Murphy's letter from Edinburgh

 

What kind of Security is this

I find it almost unbelievable that our government is taking security seriously in this country after the three breaches of security this year.

Earlier this year a substance was thrown over to the chamber in the House of Commons at Prime Ministers Question time.  Our Members of Parliament were shocked at the time and stated that security would be tightened up

This week there were two breaches of security on high profile buildings in London. The first being Buckingham Palace when someone dressed up as batman got in to the grounds and was then able to scale the building to make his protest.

No one could have missed the protests in London on fox hunting, when five or more protesters were able to get into the chamber of the House of Commons.  That's where our Members of Parliament debate the issues of our country including terrorism.

It was almost laughable when a group of old men with tights and swords rushed in to try and overpower the protesters.  They managed to clear the protesters out after awhile.  But if these had been terrorists they could have caused a constitutional crisis for this country by wiping out the Members of Parliament who were in the chamber.

I don't think our Members of Parliament have quite taken on board that they must think security at all times, and to be cautious wherever they go.  It galls me when I see people like this talking about the security of our country when it appears that can't even get their own security right.

If anything, the people who made these protests have shown the terrorists how poor our security is.  And if the government can't get it right in these high profile buildings, how on earth can they prepare the rest of the country for any eventuality?

The government must take the responsibility for these issues, and they way I see things, they have failed miserably.

All western countries are on high alert and London looks like it did during the last war with concrete blocks all over the place to protect the buildings from any terrorist attack.

And that's great if it protects  these buildings, but the truth of the matter is, the people have to be protected as well as these high profile buildings.  The scenes we have seen in recent time make me sceptical of our government who can't seem to protect themselves never mind the rest of the country.

I believe the protesters who did storm the House of Commons had received information that let them in to the chamber.  It is also alleged that a BBC reporter was told a few days before what was going to happen.  Yet nothing was done about it.  If he had taken that report seriously he could of prevented what happened in the House of Commons.

Our government and the people of this country are going have to take these matters seriously if we are going to keep some semblance of order in this country.  Protest is a right providing it is lawful and I would never argue that people don't have the right to protest providing it is in the remit of the law.

It's now up to our government to look at the whole issue of these breaches of security.

If they can't get their own house in order what chance is there of them getting the rest of it right.  When I say their own house, I don't mean that literary.  The House of Commons belongs to the people of this country, and the Member of Parliament are there through our democratic system of elections.

Our government must take the issue of security in this country a lot more seriously.

Just now they are failing miserably.

Written by Andrew Murphy 16 September 2004

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