Catherine Said:

Work for us, or...: does MI5 blackmail British law-abiding Muslims?

We Answered:

Seems like it. It doesn't surprise me. I think informants play an important role and there's always been an element in "I'll help you/turn a blind eye - if you help us". However, that's entirely different to approaching innocent people with no connection to a particular group and threatening them to "or else".

By definition many of those who work in security are centre right politically and I don't suppose there's as much between what you call "top drawer" and the "BNP" as you suppose.

I think a lot more could have been done in the 70s and 80s to help integration of Pakistanis and other Muslims rather marginalised them - making them ghettoise themselves in areas of London and the North. It isn't too late, but tactics like this just make it harder and harder and actually help to create the scenarios they're designed to stop.