Brown summons an emergency meeting of Cobra

I find this curious (especially with a tin foil hat on) that Gordo has summoned Cobra over the missing British couple.

Note: Cobra is the dramatic name for the civil contingencies committee which leads responses to national crises

Source

Gordon Brown has summoned a meeting of Cobra today after the yacht belonging to a British couple kidnapped by Somali pirates was found floating empty. The Whitehall emergency committee will decide what action to take to release the retired quantity surveyor Paul Chandler, 59, and his wife, Rachel Chandler, 55, who were seized by pirates while they were sailing from the Seychelles to Tanzania.

Since I don't think this really fits within the remit of Cobra, and I don't think he summoned Cobra over the last couple that were abducted Source

However (with tin foil hat in place) it is strange he has summoned Cobra at the same time that the Iranians are delivering their reponse to the UN proposal.

personally I smell a rat.. what do you think?

For those who do not know what Cobra is Source

How often does Cobra meet?
It has met four times during Mr Blair's tenure. It was first called to combat the fuel strikes in November 2000, later the foot and mouth outbreak the following spring and then after the September 11 attacks. In March this year the prime minister convened it to deal with the street crime initiative.

Cobra only meets during emergencies.. Although I feel deeply for the family involved, does this require a cobra meeting?

About Cobra

The committee considers issues such as whether to invoke the powers contained in part two of the Civil Contingencies Act, which gives considerable extra powers in times of a serious emergency.

They were designed to cope with a far larger incidents than that which struck London on 7 July, particularly one involving chemical or radiological material, such as a nuclear "dirty bomb".

They would allow a minister to suspend sittings of Parliament if necessary and to declare a bank holiday to shut down businesses.

By executive decree, property could be destroyed or requisitioned, assemblies banned, freedom of movement limited, the Armed Forces mobilised and special courts set up to deal with suspects if it was felt another atrocity was planned.

edit on 29/10/09 to title and add BBC link

[edit on 29/10/09 by thoughtsfull]

BBC News reporting that the chap is talking to reporters !

Bizzare !

Especially the COBRA meeting .

MI6 Agents ?

reply to post by Jamesy_boy


Could be, but unless they had a stockpile of nukes or all our secrets on CD sitting on board their yaught I think COBR is a bit of an overkill and leads me to think that COBR has been activated to deal with a different emergency....

Perhaps the Iranians, Swine Flu or the greedy pig virus that is enveloping the country


COBR - Government dedicated crisis management facility that is activated in cases of national or regional emergency or crisis, or during events abroad with major implications for the UK, where the nature of the emergency is such that it affects the business of a number of government departments and a collective response will be required.


[edit on 29/10/09 by thoughtsfull]

reply to post by Jamesy_boy


Wouldn’t that be similar to the U.S. Security Council meeting to discuss the Americans Euna Lee and Laura Ling, reporters for former Vice President Al Gore's Current TV media venture who were arrested along the Chinese-North Korean border?

This along with Obama declaring a National Emergency along with the weird banking web site closures over the weekend make you wonder what’s up. Are the secretly meeting to prepare for something else?

Nice find, star and flag.

Nah

Cobra actually stands for "cabinet office briefing room a"

which is where the committee meets !

It only ever meets in times of 'national' UK emergency.

interestingly.

The USA is now out of recession, as are all other developed countries other than the UK !

Me thinks something 'big' might be coming up.

[edit on 29-10-2009 by Jamesy_boy]

COBRA does not mean "national emergency"

The couple have been taken to another nation, question is whether you send special forces (if they've been relocated to Somalia) or military action)

reply to post by Jamesy_boy


I've been trawling through the COBRA meetings to see if there is a corelation to any similar events.. and meetings seem to range from iniatives to deal with streat crime in the UK, to dealing with national strikes, fuel crisis, terrorists events.. it certainly is worrying given the level of power that COBRA hold.

IMHO I feel this certainly slips outside the normal remit.. how will this kidnapping effect multiple governmental departments in the UK or UK interests around the world in a major way.

Something is definatly brewing... I wonder if we will find out what it is, but tin foil hat me, says this meeting is linked to the ME.

5000 Muslims will march in London on the 31st of October, for the introduction of Sharia law.

This is this Saturday. You can imagine whats going to happen.

reply to post by badbadger


Oh really

They've claimed it dozen of times - not even a hundred attend the events

Weird i was just watching news never saw this on it i suppose they will be talking about some other stuff aswell.
Thanks it is strange to call this meeting far this there must be something else on the agenda.
S+F
Edit to add i have heard nothing on the Cobra issue so i presume it is nothing.
THANKYOU

[edit on 033131p://2009-10-29T15:17:05-05:002910 by mars1]

reply to post by mars1


It's not strange.

Common practice.

reply to post by badbadger


Yes I can imagine, but that would be only if 5,000 turn up... considering the 10 or 20 protesters that this group normal puts forward.. I am not holding my breath the 5,000 will turn up on the day.. I assume most will be busy washing their hair or what not..

Even then it would not require a Cobra meeting given the levels of protest over operation cast lead did not result in a Cobra meeting. Which is the bit that has me bugged, Cobra meets on issues of national importance, crisis, security..

Obviously given the situation of the kidnapping which has been put forward as the reason for the meeting, that opens the door to military/naval being present at the meeting, but then again the same military/naval personnel be at a meeting if this was about the ME, and hence my personal belief is that this meeting is masking another agenda.

This is my own tin foil hat theory :-) but it does bother me..

reply to post by infinite


I've been trawling through the Cobr meetings that have already been held looking for a correlation that indicates a similar scenario has been used to initiate opening COBR... Since this is not about a single meeting and that COBR remains open until the emergency has passed...

If you have an example of a similar situation like this that is of national importance then could you please share it with me.

Many thanks

Special forces are likely to be deployed.

Snatch and grab operation, with potential air support.

Originally posted by badbadger
5000 Muslims will march in London on the 31st of October, for the introduction of Sharia law.

This is this Saturday. You can imagine whats going to happen.

Hmm.. I have never met a Muslim that actually supported Sharia Law, I would find it extraordinary if indeed 5,000 people show up in support of that. But, it does seem a better excuse to call Cobra than this idiotic couple that seemed to have gotten themselves captured.

That happens when you sail your big boat into pirate infested waters.

reply to post by infinite


No i do not think they will do that it is way too risky these people have nothing to loose can not see this happening.

THANKYOU

Nothing less than a major strike that would cripple our infrastructure, a terrorist event or potential war is likely to create a scenario that is enough of an emergency to call opening COBR.

Anything else can be dealt within cabinet or inter departmental meetings. the only things running at the moment IMHO that could initiate COBR are Swine Flu or Some ME issue like the one posed by Iran.

This still smells fishy.. I guess us ants shall find out soon enough

Anyone else find it strange that they chose to use "COBRA" the name of a snake that just so happens to be a part of the reptile family?

Anyone else see the subtle significance there?

This could be due to the unknown virus outbreak in Ukraine which is detailed in this thread:

Link

This has been mentioned in that thread so anyone posting here might wanna check it out if you haven't yet. The situation looks very serious and appears to be getting worse as time goes on.