WP: British Politicians Unite Behind Blair(Howard backs away from inquiry)

[DeepModem Mom]

British Politicians Unite Behind Blair
Friend and Foe Praise Prime Minister for Response to London Attacks

By Glenn Frankel
Washington Post Foreign Service
Tuesday, July 12, 2005; Page A14


LONDON, July 11 -- One by one, leading members of Britain's House of Commons from a wide range of political parties rose on Monday afternoon to pledge their solidarity with the people of London over last week's bomb attacks and to shower praise on one man: Prime Minister Tony Blair.

The tributes were led by Michael Howard, leader of the opposition Conservative Party, who over the weekend had called for an inquiry into security services' preparation for terror attacks. Howard solemnly extolled the "the calm resolute and statesmanlike way in which the government has responded" to the attacks on London's subway and bus system that killed at least 52 people. "We are all in this together," he concluded.

Charles Kennedy, leader of the Liberal Democrats, a party that has vociferously opposed the war in Iraq, pledged his "wholehearted support." Tony Wright, a Labor Party member of Parliament and vocal antiwar critic, said it was "dangerous nonsense" to even suggest that the attacks were in any way connected to Britain's participation in the war. Not one legislator criticized Blair....

***

The wall-to-wall solidarity reflects a traditional British instinct to rally around their leaders during a time of crisis. But analysts said it also reflects Blair's extraordinary gift for articulating the public mood at such moments and demonstrates one of his greatest strengths as a political leader....

***

Howard's Conservatives had originally floated a trial balloon over the weekend calling for an inquiry into whether there was an intelligence failure before the attacks. But by Monday afternoon's session, he had backed away from the proposal, gently suggesting only that further study should be done after the bombers were identified and caught. Blair readily agreed....


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/11/AR2005071100534.html

[orwell]

1. As * would say...

...mission acomplished

[roguevalley]

6. then the people have to speak up and demand. SIGH

[bemildred]

2. Tsk. The ruling class unifies when threatened. nt

[Be Brave]

3. It's amazing how the first casualty of terrorism

is truth. The fogs of war.

[Barrett808]

8. And reason. "Dangerous nonsense" to suggest an Iraq connection?

Here's what Robert Fisk has to say:

The Reality of This Barbaric Bombing
By Robert Fisk
The Independent UK

Friday 08 July 2005

"If you bomb our cities," Osama bin Laden said in one of his recent video tapes, "we will bomb yours." There you go, as they say. It was crystal clear Britain would be a target ever since Tony Blair decided to join George Bush's "war on terror" and his invasion of Iraq. We had, as they say, been warned. The G8 summit was obviously chosen, well in advance, as Attack Day.

And it's no use Mr Blair telling us yesterday that "they will never succeed in destroying what we hold dear". "They" are not trying to destroy "what we hold dear". They are trying to get public opinion to force Blair to withdraw from Iraq, from his alliance with the United States, and from his adherence to Bush's policies in the Middle East. The Spanish paid the price for their support for Bush - and Spain's subsequent retreat from Iraq proved that the Madrid bombings achieved their objectives - while the Australians were made to suffer in Bali.

It is easy for Tony Blair to call yesterdays bombings "barbaric" - of course they were - but what were the civilian deaths of the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq in 2003, the children torn apart by cluster bombs, the countless innocent Iraqis gunned down at American military checkpoints? When they die, it is "collateral damage"; when "we" die, it is "barbaric terrorism".

If we are fighting insurgency in Iraq, what makes us believe insurgency won't come to us? One thing is certain: if Tony Blair really believes that by "fighting terrorism" in Iraq we could more efficiently protect Britain - fight them there rather than let them come here, as Bush constantly says - this argument is no longer valid.

(more)

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/070905Z.shtml

[Be Brave]

38. Tony Blair

is an idiot. Mr. "they did not bomb us because of our policy. They bombed us because of our way of life." Tell that to your gramma.

[AverageJoe]

4. A vile and worthless leader

gets props when his nation suffers a catastrophic attack on his watch.

It's like deja vu all over again....

[Maple]

5. What IS it with people lately.....?

"Tony Wright, a Labor Party member of Parliament and vocal antiwar critic, said it was "dangerous nonsense" to even suggest that the attacks were in any way connected to Britain's participation in the war. Not one legislator criticized Blair...."

[Cha]

7. Cui Bono?

Once again..someone benefits on the blood of the citizens.

I know George Galloway isn't shutting up.

Fuck tony blair and the lies he rode in on.

[Skip Intro]

9. Love it when a plan comes together...

:(

[nolabels]

10. Ruling class rallies around bLiar

Gee, what a surprise :hurts:

[jobycom]

11. I'm thinking, or maybe hoping,

that the British are more subtle and decorous than Americans. They are more skilled at saying the proper words at the right time, no matter what they really believe. When our politicos say "We stand unquestioningly together behind our president," too many of them mean it. I'm hoping the British politicos are really saying "We need to give the appearance of unity for now, and do our bickering in the backrooms, so we don't frighten the people and amuse our enemies."

Blair has an incredible charisma, and a gift for appearing comforting and caring. I remember his eulogy for Princess Diana. It felt like a warm, consoling hug. Britain might need that a bit more than a visible brawl amongst its leaders. For a short while, anyway.

[JNelson6563]

35. Good points

Well said.

Julie

[goforit]

12. OMG!!!!........Wally World or what?

[Rene]

13. I don't believe for a moment that 7/7 was an Islamic attack

That 1000 person 'emergency drill' in the exact same area at the exact same time as the blasts is just too wierd of a coincidence. AND the use of military-type explosives. I'd say that was an inside job by one person related to security OR the Mossad, taking advantage of the timing.
I ask myself - who would benefit from setting Christians against Muslims and vice versa.

I think if they find/identify any of the remains of the guy 'fiddling with the bag' on the bus.....they learn who the one man is who set off a l l the devices by cellphone...and tripped one in his bag 'accidentally'. Once they identify him and find where he lived, I think they'll find all the proof needed.

That's my opinion. No Islamic terrorists were involved.
What's the detailed story on the alneda.com web site connected to Maryland and Houston, Tx people and addresses?

[muriel_volestrangler]

14. Please read some real news reports, not wild guesses

The 'drill' did not involve 1000 people; it was an exercise for a company that employees 1000 people in London. It involved the crisis managers of the company sitting in a room together, and they were presented with a disaster scenario, which they had to react to. The scenario predicted, extremely well, what would happen.

Military-type explosives have been available to terrorists in the Balkans, Chechnya, and now (thanks to the arms dumps being left unguarded) Iraq, in recent years, plus several other places around the world. Mossad? Why the fuck are you singling them out, all of a sudden?

'Christians against Muslims'? Frankly, I ask myself what the motivation of someone who would ask a question like that is - especially with your gratuitous reference to Mossad. And I don't like any of the answers.

alneda.com was not involved in this at all. It was shut down some time ago. Again, please read real news sites, not those who peddle conspiracy theories without any evidence.

[Sven77]

15. i disagree with you

London Underground Bombing 'Exercises' Took Place at Same Time as Real Attack -they posted the audio clips
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/july2005/090705bombingexercises.htm

So called "Al-Qaeda" website hosted by Bush family friend in Houston, Texas
The server in Houston has intriguing connections. Everyone's Internet was founded by brothers Robert and Roy Marsh in 1998 and by 2002 had an income of more than $30m - Roy Marsh counts among his friends President George Bush's former sister-in-law, Sharon Bush, and the president's navy secretary
http://www.guardian.co.uk/attackonlondon/story/0,16132,1524813,00.html
from timnews.com
from what alex jones said on his radio show, if someone quoted a source from a website and said this proves Al-Qaeda was behind the bombing they would be laughed at, but when the government does it its credible evidence.

[muriel_volestrangler]

16. I think you'll find you agree with me

The audio clips confirm what I said (because I'd already listened to them) - it's Prison Planet's incorrect speculation that the previous poster was using.

And that Guardian story (which I had already linked to here does not mention alneda.com anywhere. QED.

It's when people quote from Alex Jones' website that people start laughing. His stories would have more credibility if he released them anonymously, rather than appending his name to them.

[Sven77]

17. so The Guardian is not a credible source ?

It was posted on an Arabic website, al-qal3ah.com, which is registered by Qalaah Qalaah in Abu Dhabi and hosted by a server in Houston, Texas.

i suppose you get your info from Faux News.

[muriel_volestrangler]

18. Read it - there is nothing about alneda in it

That's why I told the previous poster to get information from real news sources.

I get my information from the Guardian - that's why I posted the link to it 2 days ago. For Christ's sake, why don't you try reading my posts? Faux News my arse - what kind of a suggestion is that?

[Sven77]

19. ok, heres your article

"One recent bombing, Kohlmann says, involved a student who was an ardent follower of a Web forum connected to Ansar al-Sunna, one of the most violent insurgent groups operating in Iraq. Abu Osama al-Sudani was active on the Muntada al-Ansar Web forum, which has appeared in different incarnations, including www.al-ansar.biz and www.inn4news.net, both of which no longer operate."

how does this quote relate to the london bombing ?

[muriel_volestrangler]

22. Surprise, surprise, when I link to an article in a sentence

that says "alneda no longer exists", the relevant paragraph is the one talking about alneda:

Weimann, who teaches at Israel's Haifa University, says violent fundamentalists are lured by the Web's easy access. In his report, "How Modern Terrorism Uses the Internet," Weimann cites a list of past terrorist Web sites that are no longer in use, including www.alneda.com and www.jehad.net.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/07/10/MNGHADLOR01.DTL&type=tech

I haven't the fuck of an idea why you've quoted the paragraph you have.

Here's the report, published in March 2004:

alneda.com, which, until it was closed down in 2002, is said by U.S. officials to have contained encrypted information to direct al Qaeda members to more secure sites, featured international news about al Qaeda, and published a variety of articles, books, and fatwas (the latter typically declaring war on the United States, Christianity, or Judaism);

http://www.usip.org/pubs/specialreports/sr116.html

[Sven77]

23. this quote is SPECIFIC TO THE LONDON BOMBING

"The claim of responsibility for the London attacks was first posted on one of the dozens of Islamic websites that are routinely monitored by western intelligence services.

The statement, under the name of the Secret Organisation of the al-Qaida Jihad in Europe, said: "The heroic mujahideen have carried out a blessed raid in London. Britain is now burning with fear, terror and panic in its northern, southern, eastern and western quarters."

It was posted on an Arabic website, al-qal3ah.com, which is registered by Qalaah Qalaah in Abu Dhabi and hosted by a server in Houston, Texas."

so your argument is that all al-Qaida websites originate from www.alneda.com ? give me a break.

[muriel_volestrangler]

24. No, my argument is that alneda.com had nothing to do with this bombing

that's why I said "alneda.com was not involved in this at all. It was shut down some time ago", for fuck's sake. I was telling 'rene' to get their news from a proper source, not one that thought alneda.com was involved.

Are you actually reading what I post?

[Sven77]

26. so explain this

wheres the video of the bombing ?

Why was Netanyahu and Isreal warned in advance ?

Why was there London Underground Bombing 'Exercises' that took Place at Same Time as Real Attack !!!

Why does Tony Blair block investigation ? Do you think he'll change his mind and let henry kissinger lead the investigation ?

the information on the website was not saying that an official Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility, the US Government says it was a credible source, which of course it wasnt. you are arguing the wrong issue here. anybody can put up a website and claim it was Al-Qaeda. whats wrong is the US Government instantly says look here, this proves it was Al-Qaeda.

[muriel_volestrangler]

27. 2,500 CCTV videos are being examined

http://www.channel4.com/news/special-reports/special-reports-storypage.jsp?id=337

The video is with who it should be - the police.

Netanyahu was not warned in advance. That story was corrected within minutes. I can't believe you don't know that, yet you seem determined to drag Israel into this. What for?

Companies hold exercises all the time for disasters. It's to ensure they don't go out of business when one happens (cheers for the triple exclamation marks, though, they really help your point).

Blair said he doesn't want an inquiry (note, he's not blocking the police investigation) because it would get in the way of the police investigation if one was held now. It would also prejudice any trials, if they manage to charge someone.

Who the fuck are you to tell me I'm arguing the wrong issue? 'rene' said they wanted information about alneda.com. I told them it was closed down some time ago, and nothing to do with the London bombing.

Since then, you seem to have been rasing red herrings, and ignoring what I actually write. You also claimed I get my news from a right wing source. What's your problem?

For your information, I have never argued that the website that did put up the first claim of responsibility had to be genuine. But it is possible. You might want to know that Juan Cole, who is no friend of the Bush regime, takes it seriously. Here, I'll quote the relevant paragraph, since you seem incapable of finding them in links:

First, we still have no idea who did this. It is very likely the "Qaeda al-Jihad in Europe" group that claimed responsibility immediately. Their statement appeared very quickly after the bombings and yet had none of the appearance of being rushed. That suggests it was carefully composed before the fact. The rumors that the statement has errors in the Arabic or the Quran citation are absolutely incorrect, and al-Sharq al-Awsat came to the same conclusion in its Saturday edition.

[Sven77]

33. the site was incorrect, the people and address were the same

the site was incorrect, the people and address were the same

"What's the detailed story on the alneda.com web site connected to Maryland and Houston, Tx people and addresses?"

and you quote http://www.usip.org which has an interesting "about us" page

"The United States Institute of Peace is an independent, nonpartisan federal institution created by Congress to promote the prevention, management, and peaceful resolution of international conflicts. Established in 1984, the Institute meets its congressional mandate through an array of programs, including research grants, fellowships, professional training, education programs from high school through graduate school, conferences and workshops, library services, and publications. The Institute's Board of Directors is appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the Senate."

sounds like the ministry of truth to me, how funny it was created in 1984. and you think alex jones is bad ?

and im sure they CoRrEcTeD the article on Netanyahu.

[muriel_volestrangler]

36. What does that mean?

"the site was incorrect, the people and address were the same"

Which site? Which people? Which address? The same as what?

[leesa]

31. Right. Still believe in the tooth fairy too?

Why do you believe the "official" conspiracy theory without any proof?

[muriel_volestrangler]

32. OK, tell me what I believe

And give me some proof of those beliefs from DU posts. Then I'll pay attention to you.

[CJCRANE]

20. That's my hunch too

But only a hunch as there's not enough info out there yet.

On edit: my hunch is partly based on the fact that I predicted a few days before it happened that there would be an "incident" that week (based on what was going on in the newscycle at the time).

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

28. Of course

It's them pesky jews at it again.

Sheesh.

[Anarcho-Socialist]

29. I know what you mean

I am wincing at the content of this thread.

[Sven77]

21. wheres the video ?

they have video cameras everywhere in london, some have audio, they even have cameras on the buses. wheres the damn video ? its all a cover-up. the terror drill was a decoy for the real terrorism.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

25. "the terror drill was a decoy for the real terrorism."

Please explain how that makes any sense whatsoever. How is this a "decoy"?

[Sven77]

37. heres the info from the link on the decoy scenario

http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/july2005/090705bombingexercises.htm

"Mr. Power (pictured above) and Visor Consultants need not have been 'in on the bombing' or anything of that nature for this to be of importance. The British government or one of their private company offshoots could have hired Visor to run the exercise for a number of purposes.

We are not suggesting that Mr. Power had any knowledge of the real purpose of the exercise, and the open shock he exclaims in relating the story underlines this.

The exercise fulfils several different goals. It acts as a cover for the small compartamentalized government terrorists to carry out their operation without the larger security services becoming aware of what they're doing, and, more importantly, if they get caught during the attack or after with any incriminating evidence they can just claim that they were just taking part in the exercise.

This is precisely what happened on the morning of 9/11/2001. The CIA was conducting drills of flying hijacked planes into the WTC and Pentagon at 8:30 in the morning."

[ikri]

34. The "Terror Drill"

As far as I can work out did not involve dozens of people wandering the Tube system, instead it consisted of a number of crisis management consultants sitting in a company boardroom discussing what would happen if...

Most large companies have contingency planning exercises from time to time, this just sounds like freak planning.

Or do you believe that the terror drill was a decoy and that having run a successful decoy the people involved went straight to the BBC to tell everyone what had happened?

[ianrs]

39. if by video

you mean cctv footage, it'll be with the police investigating the attack. How sinister.


How more stupid and offensive could this thread be?

[leesa]

30. Shameless people!

People of Britain...please don't let your government betray you this way. Do you WANT to become the prison the US has become?