This week Gordon announced the UK's latest plans to deal with UK terrorism, but to be honest it all seems like too little to make a difference. I don't mean to be fatalistic about it but surely given the "serious" and "growing" threat that Dame Eliza told us we were facing at the end of 2006 (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6134516.stm) it all just semms a little insubstantial.

What's more, yes there will be 4000 security staff, but the wages will not attract many high calbre candidates. £23,500 + benefits is great if you are straight out of college but what they need are people with experience of the real world, not fresh faced kids with a degree in criminology and a love of the BBC series Spoooks.

The Mi5 website states for intelligence officers they require a 2:1 degree as a minimum ,but realistically how many 30 year olds hold a degree and are on £23,500.........not many I would hazard a guess. Perhaps the MI5 need to rethink their recruting strategy so they can attract professionals who are mid career, have plenty of experience of commerce, project planning, resource management and personnel and looking for a change of direction.

Brown also announced that the authorities were currently monitoring 200 networks and around 2,000 individuals and in response would be setting up four regional counter-terrorism units, "significantly increasing anti-terrorism policy capability in the regions". It may be a case of re-stating the case but surely these are the very same 4 regional teams announced in April last year (one in Manchester, West Yorks, West Mids and London).........this isn't new news, just a case of labour spinning a 12 month old story to gain public favour...............now that's what I call "brownie" points