David Ottewell's Politics

Sorry I’ve not been posting on this politics blog, but I’ve been busy here. It a separate blog we’ve set up for the Society of Editors conference. Which is where I’ve been.
You’ll be aware of the big news from the conference today – MI5 chief Jonathan Evans revealing both the number of terrorists now operating in the UK, and the fact children as young as 15 are now being recruited.
The fall-out to the speech has already begun.
Mohammed Shafiq, press spokesman for the Ramadan Foundation, said this afternoon: “We are concerned that Jonathan Evans in his speech has failed to accept that 2,000 people out of 1.6million [Muslims] is a very small problem.
“This sort of language is inflammatory and we urge all those involved to speak responsibly.
“Having said this there is a real and present threat to the nation from terrorism, only together can we defeat it. Terrorism is evil and anyone who is involved must be engaged and convinced of why there path is wrong and bring them back to the mainstream.
“The Ramadhan Foundation is clear of the challenges on the Muslim community in relation to terrorism, we have seen a sea change in the past few years but we still have a long way to go.
“We are ready to talk to the police and security services about how we should move forward, but we have to be honest about why this threat has appeared, mainly foreign policy. Only then will we be able to defeat terrorism.”
Here’s shadow home secretary David Davis:
“Mr Evans has highlighted the challenges we face and the pressures on the intelligence services.
“In order to tackle the root causes of extremism he identifies, we must do two things.
“First, ban those groups fuelling hatred and violence against this country.
“Second, as Mr Evans warns in clear terms, we must avoid an ‘indiscriminate response’ that would drive young Muslims into the arms of fanatics and destroy the trust of local communities. We agree.”
Nick Clegg, for the Lib Dems, warned the security services should not get “drawn into politics”.
“This warning confirms everyone’s worst fears about the scale of the potential home-grown terrorist threat in Britain,” he said.
“But, especially since Jonathan Evans has chosen to release these figures the day ahead of an announcement from Gordon Brown on new anti-terror powers, it is crucial that the security services do not get drawn into politics.
“Experience suggests that breathless talk about the terrorism threat and the powers needed to counter it can have a damaging effect on opinion in precisely those communities that we need to keep on our side.”