UK to expand "preparedness" laws

[The Rumour Mill]

Other countries have been noted as quietly preparing themselves for attack but the UK has thus far, been relatively quiet, apart from a House of Lords report on the vulnerability of the UK to epidemic and major outbreaks. It has been noted that its current "terror" strategy, "Contest" was divided into four strands: Prevent, Pursue, Protect and Prepare, which although ambiguous can be interpreted by those who have knowledge of these matters. Now, the UK has announced an update and expansion to its strategy, "Contest 2." Finally, not only the police and security forces are being involved but also the emergency services, local councils, businesses and community groups. After all, when it happens, it will concern everyone, not just the authorities and everyone should know how to do their part if we are to get the majority of the population through this intact. The UK is, of course, an interesting case, being an island and as suggested by the 28 Days Later franchise, could possibly be a self-contained incident, should an epidemic occur. However, some schools of thought believe that zombies can traverse spans of water. Whether it would be self-contained (and thereby probably wiping out the UK population) or not (and merely being a stepping stone either further into Europe or en route to Africa) it is in everyone's interest to ensure that the population of every country is prepared.

"Tens of thousands of men and women throughout Britain - from security guards to store managers - have now been trained and equipped to deal with an incident and know what to watch for as people go about their daily business in crowded places such as stations, airports, shopping centres and sports grounds." - Gordon Brown, UK Prime Minister

It is laudable that the UK recognises that crowded places pose a particular threat as a lure for feeding zombies and it would be interesting to find out exactly what sort of training these tens of thousands of British citizens have received in order to combat mass attack or infection. Is the UK turning into a country where every home has an axe by its front door? Is the recent drive to create more allotments in the UK merely a strategy to ensure that more people can be self-sufficient when it happens? Perhaps the UK is a country worth watching for further developments... especially with the country being at risk of serious social unrest according to the "Manning the Barricades" report.

"This is being seen as a harbinger of worse to come. There is growing concern about a possible global pandemic of unrest."

Does this mean that the UK is merely ahead of the curve in preparing for the inevitable?