DAR AL HARB - U.K.: A STORY ON CAT ALLERGIES IS THE TOP READ STORY - - - TERRORISM IS NOT IN THE TOP 5

Britons take it easy in the new age of terrorism
By Gideon Rachman

The threat level in Britain is “critical”. This means that a new terrorist attack could be imminent. Would-be car-bombers are said to be still at large. Iraq-style terror tactics have arrived.

But the British public seems to be more worried about the threat from the domestic tabby than the menace of suicide bombers. Checking the BBC website on Monday for news of the latest arrests, I noticed that the “most read” story in the UK was headlined: “Experts warn on cat allergies.” Terrorism did not make it into the top five.

Certainly the Londoners I travelled to work with did not seem terrified – or even particularly anxious. The crowds on the Tube were, as usual, immersed in their free newspapers and insulated by their iPods. People seem to have decided that the “British” thing to do (to use our new prime minister’s favourite word) is to stay calm. But the commuters around me were not putting on a brave face. They seemed genuinely relaxed.

There is an obvious explanation for this. None of the three attempted bombings so far has killed anyone. Ever since the Tube bombings of July 7 2005, we have been warned that further attacks are inevitable. Given the grisly array of possibilities – dirty bombs, truck bombs, even nuclear terrorism – the startling incompetence of the recent attacks has come as something of a relief. Setting yourself on fire and then punching a policeman, while shouting “Allah”, is about as low-tech as it gets.

Of course, by tomorrow, the mood could have changed utterly. All it would take is for a car bomber to get through and succeed in killing scores of people.

The political debate about how to counter terrorism has already taken on a new urgency. Gordon Brown, freshly installed in 10 Downing Street, has to think about new policies. The five main topics under review will be civil liberties, foreign policy, British Muslims, security and intelligence.

The temptation is to act frenetically on all fronts. But we have known for years that there is a grave threat from terrorism. As before, the real key to tackling it remains good intelligence.

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1) Britons take it easy in the new age of terrorism