Open letter to the home secretary for the United Kingdom John Reid.

Dear Mr Home Secretary,

In the run up to Christmas I’d like to know something. Explain to me and everyone please, why you feel it’s a good idea to tell everyone in Britain that a terrorist attack is “highly likely” this Christmas? Exactly what are you trying to achieve in doing that Mr Reid?

You’ve given no specifics in your statement, rather you’ve just covered all bases by saying that a terrorist attack in Britain is “inevitable.” Well thanks for the heads up Mr Home Secretary. That ‘warning’ is of absolutely no use to anyone anywhere in the entire country.

I note that you’ve told us all that we need to “unite” against the unseen terrorist, but again, you haven’t been specific as to what that means. Maybe you could tell us exactly what you think being “united” against terrorism should entail? Support for ID cards maybe? Support for more CCTV’s? Support for more rights restrictions and more surveillance in the most surveilled country on the face on the planet perhaps?

Perhaps you could give us all few tips on how we might avoid getting caught up in this attack you’re already excusing yourself for not stopping? Maybe you could publish a list of do’s and don’t for the people of Britain this holiday season. Don’t go out shopping. Don’t use public transport. Don’t go to any place where large crowds might gather like sports events, concerts or plays. Don’t drive on major roads. Don’t fly anywhere. Don’t use the internet. Don’t enjoy or exercise any of your freedoms at all, stay at home, lock the doors and be afraid of everything, right Mr Reid?

I don’t doubt that there are evil people out there with evil intentions, but in telling everyone that there are hoards of terrorists planning multiple attacks in the UK that are “inevitable” aren’t you playing right into their hands? It seems to me like stripping us of the liberties you tell us they hate us for having, is handing them a victory they can sing from the rooftops about is it not? You tell us to all be afraid then in the next breathe to instruct us to “unite.” Well Mr Reid, call me a cynic, but that rather looks like you’re just trying to heard the sheep with a barking dog. And while you might rather like to think of yourself as a good shepherd Mr Reid, I rather see you as a wolf among the flock.

If there are credible threats out there then quit telling us all to be afraid and just do your job. I don’t think the people of Britain need to be told time and time and time again that we’re going to die at the hands of an angry terrorist at any moment. The majority of us can understand that such a threat exists, after all we’re busy fighting a pointless war in a far off land that is as unpopular there as it is here, so I think most Britons can understand that there will be people who are angry at us.

It seems to me that you’re already excusing yourself for failing to catch any terrorist who might be lucky enough to slip through the increasing net of surveillance. Should nothing happen then you can hail a victory for our security services, congratulate them all publicly and sing the praises of the overzealous systems you have put in place to closely monitor all the ‘free’ people who live here.

Terrorists seek to cause widespread panic and disruption. It’s not without a sense of irony then that I note that warnings like those you issued yesterday seem to achieve much the same effect.

If our security is dependent on giving up much of our liberty then what is it you want us to unite to protect? While Briton may well be under threat from the actions of a very small number of terrorists who seek to cause as much havoc as possible, I think that there are two enemies of freedom in this picture Mr Home Secretary.

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