h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Read this - I just 'love' it - I found this on the BBC news site...
here http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2931044.stm

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Security tightens at Parliament

Concrete blocks have been positioned around the Houses of Parliament to protect the building from a possible terrorist attack.

The BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner said the primary aim of the increased security "is to stop a suicide truck bomb slamming into the Houses of Parliament", which he said would have been incredibly easy.

The concrete blocks would remain in place for a long time, he added.

"It is not going to stop a determined attacker with really subtle carefully worked out plans, but it is certainly going to deter the casual bomber," he said.

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The casual bomber? Could there possibly be such a thing?

"Um what shall I do today? Pop into M&S.... or detonate this bomb around my waist, I just can't decide..."

I mean he says earlier that the guy is potentially a suicide bomber. How could you POSSIBLY have a casual suicide bomber? It has to be the one thing that you could never ever take casually.

Or do you think that he just meant it was going to deter bombers wearing lounge suits and slacks?

If it would deter bombers wearing lounge suits and slacks, I hope they'd quickly apply it to deter others as well...

Especially some of the teachers who don't know what decade it is. A purple suit might have been cool once - but there were a lot more drugs in society then to help it out.

>>>casual suicide bomber

Ha! Excellent.

"Um what shall I do today? Pop into M&S.... or detonate this bomb around my waist, I just can't decide..."

M&S do they sell fashionable army /survival clothes nowadays?

pheloxi is happy. YOOPi! I am published in a dictionary.
see F64198?thread=279755

If this news story wasn't being covered by all the other news agencies, I would have sworn it was nothing more than an elaborate promo for the new series of Spooks

Weren't 'casuals' a youth subculture in the 1970s? I seem to remember them as a kind of hybrid of skinheads and mods, and some football hooliganism being blamed on 'casuals'. Obviously the footie wars just aren't enough for them any more!

What next, I wonder? New Romantic suicide bombers? Or Goth suicide bombers? They'd like the suicide bit...

True, but that explosion stuff is just too un-romantic. Count on 'em for a depressed arm-slitting attack... And they won't ber stopped by no concrete blocks

LOL to all!

I particularly like the idea of New Romantics!

The problem is, if you took your date on a suicide bombing, then your relationship has just gone down the drain! (Along with your lives, that is!)

Deus Ex Machina
Suicide Bombing- the #1 way to ruin a date.

Yeah, and what a good date she was!

I think we could be on to something with the New Romantic bombers, you know. I've just remembered this news story from last year: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2190656.stm Note that during this incident, Adam Ant was wearing military gear!

I suspect that Number 10 has been receiving threats reading something like: 'I'm the dandy highwayman that you're too scared to mention. Free hair gel and blusher on the NHS or the House goes up. PS: Tell Blair he'd look a lot better with a white stripe painted across his face.'

I'm surprised I'm not shocked by the erection of concrete blocks around the Houses of Parliament.

I have seen the gaps in between them though, are they supposed to be narrow enough so a suicide bomber couldn't squeeze through?