The whole history of the UFO enigma in the UK has seen a series of peaks and troughs. We've had occasions when a "big announcement" by the government was thought to be imminent, only for it to dissipate like the morning dew. Then there have been times when British ufology was pronounced "dead".

Well, there may have been moments when it was on life support, but currently the whole issue is still alive and kicking.

Few researchers currently believe that the Government is going to make any "big announcement" soon regarding UFOs, although many would certainly like them to. One area of confusion concerns the very nature of the enigma itself, and the Government may be holding back from saying anything quite simply because they're not sure what to say at all.

Years ago, a prominent UFO investigator said that in the USA researchers were far more likely to lean towards the "nuts and bolts" theory regarding UFOs, where in the UK more mystical interpretations were prevalent. I think it's true to a degree. UFOs may quite simply be interplanetary spacecraft created by aliens who wish to explore the universe which lies outside of their own metaphorical back yard. This is a simple explanation, but one which I still have a large degree of sympathy with. On the other hand, its also possible that UFOs and/or aliens originate not from some far-flung reach of the galaxy, but from another "dimension" which sits within the same geographical and temporal co-ordinates as our own world.

Of course, the very mention of the word "dimension" is fraught with difficulties. Sceptics immediately envision something akin to the Fourth Dimension so prevalent in 1950s sci-fi B movies and laugh their socks off. However, we must be careful not to throw the baby out with the bath-water here. To some the idea of hidden dimensions inhabited by exotic flora and fauna may seem bizarre, but it certainly isn't impossible. If UFOs and their occupants are travelling from somewhere closer to home then it would effectively neuter the sceptics' long-held position that aliens can't be visiting earth because the logistics involved in getting here make it impossible. This may be true if they come from light years away, but if they're simply slipping through a portal of some kind from their world into ours then once they've figured out how to do it successfully travelling from there to here and back again might actually be quite easy.

Personally I've always found the argument over how aliens get here a fascinating one, but I don't think it should be our main focus of attention. When I meet up with visiting friends, family and colleagues I might well ask them politely how their journey went, but I'm always far more interested in what happens after they arrive. It’s the same with our other-worldly (or inter-dimensional) visitors; I'd love to know just where they hail from, but I'm far more intrigued as to why they're coming to see us and exactly what they want.

In the final analysis, all we can do is wait and hope that at some future time, perhaps not too long, the governments of this world will make their "big announcement" and tell the rest of us exactly what they know. Mind you, I'm not holding my breath…

© Mike Hallowell, 2009