Posted on 08/16/2006 7:07:18 PM PDT by blam
Ditch US in terror war, say 80pc of Britons
By Toby Helm, Chief Political Correspondent and Philip Johnston
(Filed: 17/08/2006)
A majority of British people wants the Government to adopt an even more "aggressive" foreign policy to combat international terrorism, according to an opinion poll conducted after the arrests of 24 terrorism suspects last week.
However - by a margin of more than five to one - the public wants Tony Blair to split from President George W Bush and either go it alone in the "war on terror", or work more closely with Europe.
Divided state: The public wants Tony Blair to split from Mr Bush
Only eight per cent of those questioned by YouGov said Mr Bush and Mr Blair were winning the battle against Muslim fundamentalism.
A majority also wants tougher domestic legislation that would allow police more time to detain suspects while they investigate complex terrorism plots.
Some 69 per cent said that the police should be able to hold suspects for up to 90 days without charge, rather than be bound by the current 28-day limit.
The poll findings will encourage John Reid, the Home Secretary, who has warned the British public that they will have to forgo many of the freedoms and liberties they have grown used to in order to ensure the maximum level of security.
Yesterday Mr Reid highlighted the benefit of European co-operation in the battle against terrorism.
He told a mini-summit of European Union home ministers in London that Europe faced a "very real and persistent threat from a form of terrorism that is unconstrained in its evil. . . and its ability to cause immense harm, death and destruction".
United front: John Reid and Nicolas Sarkozy before the mini-summit
The meeting was "symbolic" of a Europe standing together against the most serious threat faced by modern governments, Mr Reid said.
He contrasted what he called the common EU values of "human rights, democratic freedoms and justice for all" with an "intolerant, violent totalitarianism that seeks to destroy those values, ironically by subverting a religion whose very name stands for peace".
Several of Europe's leading politicians, including Nicholas Sarkozy, the French interior minister, and Wolfgang Schauble, his German counterpart, attended. They agreed that airport checks across Europe had to be harmonised to ensure consistency and prevent terrorists exploiting security gaps.
The survey, carried out for The Spectator magazine, shows that a majority of people now recognises everyday lives will change fundamentally. Seventy three per cent agreed that "the West is in a global war against Islamic terrorists who threaten our way of life".
When asked whether Britain should change its foreign policy in response to terrorism only 12 per cent said it should be more conciliatory, compared with 53 per cent who thought it should become more "aggressive" and 24 per who wanted no change.
People were divided about the Muslim community in Britain. Fifty per cent said "most British Muslims are moderate" while 28 per cent disagreed with the statement and 22 per cent did not know.
While there was strong support for a hard line on terrorism at home, the survey exposed deep-seated distrust of the foreign policies championed by Mr Bush since September 11, 2001. Only 14 per cent believed Britain should continue to align itself with America.
On a recent five-day visit to the United States Mr Blair did nothing to distance himself from Mr Bush - despite pressure to do so from Labour MPs. In the White House he stood shoulder to shoulder with the President, stressing the struggle the West faced against an "arc of extremism" stretching from Afghanistan to the Lebanon.
Some 60 per cent of people thought the war on terrorism would continue for at least 10 years, with 44 per cent of these thinking it would still be going on in 20 years' time.
Fifty per cent of people believed Mr Blair should have broken his holiday to deal with the crisis caused by the arrest of suspects in last week's alleged plot to blow up transatlantic aircraft. Forty three per cent thought he could do the job as well by telephone and e-mail.
Stressing the need for European co-operation, Mr Reid said: "It's very important that the measures that are taken in one country are reflected in other countries because we want equal security for all our countries. We must not have a position where terrorists feel if it is difficult to get through security checks in London, they might be able to go to Paris or Frankfurt or Berlin".
To top this ,the euros have no money for
their own defense. These are perennial losers.
Remenber back to the day of Ronald Reagan and his stance in Europe against the Soviets? Remember the massive protests against the U.S.?
Thanks for the gratitude.
"...I would like to see the US adapt a more isolationist position in the world. With friends like these we are better off alone, much less baggage."
Yes ... and move the UN to Europe as well.
T"hose who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." B. Franklin
I'm not an isolationist, but I sure wish we'd be a little more particular about who we let in. Would we have been accepting tons of Germans during the rise of Hitler? I doubt it. Muslims and people from Muslim countries should be very carefully screened and not admitted on a blanket or quota basis.
Though they can just forget about any help when the inevitable day comes that they want to bail from the marriage with hell they made for themselves.
I've no problem whatsoever with going to help defend the Brits when they're standing up for themselves (they can do one h*** of a job of that, as history shows), but when they act like craven cowards or total idiots, no way. (May I note that even France had created a defensive line, albeit one with a loophole that the Nazis exploited, and that the French Resistance was an effort whose members put their lives on the line? Not all the French were craven cowards, nor did the Vichy represent all of France.)
Sure, I'll have to stock up on a lifetime supply of my favourite whisky ('cuz once the Muzzies rule, that's the end of that supply). I might even learn to like Jack Daniels.
Gives a whole new meaning to "a green and pleasant land."
"Pull up the ladder, Jack, I am on board."
Works for me! :0)
Whatever the reason for the 80%, they're now understanding that militant Islam is the problem, and based on the poll, it looks like they may believe this more than the average American does. Geez, before ripping on the Brits, look how many people here want to appease terrorists and don't think Islam is dangerous!
Of course, riding a unicorn would be more fun than riding a horse, too. If they could only find one.
Doesn't "going it alone" require a huge sand pit? It'd take an awful lot of sand to accomodate all of those Brits who want to sink their heads in it.
I think they are starting to get the idea of how much trouble they are, but still are unwilling to act on it. They would rather follow the Euro-appeasement model rather than take it head on. Too bad.
Yes, it's pretty tiresome. We're the Big Dog, though, and for this reason, we're the ones who will be criticized. The problem with the Europeans is that most of them and their countries aren't even important enough for criticism. Unless you're a radical Muslim who wants to go after a few cartoonists, at least...
I'm glad my son is comming home tomorrow.
I think the reason that I dislike them so much is because at one time I loved England almost as much as loved this country. That is no longer the case.
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