If I perceive it's becoming a demonstration I'll come and let you know. How about that

I opened up the Internet today and saw the headline

Prescott urges Labour to avoid "war" – Reuters

And, for the briefest of moments, I thought that the IncredibleCocktailSausageMan had suffered from some kind of mental seizure and had spoken out against the war on Iraq.

Silly me.

One person who is still speaking out against the Iraq War is Brian Haw, though it’s looking increasingly likely that he’s going to have to stop doing it opposite the Houses of Parliament. Three appeal court judges decided that he and his peace camp represent a significant security threat to our beloved MPs and that he has to move on.

This will be a real shame. Partly because the right to protest in public is an important right but also because Haw and his camp have proven to be a magnet for all sorts of amusing though sadly futile activity.

Mind you, I keep saying how futile all these right to speech demonstrations have been but they have obviously pissed Blair and Co off enough for them to draft legislation banning them.

The latest amusingly futile stunt took place on May 1st when ten demonstrators turned up with a blank protest placard and trotted around Westminster pursued by sundry police and surveillance people, Benny Hill style. A short video is available here and includes a few choice lines including…

"If I perceive it's becoming a demonstration, I'll come and let you know." How about that?"

Priceless

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The suggestion that Haw is to be moved on because his camp represents some kind of security risk is a transparent lie. It is a nice example, if one were needed, that citing security concerns as a justification anything that our leaders wish to undertake is the name of the game from now on.

Pretty much any activity can be depicted as a potential cover for terrorist activity.

That’s why our government has such a hard-on for terrorism.

And the truth isthat no level of security can prevent terrorism, particularly if the terrorist is willing to exchange their life for their target’s life. The Nazis couldn’t stop terrorism in their time and the Israelis can’t now. Trading liberty for security is a fool’s bargain and anyone offering to make such a trade is either wicked or stupid, or both.

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For not entirely unrelated reasons I have recently been enjoying reading up on the latest advances in Remotely Piloted Vehicle (RPV) technology. I have been particularly impressed by the New Zealand hobbyist who designed a DIY, GPS-controlled, ramjet powered cruise missile that cost only $5,000 and then he put his draft plans on the Internet. I also like the look of the Yamaha RMAX G1.

Short of imposing a 24 hour curfew in central London, jamming all radio frequencies and shrouding the House of Parliament in a huge wire mesh bubble it’s not entirely clear to me what the security services could do to stop one of those babies

/ Reverts to Dr Strangelove mode

Well, sir, if the pilot's a really good man, I mean really sharp, why he can barrel that plane along so low - well you just have to see it some time ... zig-zagging in, its jet exhaust frying chickens in the barnyard ... Has he a chance? ..... Hell, yes! He has one hell of a chance!