There’s a readers’ poll in Le Figaro this morning. The question is “Was Hollande right to make public the fact that an Islamist plot has been discovered and dismantled in France?” Seventy-seven percent of those who responded voted that Hollande was wrong to do so. (Of course 77% of the French would say Hollande was wrong to say it was raining while standing in the middle of a downpour!)
One would hope that Hollande had the agreement of France’s security and intelligence services to make this announcement, but we don’t know. So, is it better to rub the noses of of wannabe terrorists in France in yet another failure? Or would it be better to simply jail the would-be perpetrators quietly and leave the terrorist community in the dark? I should imagine that the first alternative might simply spur them on to greater efforts, while the second might spread disquiet and despondency “pour décourager les autres”.
Boadicea's Chariot 
Most politicians do what is politically expedient rather than what is right.
So where does the political expediency lie in this case, jazz?
In this case, they need to reassure the public that they are doing something. So long as they’re not too specific… The splintering of Islamic terror organisations in recent years gives them some cover in doing so.
Obviously not where Hollande thought it did.
I think it quite correct to allow the frogs to know exactly what parasitic traitorous muck they have amongst them.
The more people know, the sooner they will get to mosque burning and retaliation. If that is the only way we can get rid of them, so be it.
Populations must clean the Augean stables by whatever means they have at their disposal. They could hang a few politicians from the lamp-posts too for old times sakes, for creating the bloody mess in the first place.
I am somewhat surprised that the wogs don’t realise quite how counterproductive their antics are in encouraging hostility of local populations long term.
Christina, I am hopeful that the UK’s muslim population may have got the idea that the rest of us are quite happy to see wannabe jihadis hopping off to Syria or hellhole of choice; that we don’t think they were ever “lovely lads” and we don’t ever want them back. On that subject I wish the meeja would stop interviewing terrorist mothers, whether IRA or ISIS. Their offspring are not “lovely” but murdering thugs. To broadcast such interviews is an insult to the victims and their families.
In the UK the security services have clearly stated that they have foiled around 50 terrorist plots in the last ten years. No-one believes them as they don’t give enough proof.
Sheona, I don’t have an answer to your question. It seems that the authorities and politicians are damned if they do and damned if they don’t.
So the security services, who presumably can’t give proof for security reasons, might as well keep quiet. Pity they can’t just dispose of the terrorists – a plane load off to Syria perhaps?
Without parachutes!