would bring Iraqis a better life.

Blair himself must now testify. He has the reputation, whether deserved or not, as one of the slickest liars in the world. But some accountability seems to be heading his way. The Sunday Times (London) reported on January 17 that the latest poll indicates that 52 percent of the British people believe that Blair deliberately misled his country in order to take Britain to war for the Americans. About one quarter of the British people think Blair should be put on trial as a war criminal.

Unlike the U.S., which takes care to keep the government unaccountable to law, Britain is a member of the International Criminal Court, so Blair does stand some risk of being held accountable for the war crimes of President George W. Bush’s regime and the U.S. Congress.

In contrast, insouciant Americans are content for their government to behave illegally. A majority supports torture despite its illegality, and a McClatchy-Ipsos poll found that 51 percent of Americans agree that “it is necessary to give up some civil liberties in order to make the country safe from terrorism.”

As our Founding Fathers warned, fools who give up liberty for security will have neither.

Tony

I've still got a bit of gout - not had it for over 6 months - but that's what Christmas does to you and then eating lots of King Prawns and Loads of Steak And KIDNEY and Lambs LIVER

But I have been trying to reduce the overload of Protein By Ejaculating and Dancing

But I was totally fucked a couple of days ago and could hardly walk at all

And No I Do Not Take Any Drugs For My Gout

She Don't Half Give Me a Hard Time - No Sympathy or Compassion whatsoever

And I say - No Go On Love - You Bring Me Breakfast in Bed For Once

And I Got It and So Did She

I said Its My Foot That's Fucked - The Rest of Me Still Works O.K.

Tony

I think the terror threat level has been raised due to the coming release of Jedward's new single coming on 31st Jan.

Oh the humanity !

"In some ways she was far more acute than Winston, and far less susceptible to Party propaganda. Once when he happened in some connexion to mention the war against Eurasia, she startled him by saying casually that in her opinion the war was not happening. The rocket bombs which fell daily on London were probably fired by the Government of Oceania itself, ‘just to keep people frightened’. This was an idea that had literally never occurred to him."

I have just found out that there's no plastic membrane under my concrete floor.
You may have to drill 100 metres or so to find water in many parts of the world, but most places in the UK it's ready to spring up everywhere. What's that got to do with UK policy in Iraq? The guy who did the floor wasn't from this country. I suspect that the guys who were doing UK policy at the time of the Iraq invasion weren't from this country either. But they have paid huge amounts to senior New Labour politicians to lie about what happened. Jack Straw wasn't made with a money-proof membrane. Fortunately it's only wet rot.

I'm actually quite worried about this. Does this mean I should wear my underpants on the outside of my trousers?

Well, now we're going to have drones spying on our every move. What a give away.

When the mass of the population starts rearing its head in response in the increasingly dire economic situation and rebellion is afoot, what chance do they stand. Even now we can barely move without being filmed.

Those that control our government know exactly what they're doing. Parliament has betrayed the people and the people have betrayed themselves.

"How can you raise (the) UK terror threat from 'substantial' to 'severe' on 'No Intelligence'? "

Tony, Tony, Tony, have you learned NOTHING from the Chilcott inquiry?

Since my comment at January 23, 2010 1:09 AM regarding the BBC article, the first paragraph I quoted has been altered, and now reads:

"Mr Johnson refused to say it was linked to the failed Detroit airliner bombing, and said the government would not reveal specific intelligence details."

I think the threat level has been raised because some of those super-duper water divining bomb detectors sold in Iraq might have also been used elsewhere, and they are taking no chances.

I hope everybody is searching their outhouses and looking into their wheelie bins for Postman Pat's terrrrrists. YOU MUST KEEP ALERT. YOUR 'CUNTRY' (AS GORDO PRONOUNCES IT AND SO OFTEN USES THE WORD) NEEDS YOU.

Just read this on Twitter:

"Terror threat level in the U.K. to be raised from ‘substantial’ to ‘severe,’ likely pegged to Afghan conference in London on Jan. 28 - NBC"

I didn't know anything about an 'Afghan conference' or who is due to be there.

"Or does it mean Britain is about to terrorise somewhere else?"
--Phil

This made me laugh last night. We need wit, with all this "Be afraid, be very afraid!!" that's going on. I've never been a witty one but I sure appreciate those who are. Blessed be the jokers for they are indispensable -- laughter keeps us sane.

dreoilin, something for you :)

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/how_bad_for_the_environment_can

Well, it's often my internal monologue, so it made me laugh immoderately.

Abe,

That comment made me laugh - yes delayed action threat elevation from the failed Detroit airline bombing attempt - haha just trying to justify a bungled physops - still waiting to hear about the co-conspirators and view the in flight video - bullsh*t - the drone attacks in Pakistan are on the increase - wait for the co-ordinated networked drone attack (just to wind up Larry!)

And why is there no headline:

"ALAN JOHNSON HAS NO INTELLIGENCE"

Seems a missed opportunity, if you ask me.

With just a small amount of research it becomes obvious why ordinary peace loving Muslims can become radicalised.

See:
w+w+w.youtube.com/watch?v=jt6jGT2VsKc

Drone Attacks:

Most here know my thought by now on these ugly but inevitable 21st century killer toys complete with their myopic cameras, long range targeting and hellfire missiles; here a report of these f*cked up strikes.

As per a study collating all strike data in 2009, the casualties up to July 18, 2009 surpassed the hits over all of 2008. The strikes also became much more lethal with an increase in average kills per strike. The strikes were also found to be concentrated in Waziristan.
According to separate statistics provided by Pakistani authorities, US drones were behind 44 missile attacks on Pakistani soil in 2009. Of those 44, only five successfully hit their intended targets while 708 people died in all attacks combined. Over 90 percent of the deaths were determined to be civilian.

source - wiki

This I believe is behind the raised Threat level:

ISLAMABAD -- The Jordanian doctor who killed seven CIA employees in a suicide attack in Afghanistan said in video clips broadcast posthumously Saturday that all jihadists must attack U.S. targets to avenge the death of Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud.

Footage showed Humam Khalil Abu Mulal al-Balawi - whom the CIA had cultivated as an asset against al-Qaida - sitting with Mehsud's successor in an undisclosed location. It essentially confirmed the Pakistani Taliban's claim of responsibility for one of the worst attacks in CIA history, though a senior militant told The Associated Press that al-Qaida and Afghan insurgents played roles, too.

The development may lead the U.S. to further aid and push Pakistan to crack down on Taliban militants on its soil. The success of the attack also raises doubts about the effectiveness of the Pakistani military's ongoing ground operation against the Pakistani Taliban in its stronghold in the South Waziristan tribal region.

w+w+w.miamiherald.com/news/world/AP/story/1416895.html?storylink=mirelated

non threat specifics indentified sounds a bit like non specific uthritis, i.e something that is there, but you can't really make it out, a hunch, a raised level of background noise.

If there is a serious threat to a certain set of people thats fine by me, I have to live daily with dangeours drivers, a far greater threat to me, my grandson and the neighbours kids.

Off course should somebody try and get to Blair, sadly no guillotine was available at such short notice, that would be enough to scare all of us witless.
I think Alan Johnson should have this threat shoved down his throat, its about time we refuse their scaremongering tactics.

of course if something dpes happen, you can point out that it is as a direct involvement of us/uk in iraq, afganistan.....

me ive got a 3 yr girl, and fuck me if i didnt see it was my right to go after the fuckers that allowed drones attacks.....by the way her name is not 'collateral damage'

Laughed so hard I spluttered over my laptop!

Thanks for the the Onion, technicolour.

I'm still waiting for a new router from BT, but this one periodically comes on -- and then goes off again and leaves me stranded ...

From the Guardian.

"It is almost seven years since Tony Blair led Britain into war in Iraq. But when he strides into the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in Westminster at 9.30 on Friday morning, through a ring of steel set up by the security services, the passage of time will count for nothing."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jan/24/blair-chilcot-inquiry

"...when he *strides* into the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre..."

and "Behind the former prime minister will sit more than 20 bereaved relatives ...

"The organisers of the inquiry have been at pains to try to reduce the emotional temperature around Blair's attendance."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jan/24/blair-chilcot-inquiry

The Guardian forgot to mention that celestial winged beings will also be playing harps during Blair's entrance.

Pity there isn't an equivalent for Ukania, but there is an add-on for Firefox that displays the US Homeland Insecurity Idiocy Level in your browser. Usually "SCARED" but curently sitting at "DUHH..."

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1501

"Usually 'SCARED' but curently sitting at "DUHH...'"

I'm going straight off to get that now. Hee hee. :)

The Miami Herald link posted by Mark Golding on January 23, 2010 2:55 PM doesn't seem to work, but Google on "broadcast posthumously Saturday" and you'll find the article elsewhere.

This has been very helpful understanding a lot of things. I'm sure a lot of other people will agree with me.

Christian Audigier