Britons take it easy in the new age of terrorism

Britons take it easy in the new age of terrorism
By Gideon Rachman
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007
Published: July 2 2007 19:43 | Last updated: July 2 2007 19:43


The threat level in Britain is “critical”. This means that a new terrorist attack could be imminent. Would-be car-bombers are said to be still at large. Iraq-style terror tactics have arrived.

But the British public seems to be more worried about the threat from the domestic tabby than the menace of suicide bombers. Checking the BBC website on Monday for news of the latest arrests, I noticed that the “most read” story in the UK was headlined: “Experts warn on cat allergies.” Terrorism did not make it into the top five.

Certainly the Londoners I travelled to work with did not seem terrified – or even particularly anxious. The crowds on the Tube were, as usual, immersed in their free newspapers and insulated by their iPods. People seem to have decided that the “British” thing to do (to use our new prime minister’s favourite word) is to stay calm. But the commuters around me were not putting on a brave face. They seemed genuinely relaxed.

There is an obvious explanation for this. None of the three attempted bombings so far has killed anyone. Ever since the Tube bombings of July 7 2005, we have been warned that further attacks are inevitable. Given the grisly array of possibilities – dirty bombs, truck bombs, even nuclear terrorism – the startling incompetence of the recent attacks has come as something of a relief. Setting yourself on fire and then punching a policeman, while shouting “Allah”, is about as low-tech as it gets.

Of course, by tomorrow, the mood could have changed utterly. All it would take is for a car bomber to get through and succeed in killing scores of people.

The political debate about how to counter terrorism has already taken on a new urgency. Gordon Brown, freshly installed in 10 Downing Street, has to think about new policies. The five main topics under review will be civil liberties, foreign policy, British Muslims, security and intelligence.

The temptation is to act frenetically on all fronts. But we have known for years that there is a grave threat from terrorism. As before, the real key to tackling it remains good intelligence.

Even before this week, Mr Brown had made clear that he wants to give police and prosecutors more powers to combat terrorism. Allowing wire-tap evidence in court would be sensible. The government will also certainly need to look again at the farce of “control orders” – a form of house arrest for suspected terrorists. Six of the 17 suspects subject to control orders have already absconded. Immigration controls and visa regimes also seem certain to be tightened, as the pattern of arrests becomes clearer.

But Mr Brown also favours a controversial proposal to extend the amount of time that police can hold terrorist suspects – without charging them – to 90 days. This is a fundamental encroachment on civil liberties that was rejected by parliament in 2005. Its reintroduction should be treated sceptically.

The government will insist that British foreign policy will remain unaltered – anything else would sound like a capitulation to terror. Behind the scenes, however, there is sure to be pressure to accelerate troop withdrawals from Iraq. But a panicky decision to withdraw is highly unlikely to appease fanatics. They can always find a new grievance – Afghanistan, Israel or Britain’s infuriating reluctance to accept sharia law.

There is open relief in Britain that the suspects arrested so far seem to be from the Middle East, rather than British Muslims. But it would be foolish to be too self-congratulatory about this. Not all the arrests have been made yet. And just a couple of months ago five British Muslims were convicted for their part in the “operation Crevice” plot – to blow up shopping centres and night-clubs.

Ever since 2005, the government has pushed the idea that all immigrants and minority communities should adhere to certain core “British values”. Reports of the death of multiculturalism are, however, exaggerated. (I was startled to discover recently that my primary school children have been instructed that they must always say, “peace be upon him”, if they mention Mohammed in religious education classes.) Mr Brown should press ahead with his pet project of promoting British values.

But the most direct and effective way of combating terrorism is through intelligence. Since July 2005 the security services have issued a series of blood-curdling warnings – including the revelation that they were watching 30 active terrorist plots. But they have also done a good job of foiling many of these plots – as the Crevice convictions and the disruption of the effort to blow up airliners last year illustrated.

The government says that by 2008 the intelligence services will have doubled in size since 2005. Britain already spends £2bn ($4bn) a year on counter-terrorism. That is money well spent. Unfortunately, for politicians who are under pressure to be seen to be taking action, intelligence is inevitably low-key. If the government wants to send a signal of increased vigilance, it does things such as increasing armed security at airports.

But a permanent increase in heavy-handed security measures will be hard to reconcile with Mr Brown’s appeal for the “ordinary business of our country to continue”. For an international city such as London, being able to fly in and out easily is fundamental to “ordinary business”. Heathrow is already nightmarish enough. If excessive security increases crowds and delays, businesspeople and tourists will start to avoid London.

After the attack on Glasgow airport it inevitably will become harder to drive right up to terminal buildings. But the authorities must not overreact on all fronts. Measures such as last year’s ludicrous ban on taking paperback books through Customs need to be resisted.

The fact is that not every large crowd in Britain can be protected without gumming up ordinary life intolerably. Seal up the airports and you will make the lives of many travellers a misery. You might even deter an attack. But there are other targets – stations, buses and shopping centres.

It is a nasty thought. But it is also a reality that Britain has had to live with for years. (Remember the IRA?) It is a little more comforting to reflect that – two years after the attacks on the Tube – the terrorists have been unable to strike again.

The terror threat will be with us for years. In dealing with it, the Brown government should take its cue from London’s commuters. Keep calm.

gideon.rachman@ft.com