http://www.chickyog.net/2006/08/12/matthew-parris-lets-treat-the-plotters-as-common-criminals-not-soldiers-in-a-global-war/ The weblog of Brighton-based writer Justin McKeating Sat, 20 Mar 2010 11:14:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 http://www.chickyog.net/2006/08/12/matthew-parris-lets-treat-the-plotters-as-common-criminals-not-soldiers-in-a-global-war/comment-page-1/#comment-19363 Robert Sharp » Blog Archive » Blogs and newspapers Sun, 13 Aug 2006 20:22:18 +0000 http://www.chickyog.net/2006/08/12/matthew-parris-lets-treat-the-plotters-as-common-criminals-not-soldiers-in-a-global-war/#comment-19363 [...] Meanwhile, it is via Rachel From North London, in turn via Chicken Yoghurt, that the latest column by the fantastic Matthew Parris: “Let’s treat the plotters as common criminals, not soldiers in a global war”: How sides seem to have been switched since the last century turned. Rebels and mutineers used to insist that there was a war on, and governments used to insist that there wasn’t. Hardliners took the view that people who blew things up were common criminals, to be dealt with case by case. Liberals argued that it was more useful to see them as idealists in a warped and misguided army … Now it’s the other way round. Hardliners see a war between opposing forces. Liberals see a more fractured picture, a rebel cast of dangerous but messed-up people, idiots, nutters and psychopaths, some organised, some clever, others out of control: essentially a matter, however grave, for the police. [...] [...] Meanwhile, it is via Rachel From North London, in turn via Chicken Yoghurt, that the latest column by the fantastic Matthew Parris: “Let’s treat the plotters as common criminals, not soldiers in a global war”: How sides seem to have been switched since the last century turned. Rebels and mutineers used to insist that there was a war on, and governments used to insist that there wasn’t. Hardliners took the view that people who blew things up were common criminals, to be dealt with case by case. Liberals argued that it was more useful to see them as idealists in a warped and misguided army … Now it’s the other way round. Hardliners see a war between opposing forces. Liberals see a more fractured picture, a rebel cast of dangerous but messed-up people, idiots, nutters and psychopaths, some organised, some clever, others out of control: essentially a matter, however grave, for the police. [...]

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