Now we know the security arrangements for the forthcoming 2012 London Olympics. The armed forces will keep the invasion of foreign athletes from conquering Britain. We certainly are going for gold.

Seriously though, 13,000 troops? Attack helicopters? Jet fighters on scramble alert? A battleship on the Thames? I'm struggling to get my head around this. I agree there's bound to be a risk of terrorists making some explosive statement of their anti-whatever views, but this stuff is protection on the scale of a Hollywood thriller.

Just what sort of threat are these forces expecting? Chances are any actual threat would be a small number of hostiles. I suppose picking out the terrorist from tourist isn't so easy but is it any easier from helicopter a thousand feet overhead? And if we do get suspicious characters wandering around London with backpacks, I sort of got the idea the police were already well capable of targetting them.

Blown It

Now that the US has packed its bags and booked tickets home after nine years of operations in Iraq it's time to reflect on what they achieved. I imagine many of my countrymen are making some scornful comments. It was saddening to see ordinary Iraqis interviewed by journalists doing exactly that.

There is a plus side to it all besides the demise of Saddam Hussein. Apparently the terrorists are experiencng problems in finding volunteers for suicide bombing. Why would that suprise anyone? Almost everyone who was angry enough to blow themselves up has already done so. And what, exactly, has suicide bombing achieved except give a few fundamentalists the chance to make a home video?.

Now I hear that an Iranian has been caught red handed at Moscow airport with loads of radioactive material. The Iranians have always maintained that their nuclear power program has no military purpose. If they carry on like this, they'll be inviting the americans to drop by for the regime celebrations. I mean, it's not like they haven't been warned.

Temper Temper

A few times recently I've watched the hot debates on Prime Ministers Question Time. For those that don't know, that's not a current affairs program, but televised government proceedings that occaisionally get aired when terorists aren't blowing things up or the Eurozone manages to keep its balance.

I've had some dismissive things to say about David Cameron, our glorious leader (who I note isn't appearing alongside coalition partner Nick Clegg much anymore), but I was struck by the somewhat amateurish performance of the arch-enemy, opposition leader Ed Milliband. It's understandable that he tries to diminish government performance and criticise the Prime Ministers decisions and policiies - that's democracy - but having made his accusations he sits there fuming that his opponent is ripping him apart, making scornful comments while the microphones are elsewhere. Eddy baby, chill out man. Your crowd won the Feltham & Heston by-election. What more do you need? A good turn out?

Safety First

Last night the weather report was full of dire warnings of snow and strong winds. No sign of it this morning. The ground is wet mind you, but what a nice sunny day. Elsewhere in Britain it's a different matter. A short while ago I saw interviews of various people in Wales. Not in the usual urban setting, but on a path toward the peak of Pen-Y-Fan.

I've been up to the summit of the highest mountain in South Wales myself in my younger days, although in fairness that wasn't during winter. Two lads with skis and snowboard enthused about the possibility of getting some fun and promptly headed for the slopes. Then we met a chap from the local mountain rescue team. "A lot of other people may want to visit wild places too," The interviewer suggested, "What would you recommend on days like this to keep yourself safe?"

Immediately the mountain rescue man almost smiled at the chance to ram some commonsense down the throat of the british public. "Warm clothes, stout boots, goggles, map, compass, thermos flask, food, whistle, torch, crampons..."

And so on. Needless to say I had almost none of those things the day I went up there. I doubt any of todays visitors will either. Mostly because the vehicles necessary to transport all their expedition gear to base camp won't be able to cope with snow.