All went to plan

Footage that shows that the 7/7 bombers carried out a dry run has led to the usual alarmist stuff about "sophisticated planning". I note in particular Home Secretary Clarke claiming that the bombmaking showed sophistication in planning. I don't agree. The recipe for the bombs used is readily available on the Internet (go look for yourself), the materials are fairly easy to come by and those who give the recipe explain the precautions you need to take to make it. I'm not saying there was not a bigger organisation involved, nor that there might not be other bombers. I am simply saying that we should not allow our conclusions to preced our investigations and take severe and repressive measures that may turn out not to be merited.

What particularly worries me is that the Aussie government gleefully watches what is done in the UK, and frames its own repressive legislation. It is able to create a climate of fear by insisting that we face the same threat (which we probably do, which is why it is so important to be clear on the scale of it, because the measures purport to meet the threat and no more). As S noted in my comments, the UK's measures have been used to attack animal rights activists and the worry is that any legislation will be used with a scope much broader than is widely publicised.

Of course, it's true that we do face a threat to our lives. No one is asking for the nature of it to be minimised. Far from it. Minimising the danger posed to the US is what led to 9/11. The authorities were more or less asleep at the wheel for that. It's important to note though that a threat like 7/7 almost cannot be prevented from eventuating. Ultimately, if a guy really wants to blow something up, he will be able to. If we guard trains, it will be a library. If we guard libraries, it will be Tesco's. We cannot guard everything. Life would be untenable.

But there are other threats. My chances of being blown up by a suicide bomber remain vanishingly small but my chances of being detained for not holding the right views are much greater.

I am also placed at more risk by flat denials of the truth that our involvement in the Middle East presents a casus belli but that is a quite different issue.

My views on justice apply: we defend the worst because they are the line in the sand. We are on the other side of them and we know that if we protect them, we are also protected. Give up their liberties and we give up our own. I don't trust the likes of Blair. He's a liar and a cheat and he doesn't care about me or mine. I am unhappy about putting my life in his hands and doubly so about trusting him with my freedom. The same goes more so for John Howard.

posted by Dr Zen @ 2:31 pm