Wednesday, July 13, 2005
'What If'? Wednesday - Ireland attacked
What if Ireland gets hit by a terrorist attack similar to what happened in Britain?
The Irish government has acknowledged that there is a possibility that people in Ireland, people who are radical Islamic extremists, could pose a threat to the Irish people and indeed the British people. The Taoiseach has stated that these people need to be closely monitored. Are we at risk though in this country? In my opinion, we certainly are.
Let's suppose terrorists decide to detonate an explosion in Dublin's city centre. The fact is, chaos would ensue. I doubt that the emergency servies in Ireland would be as good as their British counterparts, largely due to the fact that the British have been preparing for such an attack whilst we have not. Also, we have had a poor record historically when it comes to dealing with such incidents. Recent evidence has shown extraordinary incompetence in the way the Gardai handled the investigation into the bombing of Dublin in 1974 by the UVF/British intelligence. In contrast to other countries, Ireland appears very weak.
Are we the Irish people expected to believe that we have an intelligence service efficient enough to deal with Islamic terrorists? I sincerely doubt it.
The reality is, our 'tradition of neutrality' may suit alot of Irish people and give them a feeling of comfort but this is a false sense of security. In the eyes of those who want Jihad, the entire West is a target and we in Ireland are no exception. Sadly, bombers could target Dublin and there's a decent chance they could get away with it because our security is so woeful.
I think it's time we set up a new intelligence service, the Irish equivalent of MI5, with orders to monitor all terrorist activity whether it's Islamic terrorists, Republican terrorists or Loyalist terrorists. Something must be done to prevent a potential massacre.
This is a war on terror. And neutrality is not an option.
The Irish government has acknowledged that there is a possibility that people in Ireland, people who are radical Islamic extremists, could pose a threat to the Irish people and indeed the British people. The Taoiseach has stated that these people need to be closely monitored. Are we at risk though in this country? In my opinion, we certainly are.
Let's suppose terrorists decide to detonate an explosion in Dublin's city centre. The fact is, chaos would ensue. I doubt that the emergency servies in Ireland would be as good as their British counterparts, largely due to the fact that the British have been preparing for such an attack whilst we have not. Also, we have had a poor record historically when it comes to dealing with such incidents. Recent evidence has shown extraordinary incompetence in the way the Gardai handled the investigation into the bombing of Dublin in 1974 by the UVF/British intelligence. In contrast to other countries, Ireland appears very weak.
Are we the Irish people expected to believe that we have an intelligence service efficient enough to deal with Islamic terrorists? I sincerely doubt it.
The reality is, our 'tradition of neutrality' may suit alot of Irish people and give them a feeling of comfort but this is a false sense of security. In the eyes of those who want Jihad, the entire West is a target and we in Ireland are no exception. Sadly, bombers could target Dublin and there's a decent chance they could get away with it because our security is so woeful.
I think it's time we set up a new intelligence service, the Irish equivalent of MI5, with orders to monitor all terrorist activity whether it's Islamic terrorists, Republican terrorists or Loyalist terrorists. Something must be done to prevent a potential massacre.
This is a war on terror. And neutrality is not an option.
# posted by United Irelander @ 8:07 PM 
© 2008 United Irelander.
