The Political Thread

[Modern Panther]

"Less teachers doesn't reduce literacy.  Kids not being able to read does."

[The Legendary Shark]

Fewer teachers...

[Tony Angelino]

You don't think that having 20,000 less police officers means that police are less able to gather intelligence, less able to maintain a community presence, less able to investigate reports of suspicious behaviour? 

Never mind, we can always blame Facebook.

I agree with Old Tankie.

Of course if police had more officers they could do more but police numbers did not cause the recent terror attacks. The terrorists did. That's the point that is being made.

In Northern Ireland the RUC was the second largest police force in the UK (next to the Met) and was supported, throughout most of my life, by the British Army. It still couldn't stop everything the IRA and other proscribed groups did.

[Old Tankie]

Why, DDD, because I object to anyone other than the terrorist being to blame for a terrorist attack? Perhaps, if, like me, you've had terrorists try to kill you, you might think differently.

[Dandontdare]

police numbers did not cause the recent terror attacks.

Can you point to one single person who has claimed that?

Saying that we are less safe with fewer police is not the same thing at all - this PM (formerly Home Secretary) has made us LESS SAFE from the evil murdering bastards - and yet Corbyn is accused of doing this because of out of context comments he made in 20 year old interviews. Have you seen the tory attack ad on Facebook that claims he refused to condemn IRA bombings with an interview clip IN WHICH THEY HAVE DELIBERATELY EDITED OUT THE BIT WHERE HE CONDENMS IRA BOMBINGS?

Vile Hypocrisy

[Tony Angelino]

MP talks about bolstering police numbers days before a terror attack caused by low police numbers and what we take away is that she fudged a zero.

Dandontdare this is the post where it was claimed police numbers caused a terror attack.

[TordelBack]

I do wonder whether ALL the police could ever prevent or protect us from terrorism - some pricks with a van and knives seems like an impossible thing to guard against regardless of resources.  I think you want to look to foreign policy and divisive rhetoric for that.

But equally I laugh with despair that the former Home Secretary and incumbent PM, with specific and now overall responsibility for this very thing seems to be immune from fallout, while someone who had never even held a ministerial post is in some nebulous way to blame. 

[Dandontdare]

MP talks about bolstering police numbers days before a terror attack caused by low police numbers and what we take away is that she fudged a zero.

Dandontdare this is the post where it was claimed police numbers caused a terror attack.

Fair do's - although I imagine that was not his exact meaning, I stand corrected.

Any commenst on the rest of my points?

[Old Tankie]

That was the sentence that I was replying to.

[Hawkmumbler]

Fewer teachers...

Fewer...
Füher...

My god...

[The Legendary Shark]

See guile...

[Professor Bear]

I do wonder whether ALL the police could ever prevent or protect us from terrorism - some pricks with a van and knives seems like an impossible thing to guard against regardless of resources.

Some cunt will get through sooner or later, that is sadly inevitable, but in these last few attacks, the suspects were already flagged by police as high risk radicals after several direct warnings from within the Muslim community, including from immediate family members.

[sheridan]

But equally I laugh with despair that the former Home Secretary and incumbent PM,

Completely read that as 'incompetent PM'...

[TordelBack]

I do wonder whether ALL the police could ever prevent or protect us from terrorism - some pricks with a van and knives seems like an impossible thing to guard against regardless of resources.

Some cunt will get through sooner or later, that is sadly inevitable, but in these last few attacks, the suspects were already flagged by police as high risk radicals after several direct warnings from within the Muslim community, including from immediate family members.

True enough. Hiwever, if there's truth to the suggestion that the Manchester shithead was part of an anti-Gaddafi Libyan faction covertly encouraged and supported by the UK, it does seem like the problem starts at a policy level well beyond police resources.

[Supreme Pizza Of The DPRK]

When it comes to the police numbers, terrorism should be a minor part of the argument. While it is current (and not to take anything away from any of the victims or their family's) the bigger issue in regards to police numbers should be the national murder rate (which sits at 500+ yearly and is on the rise), rape and domestic violence figures.

Yes terrorism is a problem that needs to be dealt with, but stopping it is going to require better intelligence, data gathering and data analysis, not having more police on the streets.

What will lower the crime stats is having more police on the streets who are able to respond to the crimes taking place every day in the U.K

Stopping terrorism should be a minor point in the argument of police numbers, not the whole argument.