UK: Boost for anti-terror laws after warning

The Times ^ | November 11, 2006 | Philip Webster and Michael Evans

[MadIvan]

MINISTERS will signal next week the Government’s readiness to adopt new anti-terrorism powers after the head of MI5 issued a warning about the rising threat of British al-Qaeda terrorists.

Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller’s statement that her 2,800 staff were trying to counter 30 significant terrorist plots and monitor the activities of 1,600 suspects is expected to lead to extra funds being provided by the Treasury.

Patrick Mercer, the Tory homeland security spokesman, said that the security and intelligence agencies were working at “full stretch” and needed 50 per cent more resources.

Dame Eliza said on Thursday that MI5 and the police had to make tough daily choices on whose activities should be monitiored and that some of the decisions might not be the right ones.

John Reid, the Home Secretary, has a slot for a counter-terrorism measure in the Queen’s Speech, which will open Parliament next week.

Tony Blair agreed yesterday with Dame Eliza’s concern that young Muslims were being groomed to be suicide bombers. He said that Britain had to thwart those who wanted to “entice young people into something wicked and violent but utterly futile”.

[MadIvan]

I am certain that if there is another terrorist attack on Britain, that calls for deportation will grow.

The public's patience is exhausted.

Regards, Ivan

[MadIvan]

Ping!

[listenhillary]

The public's patience is exhausted.

It seems over here the public's apathy is infinite.

[jim35]

No, Britain has chosen not to go that route. Instead of throwing out the trouble makers, Britain will simply make more and more laws, until big brother rules totally. It's the new paradigm in the British Isles. No problem is so great that it can't be ignored, and no law is so intrusive that it won't be tolerated. The problem with the muzzie extremists is similar to the crime escalation after it became impossible to defend oneself w/ a firearm. They just make more laws, put cameras into more public places, and call it a day.

[MadIvan]

I've yet to see America throw out its substantial Muslim population, and furthermore, it seems to me that America has applied its new anti-terror laws in the same uniform way than Britain. For you to describe the new laws as a solely British phenomenon is disingenuous. Until such time as you actually deport the Muslims on your shores - I suggest you read Stephen Emerson's "American Jihad" to get some idea of the problem - I'm really not interested in hearing lectures on how we ought to deport all of ours.

Regards, Ivan

[proxy_user]

This argument is silly. You cannot deport troublemakers born in your country, because no other country would be willing to take them.

Both the UK and the US have, in fact, thrown out large numbers of those born elsewhere.

[jim35]

Yeah, you're right. I'm so foolish. The Brit government is doing such a stellar job in protecting the citizenry with it's stronger laws, increased enforcement, and universal surveillance of the sheeple. Luckily, they make sure that there are laws in place to protect all minorities, even making it illegal to criticize a person of another race or religion. The U.S. at least has a constitution, trampled though it may be, to defend us and preserve at least a modicum of our privacy. I'm not against laws that target our enemies, Ivan. I'm against universal laws that punish the ordinary citizen, and I despise the CCTV system that Britain has in place to spy on all citizens (subjects) all the time. It's PC gone mad here, but a hundred times worse in Britain. Punish everyone to make sure that you never have to address the problem by it's real name; islam.