Buy A Flat - Become A Missile Site?
Buy A Flat - Become A Missile Site?
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Discussion

K12beano

Original Poster:

20,854 posts

306 months

Sunday 29th April 2012
quotequote all
In Blighty, of all places!


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17884897

Auntie Beeb said:
The Ministry of Defence says it is evaluating sites for surface-to-air missiles for the Olympic Games, and could place them at residential flats.
Bit unexpected - seems more like a third world country's defence. Stick your missiles in a hospital......Iraq, Iran, Libya, all spring to mind.....

powerstroke

10,283 posts

191 months

Sunday 29th April 2012
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K12beano said:
Bit unexpected - seems more like a third world country's defence. Stick your missiles in a hospital......Iraq, Iran, Libya, all spring to mind.....
It's what people have been calling for , maybe they will aim at tower hamlets for a little practice!!!hehe

Regiment

2,799 posts

190 months

Sunday 29th April 2012
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Shame it's just east London, I bet there's a lot of people looking forward to this and hoping for their own missle turrets.

Can't see any downside to this at all most probably get a few nasty little nimbys though try to ruin it for everyone.

jains15

1,013 posts

204 months

Sunday 29th April 2012
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Regiment said:
Shame it's just east London, I bet there's a lot of people looking forward to this and hoping for their own missle turrets.

Can't see any downside to this at all most probably get a few nasty little nimbys though try to ruin it for everyone.
Yes quite, I'm actually getting more sick of the moaning about the Olympics than I am of the Olympics themselves.... Never thought I would hear myself say that

Oilchange

9,742 posts

291 months

Sunday 29th April 2012
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Why did I read that as 'Buy a Fiat' !


tired eyes...

Fer

7,781 posts

311 months

Sunday 29th April 2012
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Oilchange said:
Why did I read that as 'Buy a Fiat' !


tired eyes...
Fix It Again, Tony.

(Me too, btw).

Oldred_V8S

3,765 posts

269 months

Sunday 29th April 2012
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A bit over the top for a neighbourhood watch scheme, but I guess with escalating crime figures come harsher measures.

bitchstewie

68,407 posts

241 months

Sunday 29th April 2012
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I don't get how this would work tbh. If a plane's coming in and you shoot it down you have no idea where or how it will crash.

Or is the assumption simply that it can't be worse than flying into a stadium?

Du1point8

22,965 posts

223 months

Sunday 29th April 2012
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I love this quote:

dumbass said:
But estate resident Brian Whelan said firing the missiles "would shower debris across the east end of London".

The journalist said: "At first I thought it was a hoax. I can't see what purpose high-velocity missiles could serve over a crowded area like Tower Hamlets.

"They say they'll only use them as a last resort, but... you'd shower debris across the east end of London by firing these missiles."
So if they are needed you could get debris on their land... as opposed to a terrorist attack being stopped their are worried about debris...

Murph7355

42,051 posts

287 months

Sunday 29th April 2012
quotequote all
K12beano said:
...Bit unexpected - seems more like a third world country's defence. Stick your missiles in a hospital......Iraq, Iran, Libya, all spring to mind.....
Not sure whether you're being serious or not, but there's quite a massive difference.

One puts them in hospitals etc to discourage any aggressors attacking them for fear of "collateral damage".

The other would appear to be putting them in public places for lack of available options.

Though I agree that the logic seems flawed - if an aircraft is already over the city, shooting it down or letting it crash would both seem dangerous, so why not put them outside of the city and shoot down before they get anywhere near?

Another joyous side effect of having the games in London.


thinfourth2

32,414 posts

235 months

Sunday 29th April 2012
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And this is the same country where you can get sued for having a slightly spiky fence

Semi hemi

1,801 posts

229 months

Sunday 29th April 2012
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Du1point8 said:
I love this quote:

dumbass said:
But estate resident Brian Whelan said firing the missiles "would shower debris across the east end of London".

The journalist said: "At first I thought it was a hoax. I can't see what purpose high-velocity missiles could serve over a crowded area like Tower Hamlets.

"They say they'll only use them as a last resort, but... you'd shower debris across the east end of London by firing these missiles."
So if they are needed you could get debris on their land... as opposed to a terrorist attack being stopped their are worried about debris...
Yeah. "Debris" never hurt anyone


Mojocvh

16,837 posts

293 months

Sunday 29th April 2012
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Semi hemi said:
Du1point8 said:
I love this quote:

dumbass said:
But estate resident Brian Whelan said firing the missiles "would shower debris across the east end of London".

The journalist said: "At first I thought it was a hoax. I can't see what purpose high-velocity missiles could serve over a crowded area like Tower Hamlets.

"They say they'll only use them as a last resort, but... you'd shower debris across the east end of London by firing these missiles."
So if they are needed you could get debris on their land... as opposed to a terrorist attack being stopped their are worried about debris...
Yeah. "Debris" never hurt anyone
Succinctly put SH; another stupid plan put forwards by stupid people who really shouldn't be in the position they are to make stupid decisions like this.

catso

16,545 posts

298 months

Sunday 29th April 2012
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bhstewie said:
I don't get how this would work tbh. If a plane's coming in and you shoot it down you have no idea where or how it will crash.

Or is the assumption simply that it can't be worse than flying into a stadium?
Much like the news yesterday reporting on the passport control delays where it seems that their biggest worry was how we appear in advance of the Olympics, I think as long as the plane crash doesn't upset the games, they don't really care...


Dixie68

3,091 posts

218 months

Sunday 29th April 2012
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If they put them here in Ilford someone will nick them before the screens have had chance to warm up wink

twister

1,593 posts

267 months

Sunday 29th April 2012
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Murph7355 said:
Though I agree that the logic seems flawed - if an aircraft is already over the city, shooting it down or letting it crash would both seem dangerous, so why not put them outside of the city and shoot down before they get anywhere near?
They have put them outside, hanging off the underbelly of the QRA Typhoons that are expected to be the first line of defence against an unidentified aerial threat. These shorter range missiles are a second layer of defence, because if a threat manages to slip past the Tiffies (or doesn't get detected until it's too late for them to do anything about it) you really don't want to be left with no other options.

DamienB

1,211 posts

250 months

Sunday 29th April 2012
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If the worst happens, then shooting down an incoming aircraft over a densely populated area strikes me as worse than letting it hit its intended target. At least if you buy tickets for the games you are making an informed decision to be ground zero for a terrorist attack using an airliner (because of course terrorists always re-run the same attacks using the same tactics) whereas if you are just sitting in the garden having a Pimms and some flaming wreckage lands on your head... well, you'd be properly miffed wouldn't you?

It sends rather mixed messages to tourists too.

"Come to London for the Olympics - we've got surface to air missiles everywhere to protect you from any danger so it's safe honest!"

eharding

14,648 posts

315 months

Sunday 29th April 2012
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DamienB said:
If the worst happens, then shooting down an incoming aircraft over a densely populated area strikes me as worse than letting it hit its intended target. At least if you buy tickets for the games you are making an informed decision to be ground zero for a terrorist attack using an airliner (because of course terrorists always re-run the same attacks using the same tactics) whereas if you are just sitting in the garden having a Pimms and some flaming wreckage lands on your head... well, you'd be properly miffed wouldn't you?

It sends rather mixed messages to tourists too.

"Come to London for the Olympics - we've got surface to air missiles everywhere to protect you from any danger so it's safe honest!"
This.

So - Johnny Jihadist has been sighted in a microlight heading for the Olympic stadium. Right then lads, have at him with the Rapiers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC7gilxJD-w

Oooooh. Bugger. Right then, we've got a guided-missile destroyer at anchor in the Thames as a backup. Once they've finished doing 10 minutes worth of left-a-bit, right-a-bit, Bernie...the bolt........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m29eTQTm0Ho

....oh, arse. That's going to take a bit of T-Cut to sort out. Anyway, we've got a crack team of close-quarter missile operators on loan from the French.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y53p_S1NbhQ

Zut-a-chuffing-lors. I nearly merded myself. Right, we're down to the very-close-quarters team. Send in the squaddies:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGEG2Y6S67k

Right. That bloody does it. We've got no other choice. We're going to have to nuke the barstwerd.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkT3I6RDPkw

Sod it. Arse-biscuits. Oh, hang on - what's that you say? Not a jihadist in a microlight....a what.....a seagull in a hibab? But we've just laid waste to East London trying to shoot it down. Ooooh. Pants.



Edited by eharding on Sunday 29th April 15:24

philthy

4,697 posts

271 months

Sunday 29th April 2012
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Surely, firing missiles into tower hamlets could only improve things?
scratchchin

markh1973

3,126 posts

199 months

Sunday 29th April 2012
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philthy said:
Surely, firing missiles into tower hamlets could only improve things?
scratchchin
Not a fan of Canary Wharf? smile