London Mayor speaks out: security tension over Bush visit

[emad]

From BBC News:

George Bush's three-day visit to London next week is prompting tension between US security agents and Ken Livingstone. American officials are demanding an exclusion zone round the president, while the London mayor wants to keep the city as "open as possible".
Metropolitan Police are planning a £4m security operation to cope with an estimated 100,000 anti-war protesters. Scotland Yard says it will facilitate lawful demonstrations, but campaigners say police are trying to block them. Activists planning a "Stop Bush" protest march through central London on 20 November say police are planning to seal off large parts of central London. As President Bush and his wife are due to stay at Buckingham Palace, there has been speculation much of the Mall and Whitehall will be closed off along with parts of the City.

But Mr Livingstone dismissed any notion that wide swathes of central London would be closed. "The ideas of some American security advisers that perhaps we should shut the whole of central London for three days, ignoring the economic consequences of that, I don't think that's got a chance at all." Mr Livingstone said the fact no prime minister had been assassinated in nearly two centuries showed the British had always had good security.

Scotland Yard says it is not revealing details of road closures yet for security reasons. But the Stop the War Coalition says it will not accept any route that avoids Parliament.

<snip>

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3260415.stm


Spooky word from Our Ken: "No prime minister has been assassinated in nearly two centuries"

Don't think there's ever been a double act of UK PM and US Pres assassinated together in one space.....but ya never know!

[izzie]

1. Is not Bush and the Queen to ride together.

Is this the carriage thing? You know down the Mall and all that?

[ewagner]

4. thought that was cancelled n/t

[nostamj]

21. it was cancelled

it would have been a SEA of bare BUMS......

TMHMOE cannot appear in public, anywhere on the planet!

[susu369]

30. Make that "the carnage thing"

(just had my eye checkup and with my eyes dialated sure looked like carnage).

:-)

[Zech Marquis]

2. this will get real ugly!

it's one thing for Scotland Yard to work with the Secret Service and use top secret security measures--without shutting down an entire city for one poor excuse of a man! But for * to declare "shut down thecentral city area while I make Blair wipe my ass for the last time".. in a foreign country for god's stake--this will be real ugly!

[kysrsoze]

25. I can't wait to see the coverage on this debacle!

It's going to be an absolute scream watching all the protests. Maybe it'll penetrate a few skulls on this side of the Atlantic.

[corarose]

27. Will we see it?

It won't be aired in the USA unless it is brushed up to make him look like the British are throwing flowers at him instead of bottles.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

3. What if the SS shoot a protester. Is that too over the top? or possible?

[Malva Zebrina]

5. my thought too

what if a protestor steps over the line--looks threatening--has the wrong sign--not impossible--remember Kent State.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

7. International Incident perhaps?

This sort of thing never happens over there, but with Bush there? Not outwith the realm of possibility.

[smirkymonkey]

16. Or Bloody Sunday?

they're not above shooting peaceful protesters..

[Screaming Lord Byron]

17. Yeah, I mentioned the 'Bloody Sunday' movie in another post

with regards to this. It's happened before. What are the chances of it happening again? There's been more than one 'Bloody Sunday'

[JoFerret]

33. Absolutely. Just think of Peterloo....

.

[bobbieinok]

38. Great!! a reference to Peterloo

That's when the British soldiers fired on working people and their families when they gathered in large numbers to picnic and hear speakers about their rights.

It happened in 1820 and got the name as a play on Waterloo.

Is this right? I'm doing this from memory.

[Military Brat]

6. They are not excluding that option

It was in a link from an article posted yesterday on DU. They will shoot if they believe anyone is acting "in a manner which threatens the life of the president (sic)."

It makes you wonder where they draw the line between an attitude of anger and an attitude of threat. Let's hope all the protestors are using both hands to hold their signs up.

I just hope they don't capitulate and sacrifice the civil liberties of the Brits by establishing "speech corrals." Or if they do, maybe that will tell the world with absolute finality that tyranny does not distinguish between friends or foes.

Edited for clarity.

[havocmom]

8. That would be called a "pre-emptive strike"

And Blair would have his hands full with protests for helping those with the "cowboy mentality" (my apology to real cowboys) set precident for running amok in the world with guns blazing and brains in neutral.

I hope the Brits give bushco hell and I hope their leaders are wise enough to let it happen. Time to draw the circle {that the neocons move in} smaller and smaller. Pretty soon they just won't be allowed out where decent people are.

[tinnypriv]

34. THE FUCKS WANT IMMUNITY

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-890826,00.html

:mad:

[R Hickey]

9. Bush wants to make London his personal gated community,

with Concentration Camp Zones to corral the unruly masses.

[eek]

10. i read London papers daily- freedom of speech

and freedom to demo has been consistently referred to for weeks and months now.

Even Blair brings up the respect for such freedoms.

Seems it'd be really really bad if that is reneged upon .
Blair's rep is bad enough and for him to concede his vaunted free speech ad the behest of aWol ...not good.

Anyway, the Londoners handle big crowds, demos threats etc etc wonderfully in my observation. Remember they've had terror atacks, riots, bla bla for always - they are co-ordinated and prepared and, honestly, rather decent about it. Not nervous thugs like we get here all too often,


Dang I wish I was going over ther for this!
My fave is the "moon bush" thing.

[T_i_B]

13. Blair pretends to repect freedom of speech

but in reality he dislikes it as much as Bush does. Witness the manner in which internal dissent in "new" labour is clamped down on under the catch all clause of bringing the party into disrepute and witness the attempt to stop the February 15 demo in Hyde Park which attraqcted over 2 million of use because the culture secretary whought it would damage the grass.

"new" labour has little time for dissenting opinions. Little time indeed, to bother listening to anyone with legitamate concerns about the direction Blair is taking us.

[Dover]

11. Cheney is Bush's best security. No one will touch Dubya....

Now Cheney, on the other hand, has likely been advised not to appear in public...period. Must feel heart warming to be so loved and admired...
Now if Cheney only HAD a heart....tick, tick, tick....

[T_i_B]

12. Ken Livingstone is one of us

Ken Livingstone is one of Blair's pet hates, he detests Bush, and he wins elections, which is why he is London's Independent Mayor. He was Labour until Blair decided to stich up the proccess of selecting the Labour candidate so Livingstone ran anyway and kicked Blair's arse! here he is laying into the wanker in the whitehouse.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3011999.stm

After making a pointed reference to Mr Bush, he was asked by Channel 4 broadcaster Krishnan Guru-Murthy, who was chairing the meeting, to explain his making a personal attack on the US president when he disliked answering personal questions himself.

The mayor said: "I think George Bush is the most corrupt American president since Harding in the Twenties.

"He is not the legitimate president."

He later added: "This really is a completely unsupportable government and I look forward to it being overthrown as much as I looked forward to Saddam Hussein being overthrown."

[truthspeaker]

14. you and me both, Ken! (n/t)

[donsu]

15. why can't these two criminals meet someplace else

and leave the citizens of London alone. and think of the expense! or are we americans footing the bill?

[Gin]

24. Like Gitmo....sounds good to me...there is a special cage overlooking

the ocean for each of them.

[pink_poodle]

18. hee hee hee Good for the Brits!!!!! That ought to send...........

a message to the cabal to go fuck themselves. snicker.

[pink_poodle]

19. And secondly, a lot of people forget there are a lot of...............

Scots and Irish who don't give a shit about the Monarchy! So the Queen can go stuff herself too! BLAT!

[truthisfreedom]

20. you've got to love this. what a CONUNDRUM! it makes bushco look so bad.

just so unbearably bad. what a total farking mess. any photos at all from this event will be reminders to us of what a mess bush has made of our country's image overseas.

[young_at_heart]

22. Has this ever happened to another president?

I sure can't think of one president that has caused so much misery around the world!

[Hubert Flottz]

23. Bush isn't a President Al Gore is!

Bush is our Fuhrer there to finally parade through London because he can this time!

[Dan]

26. I don't know if it is funny or sad,

that some of us (including myself) don't give a damn what happens to Bush.

[legin]

28. Last british PM assassinated: Spencer Perceval, 1812

Biography:

Spencer Perceval is, unfortunately, best remembered for being the only Prime Minister to have been assassinated.

He was a professional lawyer, and he made his mark as a competent Solicitor-General and Attorney-General. He then succeeded the Duke of Portland as Prime Minister at a time of war with France. He had a difficult administration due to the upheavals of the Industrial Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars.

After two years his government had survived much longer than predicted amidst a severe economic depression. Indeed, it began to seem that the situation of his government looked as if it was set to improve. However, his administration ended when John Bellingham shot Perceval dead in the lobby of the House of Commons. Bellingham was a merchant who who had business debts in Russia. He had tried to recover compensation from the government for his losses, but was refused. He consequently blamed Perceval for the failure of his business. Bellingham's action resulted in his own death, for he was then hanged for Perceval's murder.

http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/page158.asp

----------------------------------
basic moral of the story as always: 'don't piss off the corporations'.

[dArKeR]

29. National Get Rid of That Bush Day - Mirror

Fed up with Tony Blair for always waxing lyrical about war, a group calling themselves the Opposition Society decided to put their words into action and on Tuesday called for women to wax for peace on National Get Rid of That Bush Day.

Posters around Brighton called for other women to join them in protest and to "Wax 'em off, put 'em in an envelope and send 'em to Tony Blair with a message stating...'I got rid of my Bush now you get rid of yours.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/content_objectid=13600203_method=full_siteid=50143_headline=-WEIRD%2DWORLD%2DTHIS%2DWEEK-name_page.html

This is great! LOL! Has anyone seen this in the US Whore Media?

[pippin]

31. in Spanish

the word pendejo means moron. Literally the word means pubic hair so I guess the women of Brighton have got it right with our lil ole pendejo! :bounce:

[Matilda]

32. Thank God for "Red Ken". A voice of reason in this sea of

crawling stupidity. If anything could be designed to make protesters
angry, it would be trying to shut down central London. Apart from
economic insanity, it would be calculated to make people determined
to make themselves seen and heard, at whatever risk, and then you've
got the potential for real trouble.

It's Bush who should be kept off the streets, not decent people.

[Gloria]

35. Meanwhile, the last elected President brings cheap drugs to poor countries

to conquer AIDS and yesterday was in China convincing them to start opening up so that they don't get inundated with the disease.

By the time Bush is done, he won't be able to anywhere after he's out of office, not just while he's "President." He'll hole up with the Carlyle crowd and continue to screw humanity...

[UpInArms]

36. related link - So who did invite him?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1083115,00.html

excerpt:

No, there is only one beneficiary of this visit and it is the Bush White House. With an election campaign looming, they are anxious to deflect the accusation that Bush is isolated. They want to show he has allies and friends around the world and few play better in the US than Tony Blair, whose American ratings put his home numbers in the shade.

That explains why Bush is keen to be seen with the PM, but not why he might want the full flummery of a state visit. A clue can be found in the text studied more closely than any other by the political operatives in the Bush White House: the campaign to re-elect Ronald Reagan in 1984. That made heavy use of TV footage which cast Reagan as a statesman, at home across the globe. A favourite sequence showed the president and the Queen on horseback in Windsor Great Park during his 1982 visit. The Bush team want some royal shots like that of their own. Apparently they were particularly keen on an open-carriage procession down the Mall, and are said to be disheartened by London's suggestion that that might not be possible due to "security".

One Republican source, close to the White House, has a theory as to why the Queen is such an important catch for the image makers. "Look, Americans don't know shit. They're not going to recognise the prime minister of the Philippines. The only foreign leaders they could pick out are the Queen of England and the Pope - and we've already got those pictures." With the Pontiff in the can, the Queen is the co-star the president needs.

...more...

[dArKeR]

37. LONDON MAYOR BACKS BUSH PROTEST

HE row over President George Bush's visit to London grew last night amid plans to create an exclusion zone around central London to keep out protesters.

Anti-war campaigners expect up to 100,000 people to attend a Whitehall rally during his three day trip. But US security chiefs have demanded that they are kept away from the president.

London mayor Ken Livingstone condemned the exclusion zone and advocated the usual Metropolitan Police low key approach.

He said: "We have not had a Prime Minister assassinated in this country for 190 years" - referring to PM Spencer Perceval, assassinated in the Commons in 1812.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/content_objectid=13615197_method=full_siteid=50143_headline=-LONDON%2DMAYOR%2DBACKS%2DBUSH%2DPROTEST-name_page.html