Terror Level up to 'severe'....

[one eyed jack]

"The 7/7 bombers were all home grown terrorists and I heard tonight that MI5 are monitoring 2,000 individuals in the UK"

I can see how they deduced that from all the muslim people who are not on facebook but exchanging emails.

Damn I always knew there was a reason for facebook

Take note all who dont use facebook. The authorities think you have something to hide and are watching you..Not the other way round (I reckon I could get a job in the spin dept of the government dont you think?)

[max_tranmere]

Lots of intersting comments there and I read every one. A lot of truth being pointed out and also a general view that would echo that guy who used to present 'Crimewatch' (might still present it, I dont know) when he always said "dont have nightmares, do sleep well".

Like I said earlier, if it happens it happens. That was my view after 7/7 in 2005. I still got on the Tube and buses and I thought if it happens I wont know about it so it would be hard to be bothered by the thing having happened - on account of the fact that I would be dead. Dead people can't moan, mourn, feel hard-doneby or anything.

One thing though: those of us who are about 40 (like moi) will remember that 'QED' programme shown on ITV in about 1983. QED was ITV's version of Panorama and it detailed what would happen if London fell victim to a nuclear attack.

This was quite possibly the most talked about, and re-watched, TV programme EVER. Every school screened it many times to its pupils and all the adults talked about it. That famous animated cartoon, When The Wind Blows, was inspired by it, and CND had its membership applications go through the roof as a result of this one-off episode.

All I'm trying to say is that human beings get the willies when things like this are discussed and detailed. "What will happen if London is attacked by those damn Ruskies and their nuclear warheads?" (that was the 1980's); or "Terror Level up to Severe" (the 2000's). These things have always, and likely always will, put the wind up people.

But I intend sleeping well tonight, cos as I say if it happens I (and everyone else) will know little about it.

Remember how political, and how 'potential for nuclear attack orientated' Frankie Goes To Hollywood were in the 1980's? 'Two Tribes' was one of their hits which dealt with this - so did the video. 'Relax' was another of their big hits, and was released in many formats, but its subject matter had nothing to do with the issues 'Two Tribes' dealt with.

I read an interview at the time (I was still at school then) with Brian Nash, the guitar player, who was asked what he would do if the Three Minute Warning sounded. He said "I would put on the five minute version of 'Relax', and I would relax". A good attitude to such things, me thinks...

[The Last Word]

max_tranmere wrote:

> One thing though: those of us who are about 40 (like moi) will
> remember that 'QED' programme shown on ITV in about 1983. QED
> was ITV's version of Panorama and it detailed what would happen
> if London fell victim to a nuclear attack.

Not so. Q.E.D. was a BBC production, shown on BBC 1 as a sort of thirty minute Horizon-lite popular science show (a bit like Horizon these days then). The episode in question was call A Guide To Armageddon.

First part here, should you wish :

> This was quite possibly the most talked about, and re-watched,
> TV programme EVER. Every school screened it many times to its
> pupils and all the adults talked about it. That famous animated
> cartoon, When The Wind Blows, was inspired by it, and CND had
> its membership applications go through the roof as a result of
> this one-off episode.

Not sure. When The Wind Blows was first published in 1982, the same year as AGTA was broadcast, so Raymond Briggs would've had to get his skates on to work that quick. Like the programme, it was more inspired by the Govt's famously pathetic Protect and Survive pamphlet telling us what to do in the event of a nuclear attack (just die, presumably).

But yes, it was certainly an extraordinarily memorable piece of television that to many left a very lasting impression. I recall we all giggled about it at school. Laughter as a sign of fear, of course.

[lloyd42]

I nteresting that the terror level has increased while the Iraq inquiry is going on. Are the two related perhaps?

[David Johnson]

Thanks for that ECG1.
I'm sure it will be in the best possible taste!!!

[stefano romantico]

The 4th reich .

[Ogre]

Intelligence agencies ....hum, do not sound very intelligent.

Besides, what does this terror alert bull crap have to do with the general populace? We don't do anything with that information, and it doesn't benefit or affect us in any way whatsoever, other than distributing fear towards things we have no say whatsoever in. It's not like the terrorists decide "oh well they upped the super duper warning meter, they're terrified so our job is done", or cancel anything they've planned. Sounds to me like it's more of an issue of selling newspapers and keeping a tab on the taxpayer (which shouldn't be handled like this).


The only warning meter I want from my government is like this:

0 - No imminent threat, everything is normal
1 - OH SHIT EVERYONE PACK THE RATIONS AND HEAD FOR THE MOUNTAINS