RIPA and file-sharing??

[Ian Batten]

On 01 Feb 08, at 1209, David Hansen wrote:

> We are not afraid and
> will continue as before is precisely the right approach to take  
> towards
> criminals.

Part of the problem is the cowardice (yes, the toxic `c' word) of  
Labour politicians.  The Tory party knew about terrorism.  During  
Thatcher's leadership and its immediate surroundings, the Tory Party  
experienced the death of MPs at the hands of terrorists (Airy Neave,  
Ian Gow), the death of a member of the royal family (Mountbatten),  
and a serious and well-resourced assassination attempt on the entire  
cabinet whose failure was more a matter of luck than anything else  
(the Grand Hotel).  There was also a slightly less plausible attempt  
on the lives of the cabinet (mortar bombing of 10 Downing Street  
under Major).

In that time, the Tory Party did not collectively wet its pants.   
Ireland was a major political issue, but largely conducted without  
hectoring accusations of lack of loyalty, and although there were  
security judgements that in hindsight appear excessive --- exclusion  
orders, in particular, set new depths --- there was not a general  
abandonment of constitutional traditions.

And to their eternal credit --- and something that once history takes  
a long view will make them appear as moral giants --- Thatcher,  
Tebbit and the rest did not allow their intimate and personal  
experience of terror to cloud their politics.  Tebbit I think became  
bitter later, and I think he had every right to.  But in office, they  
embodied the British stiff upper lip (and I speak as a Labour voter  
who regards most of the activities of Thatcher's government as  
hateful and poisonous).

No one has taken a shot at Tony Blair or Gordon Brown.  No one has  
taken a shot at a Labour MP.   At risk of sounding like a certain  
sort of American, not a single member of the cabinet has worn  
uniform, either.  But at the first whiff of terrorism that might at a  
distance affect them, they collectively shat themselves and retreated  
behind as many people in uniform as they could find.   Dennis Healy  
was a beachmaster at Anzio.  Benn served in the RAF and his brother  
died in the RAF.  Perhaps David Milliband and Ed Balls could fill us  
in on their experience of the military?

The IRA were a genuine threat to this country.  They had weapons,  
backing, training, organisation, and were able to act on a monthly  
basis throughout the 1970s.  The purported terrorists of today are  
none of those things.

To quote Wikipedia on Ian Gow:

> Although aware that he was a potential IRA assassination target,  
> Gow refused to take anything more than routine security  
> precautions. He left his Telephone number and home address in the  
> local Telephone Directory. During the early hours of 30 July 1990,  
> the IRA planted a bomb under Gow's Montego car, which exploded in  
> the driveway of his 16th century home (called "The Doghouse")[13]  
> in the village of Hankham, near Pevensey in East Sussex. The 4 1/2- 
> lb. Semtex bomb detonated at 08:39 as Gow reversed out of his  
> driveway, leaving him with severe wounds to his lower body.[14][15]  
> He died 10 minutes later.

``He left his telephone number and home address in the local  
Telephone Directory''.  He would not be bowed by terrorism.  Compare  
with the actions of our politicians today, and weep for what we have  
lost.

ian