It's a strange time to be alive, as you say peoples complacency is very worrying, I'm sure the dissenters/thinkers are still out there but I don't meet many of them, not any that are younger than myself for sure!

I'm increasingly drawn to believe increasingly in what I call the 'Butcher of Bakersfield' syndrome - i.e the media has become so much a tool (either in it's direct pay or more worringly unwittingly) of the Governments manipulation, that thinking ones own thoughts, let alone voicing them, tends to make one feel like a conspiracy theorist.

However, take the whole episode of the WMD and the 45 minute claim that led to: 1) the death of fallguy Dr Kelly. 2)The sackings and gagging of the BBC for not playing the game. 3) And despite all of this fiasco of the Hutton report etc etc the wretched Mr Blair (a religious fundamentalist) is re-ellected with a majority that represents some 30% of the country... let alone the whole xenophobia whipped up by the recent events in London which left one innocent sod shot (5-7 times) by an enthusiastic or panicky policeman and much of the country gripped in rampant Islamophobia. I'm sorry but I just don't buy into the whole threat of the al Quiada thing at all. I mean I lived through the IRA bombings of the 70's and there was far more 'terrorist' activity back then, yet none of the hype and media/gornment generated panic we have now - as far as I recall.

Hell! as soon as my sailing skills are honed and I have a decent enough (i.e. bigger) boat I'm outta here. I'd happily renounce my UK citizenship at the drop of a hat. Of course there are some security issues but they are dealt with so appalingly and icompetently. Given this country's recent conduct towards the Islamic 'world' I'm ashamed to be seen as 'British'.