England is poised to pull out of next year’s Commonwealth Games over fears that athletes will be victims of a terrorist attack, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.Just like all those years and years didn't go anywhere where we were threatened by Irish republican terrorists, right? Oh, wait....
Police and security advisers fear that the English team will be targeted by Pakistani terrorists and feel that athletes’ safety cannot be guaranteed at present.Whereas you can guarantee their safety at home because there's never been a successful attack in the UK, has there? Oh, wait....
Sir Paul Stephenson, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, visited the Indian capital earlier this month to inspect the Games sites and was said to have voiced “serious concerns” about the security arrangements.
Although a formal decision on England’s participation will not be taken until the new year, senior Whitehall sources told The Daily Telegraph that there was “virtually no chance” a team would be sent.I don't know about anyone else but I'd call that match point to Terrorism.
If the English team withdraws, the entire competition would be in jeopardy. The Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish teams would almost certainly follow suit, as could countries such as Australia and Canada which also have troops in Afghanistan — the likely justification for any terrorist attack. Several high-profile English athletes have already pulled out of the Games citing other commitments.Oh fuck. Shall we just call it game, set, match, tournament and many years of bragging rights?
What the fuck happened over the last ten years? When did we become such softcocks? When did we let other people decide for us whether it's safe to go somewhere? Why do so many of us roll over so meekly and allow our fucking governments - the cunts that are supposed to be elected to make sure what we say gets done (yes, ahahahahahahahahaha, I know, ahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha) - to hand the win to religious nutters because there might be yet another one prepared to set his underpants on fire? In short why can't any sportspeople who want to compete and are willing to take the risk stick a big middle finger up to terrorists and spineless governments alike and go anyway?*
The bottom line is that by changing our lives so much for the terrorist threat we lose and they win. Let's go back to being us and if they want to carry on, well, I can't put it much better than the inimitable P&T.
Business as usual, motherfuckers, because madmen in caves can't get us all. So let's harden the fuck up and send as much of the team that wants to compete anyway to the Commonwealth Games.
* Obviously there may be an element of the Orwellian perpetual war thing going on to keep the proles under control.
Absolutely spot on, AE. It was intensely irritating in 2005 to hear almost everyone saying, post 7/7, that the terrorists won't win, we're going to carry on regardles blah blah blah. Yet the next day, the underground was almost empty as everyone pissed their pants.
ReplyDeleteSince 9/11, the terrorists must have been barely off of their backs holding their sides and kicking their legs in the air at the hysterical panic they have put the west through.
The US reaction to an underwear bomber is astoundingly crap. Full pat-down (err, the crotch was where the bomb was) which will do nothing. And apparently, no-one allowed out of their seat for the last hour of flight. No, seriously.
WTF?
Security we have is good enough. A yank has 'done the math'. You can take 20 flights per year, and still be less likely to be on a plane with a terrorist than being struck by lightning.
Whatever happened to not panicking?
Love the Penn & Teller vid.
Didn't see the US reaction to the underpants bomber. Well, I'm too happily married to go for a crotch check even if the septics hire only gorgeous wasp waisted creatures with golden hair. Since it's more likely to be some overweight guy called Jerry, fuck 'em (not literally). As for not being allowed out of the seat for the last hour I'd be tempted to spend the entire flight eating sweets out of a box ostentatiously marked 'incredibly strong laxatives' and then ask to go to the little Exile's room 45 minutes before landing. I suspect fellow passengers might support my request ;-)
ReplyDeleteMore seriously it's just another reason to avoid flying in general if you can, and flying to America at all unless you really absolutely have to. It's not the fucking terrorists who've made the process of flying such an abominably miserable experience, it's the over reaction by western nations.