The ONLY thing I would say to all that is that the IRA actually existed, and civilians were constantly attacked by them, for over 30 years. The IRA even managed to blow up the UK government. The threat was real. IMHO, the AQ threat is 99% bogus. It all hangs on 9/11, and the London Underground bombings. One single event in the US, then the UK. Yes I know other events have been attributed to AQ, but frankly, one by one, they all fall down as actual organised terrorist activity. Its mostly pissed off people aligning themselves with Islam or AQ. Frankly, now journalist's partners are considered a threat to national security and arrested as terrorists, we can see how lose and there for useless the term "terrorism" now is. Its is not even slightly the same as the IRA. They were "proper" terrorists.

There for, one can understand (note: not condone, excuse, etc) the extreme reaction of the UK government. Although, for all that time, the US was funding the IRA. So........er.......

Not just bordering on torture, actually called torture by the ECHR in 1976 (although downgraded to "inhuman and degrading" on appeal in 1978.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Demetrius

Not our finest hour, really.

If something is called torture and on appeal they decided that they were wrong then surely that is the definition of "bordering on torture"?

I'd say "inhuman and degrading" is more than "bordering on torture" but it's a fair point.

You forgot the UK government helping loyalists commit assassinations: http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/dec/12/pat-finucane-army-...

Also this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dublin_and_Monaghan_bombings The British Army helped unionist terrorists bomb Ireland.