Nonsense from Gordon Brown; Nonesense from Sir Alan
THE TELEGRAPH: Admiral Sir Alan West, the man appointed to the Lords by Gordon Brown to oversee security in Britain, has made a comprehensive assessment of the terrorist threat currently facing us.

In the interview we publish today, he says the situation is worse than it was when Eliza Manningham Buller, who retired earlier this year as head of MI5, warned that there were at least 30 plots involving more than 100 dedicated terrorists.

He says most of the active terrorists are foreign, rather than home-grown, but they are bigoted, racist and utterly ruthless in their dedication to commit mass murder "in the name of God".

He believes that the threat can be countered, but that it will take "10 to 15 years" and require securing the co-operation of all Britain's different Muslim communities.

Like Gordon Brown, Sir Alan detests the phrase "war on terror", and has vowed not to use it. He thinks it is important to describe the terrorists as criminals, rather than to identify them by their religious affiliation. Muslims have to join this battle (more)

Mark Alexander

Optimistic and Misguided Twaddle from Sir Alan!
THE TELEGRAPH: Britain faces a 15-year battle to end the threat posed by Islamist terrorists, the Government's new security supremo has admitted.

Admiral Sir Alan West, the former First Sea Lord, said the overall danger facing the country, from both home-grown and foreign terrorists, was at its greatest ever level and that a new approach was badly needed to tackle it.

In his first interview since his surprise appointment by Gordon Brown as security minister, Sir Alan called on people to be "a little bit un-British" and even inform on each other in an attempt to trap those plotting to take innocent lives.

"Britishness does not normally involve snitching or talking about someone," he said. "I'm afraid, in this situation, anyone who's got any information should say something because the people we are talking about are trying to destroy our entire way of life."

He said he was determined to build on the Government's core anti-terrorism strategy of the "four Ps" - prepare, protect, pursue, prevent - but that the "prevent" side, dealing with the radicalisation of young Muslims, was the most important. Warning of 15-year fight against terror (more) By Patrick Hennessy

Mark Alexander

"Militant Islam" Recognises No Class Barriers
BBC: The news that many of the suspects in the failed car bomb attacks in Britain are medical doctors from the Middle East has shocked many and raised questions about connections between class, education and militant Islam.

There is a popular misperception that only the destitute or ill-educated are drawn to the ranks of militant Islamic organisations.
But nothing could be further from the known facts.

It is true that the appeal of political Islam - from the militant to the more moderate versions - is quite strong among the poor, because it promises a just and equitable society free from corruption and oppression.

But the leaders and the middle echelons of such groups are often well-educated middle class men. Militant Islam’s broad appeal (more) By Magdi Abdelhadi

Mark Alexander

'Gordon Brownnose' Brownnoses Muslims!
With many thanks to Always On Watch for drawing this article to my attention:

THE DAILY EXPRESS: Gordon Brown has banned ministers from using the word “Muslim” in connection with the terrorism crisis.

The Prime Minister has also instructed his team – including new Home Secretary Jacqui Smith – that the phrase “war on ­terror” is to be dropped.

The shake-up is part of a fresh attempt to improve community relations and avoid offending Muslims, adopting a more “consensual” tone than existed under Tony Blair.

However, the change provoked claims last night that ministers are indulging in yet more political correctness.

The sudden shift in tone emerged in comments by Mr Brown and Ms Smith in the wake of the failed attacks in London and Glasgow.

Mr Brown’s spokesman acknowledged yesterday that ministers had been given specific guidelines to avoid inflammatory language. Brown: Don’t Say Terrorists Are Muslims (More) By Marcer Hall, Political Editor

Mark Alexander

For God's sake, call it by its real name: ‘War on Jihad’
Democrats move to restrict the use of the term ‘War on Terror’, as the British government has done, hoping to sanitize the reality of the situation. The sanitization of the reality we are facing will do nothing to help us win the war we are engaged in; on the contrary, it will only hinder our eventual victory. War isn’t about making people feel good, it’s about victory, and victory alone.

Iraq might turn out to be a lost case; though one hopes, of course, it will not. But the ‘War on Jihad’ is something else. This is one war we have to win. It is a question of victory or dhimmitude. Western leaders must not, can not, shy away from this enormous task. Indeed, we must redouble our efforts; otherwise that New Dark Age will be upon us sooner than we might think.

Step up to the plate! We have a task of enormous proportions on our hands. It is a war that no sweet words will, or can, minimize. We are in it to the death. It’s our civilization or theirs. I know which one I would choose.

©Mark Alexander

BBC: As Britain's Secretary for International Development Hilary Benn says that the UK government no longer uses the phrase "war on terror", BBC News website world affairs correspondent Paul Reynolds looks at the use and now the disuse of this phrase.

"War on terror" is both a defining and declining phrase.

Its simple, some argue its simplistic, directness has come to represent the post 9/11 age and the worldwide campaign against al-Qaeda. But it was never accepted without qualification by many outside the Bush administration, especially when its meaning was extended to the counter- insurgency campaign in Iraq as well.

Now Mr Benn has gone public with a ban quietly initiated last year by the British government, one of President Bush's closest allies in this "war".

And in the US Congress, the Democrats, who triumphed in the elections in November, are moving to restrict and even ban its use as well. Declining use of 'war on terror'

Mark Alexander