UK Martial Law

What follows is an article in today's newspaper.

Military on Millennium Eve Alert
Guardian, Oct 28, 1999

The armed forces have been put on high alert to deal with any protracted outbreaks of public disorder during the extended millennium holiday. Government sources yesterday said contingency planning was now almost entirely focused on public disorder and/or hysteria, rather than on breakdowns in public services caused by the millennium bug. The hope in Whitehall is that Britain and its advanced services will be virtually immune to any computer glitch that cannot recognize the century date change. Giving details of what is said to be the biggest planning operation since the Second World War, Jack Straw, the home secretary, said the ministry of defense had been drafted onto the civil contingencies committee he chairs. Also on the committee are an assistant Metropolitan police commissioner, the head of the Association of Chief Police Officers and officials from Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

With hundreds of thousands of people expected on the streets of London alone on the millennium eve, the expanded committee has met three times since July 1st and is to meet virtually weekly between now and December 31st. Unveiling a government millennium center in the cabinet office, Mr. Straw said " enhanced stand-by arrangements" had been put in place for the military in case of disorder, computer breakdown or unforeseen disasters such as abrupt weather change. "But the police and fire services should be able to deal with a wide range of problems without outside help," he said. "We have to plan for a wide range of human behavior."

So why does Whitehall anticipate this New Years eve will be any different than any other? The government has already reassured the people that the UK will be Y2K free. So why do they anticipate any problem? And note the mention of "unforeseen disasters". Just what are their real intentions? (As if we didn't already know.) I suppose its just pure coincidence that Britain's arrangements match those rumored to be in place, in the USA, by Dec 31st. I wonder how many other countries have similar arrangements? Looks like the New Year might be more interesting than I'd thought. Keep you posted.

Offered by Brian.

It has been mentioned on the radio (a member of my staff told me he listened to this report) that the army will be in place to control all the bridges over the river Tames in London on New Years Eve. The reason given was "to stop revelers from throwing themselves off the bridges". Mmm, so we have all become lemmings this yea. There has never been an army involvement like this in any previous new years. Bridges are strategic points in the control of any city that is like by a large river.

Offered by Ian.