Well, here is a moment of true madness. Mo Mowlam, a former minister in Tony Blair’s government, is now suggesting that the British and American governments should start talks with al Qaeda. She’ll be, rightly, ignored, but her comments are still interesting for what they reveal about the views of certain sections of the European Left. Strip away its skilful use of modern technology, and Al Qaeda is, in essence, a psychotic millenarian sect, nothing more. Its ‘philosophy’ is primitive and malicious junk, a compendium of the ramblings of half-crazed ‘holy men’ and a debased Arab nationalism. Its ‘demands’ are for a world put back a thousand years. To believe that there is anything to ‘talk’ to it about is, quite simply, delusional.
Next time, Ms. Mowlam should aim for something a little more realistic.
’Talks’ with Charles Manson might be a start.