[Tim Deegan]

Originally Posted by Stuart

When you include phrases such as I'll be glad when it's over, people tend to assume your are probably complaining, especially after suggesting that the missiles be moved elsewhere.



Thanks to extensive experience with the IRA, our security services are probably amongst the most experienced people on the planet when dealing with terrorists. I suspect they'll have worked out whether this is safe or not..



Do you know the needs of a SAM battery though? I don't, but they will have access to people who do, and there's probably a good reason they've picked high ground. Greenwich park is another area apparently earmarked for a missile site, and parts of the park are quite high.

As for terrorists hitting the area where the batteries are, I don't think they would. They would probably have one chance at doing it. Terrorists go for maximum publicity. They are also (in a lot of cases) not frightened of death. On the contrary, they may welcome the chance to Martyr themselves, as long as they get maximum publicity.

Now, what's going to get them the maximum publicity? Hitting a residential block, or a park, both of which would be very well protected, and probably only affect at most a couple of thousand people, with no one watching. Contrast that with an Olympic venue, which is likely to have up to 80,000 people in it, and another couple of billion watching on TV (or the Internet) or listening on the radio (or the Internet).

You want proof? Remember 9/11. If the terrorists had just wanted massive loss of life, they could have hit any of a number of buildings even in just New York. Instead they hit two of arguably the best known buildings in the world.

I couldn't agree more. There are enough olympic venues for them to target long before they even consider a block of flats. In fact they would be more likely to hit our transport system, as it can't be 100% defended.