The London Blasts: Media Review

DAY 81: 26 September 2005

Contents

Denial - Blair

Realism - Alibhai-Brown

Repression - Raissi

DENIAL - BLAIR

Speaking to the BBC Sunday AM programme yesterday, the Prime Minister said (according to the Independent, page 8):

'There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that what is happening in Iraq now is crucial for our own security.'

Well, no one could disagree there. The war in Iraq is, by general agreement, undermining national security in Britain.

Mr Blair went on:

'Never mind the security of Iraq or the greater Middle East.'

That's quite frank of him.

'It is crucial for the security of the world.'

Again, there are few who would disagree that the war has an impact on the global security situation, though whether it is 'crucial' to the security of the world is debatable.

'If they are defeated, this type of global terrorism and insurgency in Iraq, we will defeat them everywhere.'

Well, if this is applied to the US/UK occupation forces, then it may well follow that if 'we', the peoples of the world, manage to force the end of the US/UK occupation and 'defeat' its leaders, 'we' probably can do the same in other regions of the world.

If this is applied to the many-stranded insurgency in Iraq, however, it is hard to see the basis for this prediction. Mr Blair and Mr Bush declared victory over the al-Qaeda core (global terrorism) and the Taliban (native insurgency) in Afghanistan, but this did not lead to success in the next major battle the US and UK Governments set themselves.

Mr Blair is nothing if not bold. He is attempting to claim that continuing the war in Iraq is making the world safer, the Middle East safer, Iraq safer and Britain itself safer.

He does not suggest any evidence of greater safety on the world stage, or indeed in the wider Middle East. The astonishing level of violence in Iraq does not appear to be diminishing very rapidly.

So finally we are left with Britain, where the general public, the intelligence services, the Home Office, and Foreign Office, all agree that the war in Iraq is undermining national security (see Briefing 84) - and bombers in involved in both the 7/7 and the 21/7 plots have made it clear that British foreign policy, and the war in Iraq in particular, were crucial factors in their motivation.

What is happening in Iraq is indeed crucial for Britain's security.

The sooner the British Government does the right thing, and withdraws from Iraq, the sooner Britain can start to pull away from the threat of further 7/7s, further Madrids, further 9/11s, and those worse horrors that wait to be set in motion by deluded and desperate 'soldiers'.

REALISM - ALIBHAI-BROWN

We noted recently that on the day the Muslim taskforce submitted their recommendations to the Government, Trevor Phillips decided to make his big speech on 'ghettoisation' in Britain. This speech very much fit into the right-wing critique of 'multiculturalism', and deserves extended analysis (which it won't get here, unfortunately, because of time constraints).

Yasmin Alibhai makes some pertinent remarks in today's Independent (page 33 or paid-for access):

'Let us say that Trevor Phillips is right and his detractors wrong. Let us say he understands the situation bettter than any of us, because of his job as head of the CRE [Commission for Racial Equality], and that what he has learnt in that position is that the rest of us are sleepwalking to doom.'

'If so, who does he blame for this? His party has been running the country for eight years now, promoting endless targets and monitoring and policies to promote "multiculturalism"...'

'Why is it that we are falling apart, and less integrated than we were under the Tories? Has the illegal and senseless war in Iraq and the vile demonisation of refugees contributed to the schisms'

'Will Trevor Phillips demand tough answers from his party, which has presided over the catastrophe he see before him?'

 

REPRESSION - RAISSI AND THE DEPORTATION DEAL

On 21 September 2001, Algerian pilot Lotfi Raissi was arrested by armed Scotland Yard detectives in a dawn raid in his Berkshire home. He was subsequently accused of training all four of the core 9/11 pilots, and of associating with known terrorist suspects.

Such accusations were exploded in court: 'Mr Raissi was released when a judge said that the allegations against him were completely unsubstantiated.' (Times, page 8) He is now fighting for compensation for the five months he spent in Belmarsh, and for an apology from the Government.

He is supported by the Algerian Government, and in a bizarre twist, the fight for an apology to Mr Raissi has become part of the bargain around the torture deportations:

'His case has won the backing of Algerian ministers, who are in negotiations with Britain over a “memorandum of understanding” for the deportation of terrorist suspects. Algiers wants the resolution of Mr Raissi’s case to be part of any agreement.'

What an extraordinary turn of events. Securing justice for Lotfi Raissi, which he thoroughly deserves, is being linked by the Algerian Government to securing injustice against other Muslim detainees.

JNV welcomes feedback.