Unacceptable - Intel security scare

LAST week’s terrible events in France have inevitably led to a review of security measures and calls to extend the powers available to police and military to confront violent extremists.

The huge task of protecting societies from terrorism, especially terrorism driven by dissatisfied citizens born in the society they are happy to attack, is never ending. That reality must, however, be balanced in a way that safeguards civil liberties — or else the terrorists win.

The security alert at the Intel plant in Leixlip, Co Kildare, thankfully proved groundless, but it was an indication of how very easy it is to intrude on the everyday lives of ordinary people by doing no more than making a phone call. Neither is it surprising that an American company, one that employs around 4,000 people on this island, was singled out for such unwelcome attention.