Conspiracy theories abound

As it lies only seven miles from the centre of Edinburgh, we took the opportunity last week to visit the world-famous Rosslyn Chapel. Although it has always been a visitor attraction, its inclusion in The Da Vinci Code by author Dan Brown has seen interest in the site increase significantly. Even on a freezing January day, there were large numbers of people there to marvel at the incredible carvings, which cover almost every available surface inside the 500-year-old structure.

The guide walked around the interior, drawing our attention to the more significant sights and telling us the many stories associated with different aspects of the structure. Among the many religious carvings are ‘green men’, ancient pagan symbols of fertility and various other pieces, which are interpreted differently by certain groups of visitors.
There has been a long history of conspiracy at Rosslyn and many of those who still visit to this day are members of the Knights Templar. According to our guide, they come to the chapel and find in the ancient stonework, symbols that have special significance to them and their sect. One legend holds that the gold and silver of the lost and ancient Knights Templar treasure remains buried in the crypts of Rosslyn to this day. Still more tales state that everything from the Holy Grail to shards of the true cross are buried at the site.
Not content with these various and plentiful theories, the author, Dan Brown, invented still more when he wrote his bestseller and claimed that the body of Mary Magdalene lies in the crypts. Although a six-pointed Star of David is not one of the symbols that is to be found in the chapel, when Hollywood descended to film here, they attached one to the wall to satisfy the plot. The spot where they placed it can still be seen and is known to the staff as the Hollywood Circle.
Among the stranger carvings are those of North American plants, such as maize and aloe vera. Their presence in the chapel might seem unremarkable today but the fact they were carved on the walls of the chapel over eight years before Christopher Columbus discovered America certainly gives food for thought.
A popular theory is that the uncle of Sir William St Clair, who started building the chapel in 1446, had in fact been to America some years before and brought evidence of the plants back to Europe for the first time.
Heads fizzing with conspiracy, we returned home but found little let-up in the intrigue. It is easy to forget that we live in a country that is at war. We received a reminder last week when the terrorist threat level in Britain was raised to ‘severe’. This, we are told, means that a terrorist attack is “highly likely”.
In order to prevent such attacks, we have been told by MI5 and the Government to regard one another with suspicion. Details on what exactly might happen or who to look out for remain very sketchy for “security reasons” but we are left in no doubt that something is about to happen. We must regard all people as potential terrorists.
Reports vary about whether the decision to up the ante ahead of an upcoming London conference on Afghanistan is precautionary or based on a real threat. When the threat levels were first published on August 1, 2006, the threat was also severe. It has yo-yoed between critical and substantial ever since.
It is somewhat difficult to take the system seriously, as there has been a tendency in the past to up the threat level after an attack has taken place. This was the case when a flaming car was driven at the front doors of Glasgow Airport a few years ago. After the event, the level was raised, firmly shutting the door after the horse had bolted.
Seeking clarification as to what I should be looking for in my neighbours’ actions and behaviour, I logged on to the MI5 website only to discover that perhaps I didn’t have to look too far from home to find a potential terrorist.
It states, “The threat of international terrorism comes from a diverse range of sources, including Al Qaida and associated networks and those who share Al Qaida’s ideology but do not have direct contact with them. A threat could manifest itself from a lone individual or group, rather than a larger network. Domestic terrorism related to Northern Ireland, principally from dissident Irish Republican and Loyalist terrorist groups, also remains a threat.”
My accent usually opens doors in this country. The Irish, it seems, have gone from pariahs to much-loved neighbours in the last few years. Could it now bring suspicion to bear? In actuality, probably not. Despite the Government’s highly publicised threat-level indicator, this does not feel like a country under threat.
Certainly, the politicians speak volumes on the subject and are roundly and savagely critisised when an attack does take place but on a day-to-day basis, most people are more likely to think of the price of houses than the hordes of terrorists aiming to murder and maim. They are aware of the situation facing them but not thinking of it night and day or with any great passion.
It is this ambivalence that makes the attacks so terrifying when they do occur. We lived in London when the July 7 explosions took place. It was genuinely unsettling and remained so for a number of weeks. Like all things, this feeling fades so despite the best efforts of MI5, it is unlikely that many people in Britain will be walking around in a haze of paranoia and suspicion.
Unfortunately, it is very likely there will be many more attacks. Britain’s persistent interference in other countries will continue to foster bitterness and hatred among the radical, making us all just a little bit less safe even if it doesn’t feel that way all the time.