Question for UK DUers

[Kenergy]

I was wondering how you folks in the UK view the London bombings...
do you think it helped or hurt Blairs popularity?
I personally was very impressed with the way your government
went after and caught the bastards that perpetrated that crime.
Do you think the bombings were a result of Bush's fucked up
foreign policy?

I would appreciate your input.

Thanks,
Ken

[bennywhale]

1. A peculiar poll ran after the bombs which stated

that 2/3 of the public believed they were in part, due to the invasion of Iraq, yet 60% (approx) praised Blair's handling ofb the bombings crisis.

I think when things die down peoples anger may turn on Blair, but at the moment, even if people believe he was responsible they trust him with this type of emergency.

[sweetheart]

2. What most impresses me is the IRA standing down with weapons

The bombers seem to have created an opening for both sides of the
northern ireland issue to deplore random violence... and for the many
who have died in that war, it is good to see a healing come from an
ugly act.

Its like all the who's down in whoville don't automatically create
a war on grinches, but rather make peace with longstanding divisions
in their midst... heroic and brilliant.

As for catching those criminals from london, of course it would be
done, for all the video footage around london transport... just a
matter of time.

But the IRA's standing down with violence is historic.

[bennywhale]

8. The IRA's announcement is a result of a long term process beginning in

the early 90's, and is merely coincidental to the London bombs.

Also I don't call stopping killing innocent people heroic, i call it what should be done

[UKCynic]

3. The proof of the pudding is in the eating

Which is one way of saying that nobody knows.

It is going to depend a lot on what we have here. If we have, in your elegant phrase, 'caught the bastards' then it won't have done Blair any harm and may have done him some good, but this is seeming less and less likely. There may well be matching sets of bastards in every town in England and every district in London. The only hope of clearing up will be if every Muslim community turns in their bombers as anti-Islamic and detrimental to the Muslim world. This is possible, but the uncounted Muslin civilian dead in Iraq, far in excess of the total of NY, Madrid and London put together, will not help. What complete pillock thought up the name 'shock and awe'?

The killing of the Brazilian lad hasn't helped anybody but the terrorists. It has certainly reduced confidence in the police.

Blair is still in power because the opposition is utterly useless, both HM official opposition and those in his own party. In case you are wondering, George Galloway is a joke, this may be undeserved but he can be ignored. If anything, the London bombings have so far strengthened Blair, but if this becomes a fortnightly event (fortnight=14 nights=2 Weeks), then he will be in trouble and even the conservative party may have a chance. The attacks are having an impact already on the tourist economy of London as well as adding other costs. And the second event dented our spirits a bit, what ever you may hear.

I think that it is generally recognised that Iraq may have been the trigger but it is not the cause. The cause is in the Palestine/Israel conflict and until the Palestinians have justice, there will be terrorism. Our viewpoint is obscured because we do not call state terrorism, 'terrorism', we call it 'military action'.

The plus side is that the IRA (the Irish terrorists) have recognised that they are incapable of competing with this new type of terrorism and have now abjured terrorism and other forms of criminality.

[Kenergy]

4. Thank all of you for your input n/t

[clement]

5. Directly A result by British Invasion of Iraq

And the British imperialism and military aggression perpetrated there over the past 100 years or so.

People who think "this is nothing but a direct attack on our values as a nation" such as the favourite for the Tory leadership, David Davis, are nothing but unthinking and unreflective people who are guilty of peddling the most insiduous propaganda of the "war on terror".

they hate our freedom etc.

[Greeby]

7. .......................

I think that while the colonies are mostly gone, and the British people don't believe in it anymore. Downing Street and Whitehall haven't got it through their heads that the Empire is over

[Greeby]

6. Hmm

Well, the problem is two-fold, Parliament is on summer break. Plus, the only potential Tory leader who is against the war is Kenneth Clarke, and I think he's far too reasonable a person to be allowed to lead this bunch of UK Republicans.

You mentioned Galloway. I have a problem with this attitude he gives off that somehow he's the only MP saying these things, or who voted against the war (If you're wondering the "no" vote there was 133 Labour, 19 Tory and all 51 Lib Dems).