Missiles on the roof approved

I want to live in a free country, not one where the army can set up ordinance on your local park, in your street, on your roof, without you being able to do anything about it.

…and I want to keep them in that park. Who gets more say in it, you or me?

No, you have a plausible attack scenario, and you mitigate it by having resources in place to deal with it – ie. restricted flying areas, fast jet interceptoos, helicopers and GBAD manned by trained cloudpunchers

Steady on there! Calm yourself, man!! Do you you find yourself getting… ahem…. you know… a bit ….erm….’overexcited’ when you watch documentaries about helicopter gunships? 😉

No. You don’t say the plane was shot down by secret missile batteries.

You mean the secret ones that everyone knows about because they’ve been on the BBC? These ones
Lexington Building, Fairfield Road, Bow, Tower Hamlets – high-velocity missile
Fred Wigg Tower, Montague Road Estate, Waltham Forest – high-velocity missile
Blackheath Common, Blackheath (Lewisham/Greenwich) – rapier
William Girling Reservoir, Lea Valley Reservoir Chain, Enfield – rapier
Oxleas Meadow, Shooters Hill, Greenwich/Woolwich – rapier
Barn Hill, Netherhouse Farm, Epping Forest – rapier

No-one will ever link any airborne incident with these, rgardless of whether they get fired or not, will they?

Boo hoo

you choose to fly, residents didn’t choose sam placements.

we seem to be arguing slightly at odds here graham, if I promise to let you keep your missiles for the olympics do you promise to keep them away from peoples homes? 🙂

I want to live in a free country, not one where the army can set up ordinance on your local park, in your street, on your roof, without you being able to do anything about it.

I want to live in a country where I don’t get blown up by terrorists because some Daily Mail reading NIMBY prevented the implementation of adequate security. I’ll take a bit of minor inconvenience over a large scale explosion any day, thanks.

I too want to live in a free country where a visible police force and military presence isn’t necessary. But the thing about a free country is, it attracts the attention of bad men who want to take that away from you.

Cougar – Member
I too want to live in a free country where a visible police force and military presence isn’t necessary. But the thing about a free country is, it attracts the attention of bad men who want to take that away from you.

Blowing up large sections of other people’s countries attracts the attention of people who want revenge.

I get stressed out by security restrictions at airports

A few years ago, I traveled a fair amount. For safety, I bought a money belt, not the big under your shirt affair, but a proper belt that held my trousers up. There was a zip that ran around most of the inside of the belt, and I kept about $100 and a reasonable amount of local currency. Metal zip, so metal detectors were always set off. Edinburgh airport, Heathrow, Gatwick, Stanstead, no problem. After a couple of minutes with the metal detector, the “security” monkeys gave up and on I went. The only two places where I had to take the belt off and show it were Falcone-Borsellino (Palermo) airport and the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. So maybe, and it’s just a thought BETTER security, that’s proper, diligent security, not minimum wage dimwits more concerned about their next bag of crisps would be a place to start. Not sticking high explosives on people’s roofs to show the world that we really don’t have a clue.

EDIT – and FWIW, at Palermo, I noted two the security guards unbuckling their holsters as I taking the belt off. They then all gathered around to have a good look at it before i got it back.

Blowing up large sections of other people’s countries attracts the attention of people who want revenge.

Blowing up fairly large sections of your own gives them what they want

Bit of a result, I’d have said

we seem to be arguing slightly at odds here graham, if I promise to let you keep your missiles for the olympics do you promise to keep them away from peoples homes? 🙂

How about the military promise not do anything if terrorists are attacking homes and only get involved if they attack something important? 😉

For god’s sake, SALAD CREAM with a fish finger sandwich – not tomato ketchup!

Does appear to be a bit odd that in one of the most democratic, free countries in the world, that for a period of a month, people are going to be banned from using public transport, using roads, walking in places they would normally, and that live missiles are going to be placed in centres of large civilian population when there is NO identified terrorist threat.

Anyhow back to the point. Surely the terrorist are more clever than the government? 911 was a spectacular military success because it avoided all the western preconceptions of how you are supposed to wage a war.

Do ‘experts’ really think that anyone who wants to attack the games/UK will use the same tactic again?

Probably more likely they will just sail a boat up the Thames (or have we got nuclear submarines patrolling it) or put BSE in all the burgers sold at McDonalds.

Personally I cant understand why its being done, is it to protect the population, no definately not, is to warn off terrorist, no because they would not be that stupid, they will do some thing else…

BigButSlimmerBloke – Member

“Blowing up large sections of other people’s countries attracts the attention of people who want revenge.”

Blowing up fairly large sections of your own gives them what they want

Bit of a result, I’d have said

Plus it would be using British labour!

FunkyDunc
Probably more likely they will just sail a boat up the Thames

Did anyone else see Dara Obrain’s comments on exactly this possibility on Mock the Week about a fortnight ago. I think its expired from iplayer now, but was very relevant to the missiles and the destroyer. sorry, but can’t find the clip at the moment.

there is NO identified terrorist threat

Isn’t there? Okay. I haven’t read all the intelligence dossiers yet.
I’m still waiting for the head of MI6 to finish with them.

Do ‘experts’ really think that anyone who wants to attack the games/UK will use the same tactic again?

We’d look a bit of an arse if they did and we’d done nothing to prevent it.

Abdul Melchett: “Doing precisely what we have done eighteen times before is exactly the last thing they’ll expect us to do this time!”

Well that fish finger sandwich (x2) was lovley.

white bread , buttered (or other spread substitute), 3x breaded fish sticks in each with tomato ketchup today (authough salad cream and mayo have made it on other ocasions) never thorght of cheese in there though, maybe next time . . .

might try this tomorrow

Seriously salad cream all the way

Salad cream is a bit too tangy for the joyous fish finger. I would have to go for TommyK. It’s just that little bit milder, but still with a hint of spice.

Brown sauce would be going too far.

Perhaps the the flats should now be called “Timid Towers”.

Have you considered Sweet Chilli Sauce?

Missiles on the roof , serious security all over the place, how are drugies and dealers going to do buisness

It needs to be a cheese single. I know that’s heresy around these parts. But it just does. Your tangy extra mature chedder, Stilton etc, are all very nice, but they have their place. But that’s not on a fish finger butty!!

Cheese single (or 2. Possibly 3) slapped on top of the fish fingers when they’re really hot, and it (they) melts satisfyingly, ready to be doused in ketchup. You could try it with salad cream too. depending on how much of a deviant you are, I suppose 😉

Try it

anyone planning a 11/9 (maybe you can clarify what happened on 9 November sometime) would probably be a suicide (google it) bomber who isn’t making many long term plans. However, a British missile, fired from London, bringing down a large aircraft over London, with the subsequent consequences? really? You don’t see a propaganda victory that will be talked about or years, easily n the scale of the world trade centre attacks (which happened on the 11th of September). That’s what I meant by handing potential terrorists such excellent and freely available weapons

I see pedantry & idiocy (oh & trying to be a patronising half-wit) are going hand in hand in STW today..

What do you mean by handing excellent & freely available weapons? The missiles? You think the terrorists will try & storm the missile sites??

As for 9/11, are you really being pedantic about that date? REALLY?? Are you that insensitive or just unaware that in the US (where 9/11 took place by the way) that they write the date order differently to us?

Did you try reading my post, or did you just start frothing and hammering away at the keyboard?

Are you that insensitive or just unaware that in the US (where 9/11 took place by the way) that they write the date order differently to us

They do, and neither I nor most of the contributors to this site are American – you do know that don’t you?

Definitely not El Duderino.

sparkyrhino – Member
Missiles on the roof , serious security all over the place, how are drugies and dealers going to do buisness

I imagine that the team coach will sort out the supply

the biggest danger during the games will be from overcrowding on the tube, not terrorists!

i cant really see whats wrong with this, true im not living there, but if these never went ahead and there was a terroist attack wouldnt we all feel stupid.
chances of them going off are very low, the residents have more chance of being stabbed for there wallet than these exploding. plus with all the security prescene about guarding them nobody would take the risk to mug them. as soon as the olympics is over everything will be put right, not a word about em again.
provided the army aint knocking on there doors at six in the moring i cant really see it being a hassle.

provided the army aint knocking on there doors at six in the moring i cant really see it being a hassle.

They should have their own brew kit, so they should not need to borrow milk from the residents. Not sure they will be playing loud music either, so I really can’t see the problem. Stray fireworks will probably cause more problems

Did you try reading my post, or did you just start frothing and hammering away at the keyboard?

I did & it didnt make any sense at all..

They do, and neither I nor most of the contributors to this site are American – you do know that don’t you?

Why do you feel the need to change it from 9/11 to 11/9? What point are you trying to make?

I bet the argument will go away when Locog says they will compensate them. They are just chasing the money. Is it not safer to have lots of police and troops around your gaff.

I’m still puzzled as to why so few are keen on addressing the root cause of the issue, rather than believing sams, destroyers, and the stupid liquids/security beltless dance shuffle at airports is “for our protection”

Exactly Zokes, we need to have a good look at our foreign policy, and perhaps have a little think about why people are unhappy with us.

But historical lessons with the Olympics show that the issue that brings the threat is not necessarily the politics of the home nation, but the politics of the attending nations and the international prominence of the Olympic event itself.

Again, the proven example being the attack on the Israeli team in Munich by Palestinians – nothing to do with German foreign policy. Whereas Eric Rudolph’s attack on the Atlanta games was a home grown attack, with an anti-gay and anti-abortion motivation, again nothing to do with foreign policy.

Regardless of where in the world you held it, any event that has a significant collection of American, Israeli, Russian, Spanish, South American, Saudi Arabian & Indian representatives poses a security threat from myriad different terrorist groups, most of which have little or nothing to do with UK foreign policy.

Yes, I remember Munich. Are these olympic potential terrorists different from the usual potential terrorists. I wonder how real either threat really is? Unlikely that I will ever know.

What strikes me is that there’s so much negativity surrounding this event (including me, I’m dreading it, getting to work is going to be a nightmare).

I feel unhappy about the thought of missiles in built up areas. If an aerial conveyance is shot down, the bits will fall on actual people. Better to put a defended circumference further out into the countryside surely, where debris can fall into fields?

provided the army aint knocking on there doors at six in the moring i cant really see it being a hassle.

i didnt mean literally, more or less saying if there out of the way of the residents why should they give a choc log.
more chance of there gas cooker going boom when they put a snack on after the pub and doze off, than the sams

Belt and Braces surely Kof9 – Defence in depth

As I said before, stadium full of 80,000 or a housing estate with a thousand, neither is really a very nice thought, but unfortunatley sometimes thats the choices you’re left with, simple and raw Benthamite utilitarianism.

Of course what can’t be overlooked is the deterrent effect – if you know that a method of attack carries little or no chance of success due ti effective defensive measures in place, then there is no point in attempting, whereas if the target is undefended, then it actually carries the potential of making the attack more likely.

Better to put a defended circumference further out into the countryside surely, where debris can fall into fields?

I would imagine that is in place as well, provided by fast jets that can be scrambled. The missiles in the centre are last line of defence, not the first.

I expect I’m being dim but… Do you imagine the missiles will be used to ensure a hijacked jet will crash on a random heavily populated housing estate rather than flying into: Buckingham palace, windsor castle, Barclays bank, or parliament?

It’s like tanks at heathrow. You can take it one of three ways

1) There’s totally a terror threat that these things will help avoid
2) It’s to make you feel safer from a terror threat that they won’t help avoid
3) It’s to make you think there’s a terror threat

Up to you really.

As for the residents- if it doesn’t really impact their day, then I don’t think they’ve got any more reason to complain than anyone else. I think a lot of people feel they have a legitimate beef about money being spent on this but also I think all the non-missile Olympics pish will be far more disruptive and expensive. I’d be more bothered about olympic lanes than missiles- they seem more likely to kill people too.

Better to put a defended circumference further out into the countryside surely, where debris can fall into fields?
I would imagine that is in place as well, provided by fast jets that can be scrambled. The missiles in the centre are last line of defence, not the first.

Yep, according to the Beeb there’ll be 4 Typhoons patrolling too.