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From today’s Daily Record. A long piece but worth a read .. <br>
<br>Scotland faces chaos over G8 summit curfew
AN UNPRECEDENTED road, rail and air curfew during the G8 summit will plunge Scotland into travel chaos, it was revealed yesterday.<br>Security chiefs have ordered a ban on all plane, train and vehicle movement in and around Prestwick Airport when the world’s most powerful leaders fly in for the meeting at Gleneagles in July.<br>And the knock-on effect could cause motorway gridlock as well as an air traffic nightmare for thousands of holidaymakers.<br>Around 3000 police will man the airport’s 14 mile perimeter.<br>Advisers in charge of security at the three-day summit want to impose ’30-minute total travel exclusion periods’ around each flight arriving at Prestwick with a world leader on board in a bid to thwart protesters and prevent terrorist attacks.<br>This would mean all roads around the Ayrshire airport being closed, all trains being halted and all commercial flights being grounded for the arrival and departure of George W Bush, Vladimir Putin, Jacques Chirac and other world leaders for the summit on July 6-8Traffic experts say the ‘lockdowns’ could lead to 30-mile tailbacks on stretches of the M77 as the knock-on effect is felt as far north as Glasgow and south into Dumfriesshire.<br>Top-ranking officials met at Prestwick last week to finalise details of the operation.<br>A security source said: ‘This is major – by far the biggest security operation ever mounted on Scottish soil. It may well cause widespread disruption, but that cannot be avoided. It’s a small price to pay.'<br>Prestwick has been chosen as the main arrival airport for the world leaders because it is more difficult for protesters to access, compared with Edinburgh or Glasgow.<br>Security, however, will still be massive in the run-up to and immediate period after the summit.<br>Thousands of troops and armed police will be in and around the airport to protect the leaders of the US, UK, Canada, Japan, Russia, France, Germany and Italy.<br>An American aircraft carrier carrying hundreds of Marines will be anchored off the west coast.<br>In the days before their arrival, a fleet of Galaxy airplanes carrying armoured cars and C5 helicopters that will take the leaders to Gleneagles, are expected to touch down.<br>The security arrangements could spell serious trouble for Ryanair, one of Prestwick’s biggest commercial airlines but a spokesman for the company refused to comment, referring all questions to the Foreign Office.<br>The Foreign Office said G8 security arrangements were a matter for the police.<br>A spokesman for Prestwick Airport said: ‘We have regular G8 meetings but there have been no specific arrangements resolved, although a lot of things have been discussed.'<br>Summer holiday traffic and tourists visiting Scotland are also expected to be caught up in it all.<br>Two former traffic policemen are in training to deal with the barrage of calls from stranded motorists.<br>John McDonald, 49, and Bill Milroy, 38, will be in charge of traffic bulletins for the area’s leading radio station,WestsoundMilroy said: ‘During the G8, we will be a lifeline for the community. Whatever traffic comes through for the summit will have a real effect on the surrounding road systems for security reasons.<br>’We expect it will be chaotic, so we will be based at the airport in a bid to ease the problems.'<br>A spokesman for Westsound added: ‘We will play a powerful role during the 6th, 7th and 8th of July.'<br>Yesterday, a police spokesman said: ‘We have a planning team that is dealing directly with Prestwick airport and we cannot give specifics because the plans are changing regularly.<br>’There may end up being traffic delays and disruptions at the time because the leaders of the G8 can change their plans and this will in turn force us to change our plans – but we will be keeping local communities updated.<br>’However, we are constantly negotiating with HMS Gannett in relation to the G8 and under no circumstances will any emergency services be infringed<br>
<br>We are also being told that all of the houses around the airport maybe searched and anyone travelling around in Prestwick will be asked what they are doing there. Effectively, my family will be living under martial law for about a week. In an effort to satisfy the paranoid goings-on of a hand full of people who are going to hold a meeting in secret 150 miles away.
Should we get out and protest about this gross intrusion into our lives .. ??<br>
I was going to say it’s a liberty, but liberty is exactly what it isn’t.
I’m wondering what all those marines will be doing. Are they concerned that Scotland is going to be invaded?
I remember when the had a Euro Summit at Holyrood years ago.
Firstly they took all the local tramps and put them up in hotels.
Then they restricted the movement of the locals. I knew a guy who worked in a pub in the area and it was deserted. He said it was the easiest money he’s ever made.
Steve
On further reflection, I’d be happy if the Americans invaded and got rid off McConnell.
However, I don’t want their troops to stay here indefinitely or for the American government to steal our oil.
Steve
I would consider going on holiday if I was you.
Great idea, Grassy.
If he could only get near the airport…. :biggrin:
Steve
Grassy
You shouldn’t get too smug about DJ’s lack of freedom.
I’m sure Charles Clarke will be have you under house arrest while the summit is on.
At least Dave’ll be able to go down to the local shops. You better get some canned goods in.
Steve
You’ve read my mind, my cyber chums, you know me so well .. we’re off to Turkey on the 3rd July .. just booked it this afternoon. By the time we’re back the gangstas should be all gone and the moot will be over.
I would definitely be arrested as I am unable to keep my big sarcastic gob shut and would definitely mount a one man protest. I just wouldn’t be able to stomach all of the daft coppers, dressed up like Serbian paramilitaries, asking me loads of stupid questions. They have said that they might search all of the houses on the airfield perimeter, that includes ours. They wouldn’t be getting in here without arresting me .. !!
3,500 coppers .. that’s one EACH down here.
Anyway, I’m off to watch Gorgeous George Galloway on Question Time now .. there’s still hope.<br>:cool:
These messages are beamed direct to you, from the Peoples International Socialist Space Station. Not many people know about it, but I know I can trust you
I had no idea.
The government dossier on you claims you are still based in that undersea missile laden bunker half a mile east of Inchcolme.
However, most of what they wrote was cribbed from an ESPC listing when you sold it back in 1994.
(apolgies to anyone reading this that’s wondering what the ****
Inchcolme and the ESPC are – it’s an Edinburgh thing)Dave
Galloway and Salmond were excellent last night.
Compare them with that stupid bag from the Labour party who thought that any mention of Euro referendums on BBC1 was going to effect the vote in France.
Cheesus H Rice.
Steve
Galloway was brilliant .. and his performance cheered me up no end. I must admit, it’s the first time I’ve watched Question Time in ages and I was most impressed. The Labour bag was a joke .. was it just me or did the other politicians avoid contradicting anything that George said ?
It’s the first time for a long time that I’ve admired a politician, the public response was terrific and so was mine.
I am busily composing a letter to my new MP to ask him why the G8 Summit is held in secret and for re-assurance that costs to local businesses will be borne by the people who attend the secret meeting and not local population who are massively inconvenienced by it.
I’m looking forward to going to Turkey .. :biggrin:
Hi Everybody
Brilliant thread
I won’t have the opportunity to get up there (though where there is a will, there’s a way) and I beg of my good friend (friends if GH still likes me) up north to make as big a fuss as possible.
I wonder what, if anything will get sorted out in Gleneagles. My money’s on nothing in interests of the worlds vast majority.
Just a little relevantish statement –
On the Eleventh of September 2001, 3000 westerners were killed in the worst terrorist attack the west had ever been bothered by (because we don’t see the attacks commited by America on 21 countries since WW2 as terrorist – none of the countries emerging with stable, democratic rule)
On the Eleventh of September 2001 – 420,000 children died of starvation which could easily been prevented had the West
a) Not imposed global policys which favour fat wallets<br>b) Used the gargantuan wealth garnered from exploitation of the non rich to help people other than themselves for a change.
(Edited by Kotkijet at 10:10 pm on May 20, 2005)
Now we’ve got Geldof giving us grief.
"Geldof said "massive fleets of trains, trucks, planes and private boats" would move towards Edinburgh for the eve of the G8 summit on July 6, and organisers hope the event and protests will bring action on the cancellation of African debt, doubling of aid and progress on trade justice."
Edinburgh?
Do they have the slightest ****
in clue where Gleneagles is?Steve
Nice to see the Charity Illuminati get the act together though Steve .. another grand and meaningless gesture.
Elton could donate all of his shoes to Malawi and then the whole country could have a pair each .. <br>:biggrin:
I’m beginning to warm to the idea.
It could be Europe’s answer to Woodstock.
I might go along and pretend to give a s**t
. I’d probably get some casual sex out of it.Steve
Brilliant post, Kotkijet, especially the concluding part. I’m copying it to a file for future reference.
Hi everybody
What looked a long shot now looks increasingly likely. That’s right – I’ma coming to Scotland for the biggest event in the great nations history. Hell, I might even say hi to Steve if I’m in the mood. You will be wearing your costume wont you?
Hi Dave<br>Excellent point. The celebs get to make fools of themselves by being swallowed by their own vanity. Shame that not many people notice the irony. IMO they get in the way more than anything since anybody who can think for themselves know that this is a great opportunity for uber – millionaires to candycoat their marketability.
[/b]Richest 3 performers and their personal wealth <br>Paul McCartney £713,000,000 <br>Madonna £180,000,000<br>Elton John £150,000,000
Hi Grimes<br>Cheers
It’ll be interesting to see how many people turn up on the 6th.
Locals will remember the crushing that took place when there were around 300,000 people at the Hogmanay celebrations about 8 years ago.
So, anything over 750,000 could be dangerous. (especially now there’s no city centre A&E deptartment)
Anything less than half a million people and it’ll just be a waste of time IMO.
Interesting times ahead.
Steve
Quote: from Kotkijet on 9:00 pm on June 3, 2005[br] The celebs get to make fools of themselves by being swallowed by their own vanity. Shame that not many people notice the irony. IMO they get in the way more than anything since anybody who can think for themselves know that this is a great opportunity for uber – millionaires to candycoat their marketability. <br>
Yes indeedy. In the year marking the twentieth anniversary of Live Aid, methinks a reissue of Chumbawamba’s Pictures of Starving Children Sell Records from around the same period would be most timely.
I’m not sure I really want the likes of Bono or Dido’s record sales inflating for the next 5-10 years or so as part of the deal of them Saving The World this summer.
Jeremy<br>(graysonscolumn)<br>
(Edited by graysonscolumn at 1:20 pm on June 7, 2005)
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
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