Light posting:

Well, posting has been light. Babies, it turns out, are a lot of work. But also, our internet service, as it turns out, is a bit crap. So when I do get a spare moment I'm not able to draft much.

Things I might have written about:

• The anniversary of 7/7. Lest we forget.
• Baby Cletus attends his first party. He started off well (asleep), but left in a torrent of tears. It was the Texan's farewell party - happily just around the corner from our house.
• Wimbledon ends.
• My tomato plants seem to be coming along nicely despite the cool weather. But we shall see...

But perhaps most importantly:

The new Security Minister Admiral Sir Alan West (quick - what's the proper salutation for that?) suggests that the UK will face 15 years of the war on terror - which we're not to call the war on terror. He also refuses - it seems - to use the word Muslim. He worries about the attraction of youth to radical ideas and violent actions. Just what kind of youth does he mean?

But he also suggests, chap - that we might need to be a little less than sporting in fight against the radicalisation of our youth. That we might need to the tattle.

"Britishness does not normally involve snitching or talking about someone. I'm afraid, in this situation, anyone who's got any information should say something because the people we are talking about are trying to destroy our entire way of life."

Right so.

I guess I have two problems with this.

1. Why can't we just be honest about the source and ideological underpinning of the terrorism? I can't see how we can fight it if we can't even name it.
2. Snitching. First off - I'm not sure snitching isn't British - folks are forever turning in the benefit cheating ex-partners. And secondly, snitching and the target community... That's exactly the way to win over the hearts and minds of Muslims. They're already worried about "betraying" their brothers and sisters by engaging in the broader society. Some might be all for it, but I doubt it. Many of the Muslim communities have countries of origin with very nasty security services indeed. These are places that folks have tried to get away from. Think Syria or lately Iraq or even, to some extent, Pakistan. Where there are networks of informants and fake dissidents who'll inform on you if you don't inform on them. These are cultures where snitching is both a deadly threat and a vital necessity.

I know the Sir Admiral Minister has only been in his job a week or so, but he seems to be fundamentally missing the point.