Terror attacks by Islamist groups

[Pies4shaw]

Because they have no experience of non-Islamic terrorist incidents in the UK. Dates back to the 70s, with the Angry Brigade and the Islamic Republican Army.

[Mugwump]

^ WPT, I think you are again reacting to what you wish I had said, but did not. I did not say that the Left is responsible for jihadist acts. I said that the modern Left have been the principal driving force and apologists behind mass immigration, and this is the social change which explains why those acts, which appear endemic to a small segment of that faith, are happening on our streets. I should have thought that this was self-evident and not WTF territory at all.

I don't think the Liberal Party is really a Conservative party, and I am dubious that the ALP is a Socialist party. Both are libertarian parties, as I explained at length above. Still, if you want to make that rather antiquated equation, the Liberal Party has indeed tended to support a high level of legal immigration. This seems to be partly from fear of the unprincipled "racist" slur, partly a recognition that organised voting by immigrant communities can decide elections (all the Liberals care about apart from private enrichment), and partly because globalization and a high level of unskilled labour weakens the unions and suits business (the 7/11 disgrace is one extreme manifestation of this, and there are almost certainly many others).

However, I think it is pretty clear that allowing unmanaged immigration via asylum, thereby increasing the power and presence of Islam within our society, and defending Islam more generally, has tended to be an enthusiasm of the left - in all its manifestations from the ALP to the Greens - more than the Right. The Liberal Party, form Tampa on, has at least tended to push for some controls. I think the Libs are a force for social fragmentation through libertarianism - but it does have some vestigial instincts which make it push back against the modern mass-immigration orthodoxy at the edges.

As for your suggestion that challenges to immigration levels are a feelgood slogan of the "extreme right", this demonstrates the strange mentality which now operates within our political discourse. There is nothing "extreme" about the desire to manage and control immigration, or challenging and arguing against the ideology which underpins it. That is just language designed to silence dissent. I believe that the ideology behind mass immigration is more of the Left than the right, and I think most people would recognise that as a statement of political fact. Calling that view extreme right exemplifies the way in which quite respectable, reasonable and common points of view are blackened as "extremism" (among other familiar terms). Perhaps both sides of politics do this to some extent, but it is more common in the Marxist tradition.

You are quite right that the legacy of Bush and Blair in the Middle East is a lamentable one. I am reluctant to blame any individual other than those who plant the bombs, however, as I think that is a dangerous game, which is particularly played by those who wish to impugn Israel. I doubt that the 2003 invasion is really at the root of modern Islamic intolerance and homicide, in any case, as 9/11 predates Iraq, and Germany, for example, has not intervened in the Middle East at all. The objective seems to be a genocidal religious imperialism by a non-negligible part of the Islamic faith with this instinct deep in its bones, rather than a rational political programme with which could one could negotiate or bargain.

Still, Bush and Blair provided an accelerant to flames that were already well alight. If that is your argument, I could not agree with you more. I don't see what that has to do with the issue under discussion, but it is good that we agree on something.

[Mugwump]

Because they have no experience of non-Islamic terrorist incidents in the UK. Dates back to the 70s, with the Angry Brigade and the Islamic Republican Army.

better class of terrorist we had back then. Squeamish, really.

[Pies4shaw]

Interestingly, the data shows that the number of terrorist attacks in Western Europe is lower now than it was in any year from 1972 to 1997 and the total number of deaths by terrorism is trivial, statistically (your chance of living in Western Europe for an entire year and being killed in a terrorist attack is a little under 1 in 2,000,000).

[Pies4shaw]

The 6 deaths from terrorism in Australia in the last decade are scary, too, of course. To put it in context, we'd save about 25 times that many people every year by cancelling Australia Day (heatstroke dehydration after too many stubbies is a much greater danger).

[Skids]

The 6 deaths from terrorism in Australia in the last decade are scary, too, of course. To put it in context, we'd save about 25 times that many people every year by cancelling Australia Day (heatstroke dehydration after too many stubbies is a much greater danger).

Saddens me to say, but the next decade is the one that is going to be scary.

[Pies4shaw]

Yep: climate change isn't going away anytime soon. That's the real enemy.

[stui magpie]

^

Yep, all those burning oil fields aren't helping.

[Skids]

[stui magpie]

^

I wouldn't call that a terrorist act. I'd call it a sick sadistic cnuts act.

[Skids]

[Skids]

[Lazza]

Unfortunately you are denying the plain fact that there will always be a small minority who will exploit such events to further their cause and push their far right, sometime white supremist views. IMHO, both bookends are as bad as each other, as are the bloody evil terrorists.

[Pies4shaw]

^^^ The authorities are reasonably confident that by preventing the neo-Nazis from marching they will help to protect women and children but they are concerned that it's really hard to stop far-right animals. However, there's some hope that community-minded refugees will help to keep people safe from ultra-rightist abuse.

[stui magpie]

^^^ The authorities are reasonably confident that by preventing the neo-Nazis from marching they will help to protect women and children but they are concerned that it's really hard to stop far-right animals. However, there's some hope that community-minded refugees will help to keep people safe from ultra-rightist abuse.

Hippos always struck me as far right animals. Nasty bastards.

I'd call the 80mm of rain i copped in an hour a terrorist act if I could figure out how to blame ISIS