Just yesterday, the Home Secretary John Reid addressed the think tank Demos. In his speech, he claimed that the UK faced "most sustained period of severe threat since the end of World War II", and asked "What price our security, at what cost can we preserve our freedoms?" ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5257518.stm).

Today, some are reporting that Reid has been "proved right" ( http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=15archive/&entry_id=7876), since police have publicised their probe into an alleged terrorist plot to blow up planes containing British people on their way to America. But it has been conceded that the investigation had been underway for several months, and the arrests were made for unspecified 'intelligence reasons', NOT because the attack was necessarily going to happen in the next few days ( http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=1163182006). As Home Secretary, Reid would at least have been aware of what was about to happen. He may well even have ordered it.

Blair has already made unprecedented attacks on democratic rights, and Reid's speech shows that the government want to make even more. We must remember that it is Blair's support for Bush's oil wars that causes terrorist attacks on British and American people, not some invented "complacency" in existing laws.

Reid WAS right when he claimed that "We are probably in the most sustained period of severe threat since the end of the Second World War". But the threat is from him and his government, while working class people are the intended victims.

"Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger." - Joseph Goebbels