Original source URL: http://news.netscape.com/viewstory/2006/08/22/britons-blame-terror-on-foreign-policy/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.islam-online.net%2FEnglish%2FNews%2F2006-08%2F22%2F02.shtml&frame=true Britons Blame Terror on Foreign Policy IslamOnline.net & Newspapers CAIRO ‹ The majority of Britons believe that Prime Minister Tony Blair's foreign policy has made their country more of a target for terrorists, sentiment that is plunging support for the governing Labour Party to a 19-year low, The Guardian reported on Tuesday, August 22, citing a new poll. In a Guardian/ICM poll of 1,007 adults carried out over the weekend, 72 percent, including 65 percent of Labour voters, think government policy has made Britain more of a target for terrorists. Only one percent of respondents believe Blair's actions in the Middle East had made Britain safer. Blair had come under heavy criticism for standing by US President George W. Bush in blocking an early ceasefire in the Israeli war on Lebanon. An open letter by 38 British Muslim organizations blaming Blair's foreign policy for giving "ammunitions" to terrorists has been criticized by the government and some politicians last week as "dreadful misjudgment." A report commissioned by Muslim leaders following the 7/7 London attacks said that the British policy on Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East were fanning the flames of extremism. And a Home Office's inquiry into the terrorist bombings has conceded that the bombers were motivated by London's foreign policy, principally the decision to join the US-led invasion of Iraq. The same poll also showed that support for the ruling Labour dipped four points to 31 percent, the lowest since 1987. It is the second lowest since the poll series began in 1984, noted the British daily. The main opposition Conservative Party gained support, rising to 40 percent, its strongest showing since 1992. Britain's second-biggest opposition Liberal Democrat Party, meanwhile, gained five points to 22 percent. The poll showed former Labour voters switching to the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in almost equal numbers. Were those results to be replicated in a general election, the Conservatives would win a majority in Parliament by about 10 seats, according to The Guardian. Suspicious The poll also indicated that Britons are suspicious of the alleged plot to blow up US-bound passenger jets in mid-aid. Only 20 percent of all polled, and 26 percent of Labour voters, think the government is telling the truth about the threat. Twenty-one percent of those interviewed believe the government has actively exaggerated the danger. A majority of 51 percent think the government is not giving the full truth and may be telling less than it knows. About 15 percent of respondents said they were less likely to fly as a result of Britain's announcement that it had thwarted the alleged terror plot. On August 10, Britain arrested 24 people, mostly Muslims of Pakistani origin, in connection with the alleged plot and raised its terror alert level to "critical" ‹ its highest ‹ leading to elevated security levels at the country's airports. The alert level has since been lowered and two of the 24 have been released without charges. Eleven of the suspects were due to appear in a London court later Tuesday charged in connection with the alleged plot. Eight of them are charged with conspiracy to murder and preparing acts of terrorism, while the three others face charges of withholding information and holding information useful to would-be terrorists. -- -------------------------------------------------------- Escaping the Matrix website http://escapingthematrix.org/ cyberjournal website http://cyberjournal.org subscribe cyberjournal list mailto:•••@••.••• Posting archives http://cyberjournal.org/show_archives/ Blogs: cyberjournal forum http://cyberjournal-rkm.blogspot.com/ Achieving real democracy http://harmonization.blogspot.com/ for readers of ETM http://matrixreaders.blogspot.com/ Community Empowerment http://empowermentinitiatives.blogspot.com/ Blogger made easy http://quaylargo.com/help/ezblogger.html
