Once again, the pattern repeats itself. The people who were arrested after a massive media panic about a possible terrorist attack at a Manchester United football match have been quietly released.

Remember the tanks around Heathrow just before the start of the Iraq war? Remember the North London ricin case? The cancelled flights to America around Christmas time?

This stuff is not just about taking precautions and "better safe than sorry". It's a calculated attempt to frighten the public and make them more likely to:

• support the war
• accept compulsory identity cards
• believe in the lies which underpin the so-called "war on terror"