Defense Minister ready to rain fiery death over London

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond today told the Evening Standard that he is prepared to order an airliner to be shot down if the London Olympics are threatened. The security arrangements around the Olympics have been extremely controversial including extreme restrictions on protest and missiles sited on top of residential flats.

The sabre rattling and swagger has as much to do with international prestige and authoritarianism as it does security, particularly because what is being suggested would almost certainly result in hundreds if not thousands of deaths.

The reason that the RAF has had a long standing “no fire zone” over Greater London is because, no matter what the intent of a rogue aircraft, shooting at and downing an aircraft over the area would automatically result in catastrophic levels of death and damage.

“My message is that they should be reassured by the military presence,” Hammond told the Standard. “There is no risk from the equipment. It’s defensive in nature and pointing skywards.”

It’s difficult not to weep at the idiocy of this kind of statement.

These “defensive” devices are, of course, missiles that explode not comfy cushions or shields. It’s been long established that such military hardware  is subject to the same laws of gravity as everything else and comes down after it has gone up. Equally important that if they did succeed in shooting down a jumbo not only do they cut off any chance of a safe conclusion to the incident (which is possible if difficult to achieve) they are making a statement that the reputation of the sporting event is more important than the lives of those who live in one of the poorest boroughs in the city.

There is a reason that these missiles are not sited in the City, Westminster or in the leafier parts of our city.

Protesters should get lost too

The minister also took the opportunity of the interview to warn protesters not to risk their and the lives of others with “stupid stunts” during the Games. While Big Smoke is obviously opposed to terrorist plane hijacks and irresponsible life threatening wheezes, no matter how well intentioned, the context of the remarks are in an unprecedented crackdown on free speech and peaceful public protest, to the extent that anti-Olympics posters put up in your own home will be deemed illegal.

So far the presence of the Olympics has been a double edged sword. Many people are, of course, interested in athletics and sport and glad an international event is being held in this country but it has gone hand in hand with an enormous overspend, public  inconvenience, the curtailing of citizens’ rights and bare-chest beating on the part of Conservative Ministers.

if only there were some more liberal minded members of the government to rein in this sort of thing.

A community meeting to discuss the placement of missiles in the area is being held tonight at 6.30pm.