Terrorism - the new catch-all

no one wants to discuss this - it really matters.

Bluebell - from what I saw it looked like an alarming over reaction. Am no expert so do not understand what was supposed to be going on but I do hope the people involved and their journalist contacts keep the pressure on to get some questions answered.

It's quite alarming on so many levels - our 'special' relationship with the US, journalistic freedom and our right to know, abuse of police powers ....and where on earth is the terrorism in all this?

We are hanging on to American coat-tails again and doing what we are told!

The us embassy says ' not us'

For another take see Tim Stanley's blog in the Telegraph. Both sides of the coin and all that.

Dan Hodges raises a few rather important points too.

Hodges' article is rather amusing too.

Bags

Discussion of legality here with much interesting discussion following.

bluebell . I especially love the Hodges bit about being in a hurry to get to duty free.

What I found questionable was that Miranda was only changing planes at Heathrow and was arrested 'in transit' and officially in 'no man's land ' like Snowden was in Russia.

The whole thing stinks. this material is in the hands of a lot of people and just trashing his lap top won't get rid of it. Radio 4 this afternoon said that the White House had been informed and that journalists relied on information being carried about from country to country by other people.
Perhaps being friends with the US is more dangerous for the UK than many other things for which other people get arrested for.

Perhaps we have to be careful what we write about the US on GN. Perhaps there are other grannies noting what we write and finding out our IP addresses.

Well I will be okay then as I only say good things about the U.S of A.

Bags - you are right - that last link and the discussion was excellent.really thought provoking and intelligent - shows what a tricky area this is but I have an instinctive distrust of so much anti-terrorism rhetoric and the abuse of power that has resulted. The Met is not fit for purpose and both it and the government have been looking for the opportunity to 'get' the Guardian post-hacking. If I feared for my freedom in a situation involving national security would I approach a) the Met b) the Home Sec or c) a Guardian journalist?

Oh Nonu, thank you, yet again for such a helpful, thoughtful comment- I don't know how we'd manage without you

Ditto BB I always treasure your spiteful comments too

Sorry fat fingers that should have read insightful comments.

Oh didums Aka and there was me trying to be nice!!

I knew it....you're my sister!

She's the only person I know who used the phrase 'didums' it used to drive my younger brother mad. I didn't know however you'd been released discharged

Must have locked the wrong sister up...

It would be really worrying if we ever felt that there were rational (even if wrong) things we couldn't say about our government or the US government for fear of being arrested. I hope I never feel I'll be allright so long as I say "good" things about either!

A woman was harassed continually by the police because she broke off a relationship with a policeman. If anybody still thinks of the police as 'Dixon of Dock Green' types they are not reading the same news as me.

Hey Bluebell you don"t have to, I am not going anywhere soon , well I may take a holiday in September.
Chin up !!