MelJ

In this age of terrorism, are you surprised that they are providing minute-by-minute details of the wedding procession? Sad to have to ponder this.

http://www.officialroyalwedding2011....ton--An-update

flanneruk

You're confusing the measures needed for a politician's rally, with flag-waving supporters bussed in as if this were North Korea or the United States, with those needed to ensure the safety of a million spectators in a free society.

Royal pageants involve the cooperation of least 10,000 participants, traffic managers, emergency services and security people. They can't possibly do their job without knowing the detailed timetable. Spectators can't possibly work out how to get the best view, how to plan for a pee, how to meet up if separated and how to cooperate with the authorities if anything goes wrong unless they share the same information. Ill informed spectators are a far bigger threat to public safety than snipers: hundreds get killed when crowds are mismanaged.

Of course, this means terrorists share the information as well. Doesn't matter as much these days, of course, as it did at the last Royal wedding in 1981: we no longer need worry about American-backed murderers who'd killed the Queen's cousin and his 10-year-old nephews two years earlier. Now that America has belatedly discovered the problems of terrorism, the streets of London are a great deal safer than they were when Prince Charles got married.

The safety of prominent dignitaries requires immense amounts of intelligence, route searching and monitoring. But it also requires the help of the million or so people watching. A cooperative, well-informed, crowd actually increases the security of those in the pageant: an ill informed crowd creates a real risk of far greater tragedies than terrorism has ever inflicted.

Incidentally: this isn't "the age of terrorism". It's merely a period in which Americans happen to have chosen terrorism as their paranoid neurosis of the decade. Prince Charles didn't let such absurd fears affect his wedding, while London was being weekly bombed on the proceeds of contributions from racist psychopaths in New York and Boston. His son has the same backbone.

Carlux

And I can't believe that anyone who did want to disrupt the ceremony wouldn't have found other ways to get the information anyway.

Josser

Well said Flanner.
I remember grinding a tooth or two after the July 7th bombings.
There was a headline in the Washington Post about Britain's "first experience of terrorism".

Josser

BTW, this is interesting and has received little publicity
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/fe...7-bomber-freed

Kate

>>There was a headline in the Washington Post about Britain's "first experience of terrorism".<<

Seriously??? That is beyond offensive.

But anyway, if I wanted to off William, I'm sure there's easier ways to do it than camping out with thousands of police plus all the elite military troups taking part.

alihutch

>>There was a headline in the Washington Post about Britain's "first experience of terrorism".<<

I would like to hope that isn't true. Blimey! I've certainly had my life vastly more disrupted by the IRA, that any other organisation...and heard a couple of their bombs go off....

Tulips

I remember the atmosphere in London in the late 80s and 90s when I lived there. Very regular disruptions due to suspect packages, bomb scares, actual bombs going off; at Harrods (during Christmas shopping), Victoria Station, Hyde Park, the City. Londoners have long dealt with terrorism.

Josser

Yup, quite true.
I wrote a letter of complaint at the time.

PatrickLondon

FWIW, in the year of the Charles/Diana wedding, some idiot boy in the crowd at the Trooping the Colour fired blanks as the Queen rode by:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5FD3-CsMbc

There's always a first time, I suppose, but they've managed that procession/parade every year, as well as the State Opening of Parliament, not to mention a couple of weddings and the Golden Jubilee parades, without anyone trying anything on. Apart from the police and soldiers lining the route and the accompanying guards of honour, you don't see the people on roofs and other security preparations.

MissPrism

There's nothing new under the sun.
There were several attacks on Queen Victoria's life.
She was shot at a few times and one man hit her over the head with a walking stick.
The Fenians were also planting dynamite in Victorian times and actually blew up two third class carriages on the Metropolitan railway line.

chartley

Miss Prism. You of all people should know that the line is immaterial.

PatrickLondon

Yes, where <i>is</i> that baby?

annhig

in a HANDBAG of course!

MissPrism

If you were gentlemen, you would not mention that unfortunate incident.
After all, a baby and a three volume novel are roughly the same size and weight.

janisj

Before some start a row about the 'Yank bashing' above -- I'm American and totally agree w/ every bit of it. I lived in the UK during the height of the IRA attacks on London and the idiots in New England who supported Gerry Adams and the rest should have been forced to sit in the lobby of the London Hilton when it was blown up.

First experience of terrorism my ass!

annhig

Miss P - one is generally noisier and smellier, however.