Emiliano on the politics of fear, the police and the BBC.Watching the BBC news last night, you'd be forgiven for thinking that an attack had happened the scale of September 11. In a very urgent and dramatic fashion, BBC news informed us of this great swoop in the northwest where 12 suspects were arrested on suspicion of terrorism. We had footage from the place, photographs, live reports, the lot.
However, one must question the timing of the raid. This came shortly after "Britain's most senior counter-terrorism officer" exposed to the lens of the media a document with apparently sensitive content. Bob Quick, we were told, was quick to apologise to the public and his colleagues for his mistake. The subsequent raid and arrest of 12 people, mostly Pakistani students, did not save Quick's skin, as his superiors were not impressed by his blunder and the subsequent raid executed in order to appease them.
That the raid came right after this exposure, but also after the events in London during the G20 summit which saw police basically cause the death of an innocent man, demonstrates the depth at which government and police are attempting to mislead the public and divert attention from key issues. Terrorism is a popular fear-creating tool, used time and again at times when things in the interior are not exactly peachy. The BBC functions as the government's own fear spreader, being all dramatic and sensationalist. I am sure that Sky News are not far behind, although I must admit I don't watch that rubbish.
So once again the public has woken up with fear. Fear caused by its own media and government who deliberately exaggerate stories such as the raid for maximum effect. The terrorised public therefore will not think about a) the death of an innocent man in London, b) the state's incompetence at handling sensitive data or c) the ever-increasing surveillance against us imposed by the state. The state terrorises its own subjects to achieve its own, dark aims. Terrorises....terrorises...terrorises...TERRORISM!
Terrorism: the calculated use of violence (or the threat of violence) against civilians in order to attain goals that are political or religious or ideological in nature; this is done through intimidation or coercion or instilling fear
Perhaps the police and the state should not be looking here, there and everywhere for the 'evil terrorists'. They are closer to home than they think. All they need to do is look in the mirror...
4 comments:
You've expressed a suspicion that has been in my mind. It seems too fortutious that a scare campaign is being cranked up just as police tactics for dealing with protests and innocent passers-by are coming under scrutiny. I also wonder at the sudden malign commentary (noted in the previous post)on public sector pay and conditions at a time when parliamentary and ministerial shenannigans with expenses are under attack.
Both coincidences or deliberately generated?
I think we are in a new age of spin. But after 12 years of Labour I think we can see through it now.
I wholeheartedly agree.
It's a story we've seen countless times since the Second World War: the politicians' need to propagate myths such as religion, patriotism or the threat of an outside enemy.
It doesn't matter that a leader believes in them himself (in fact, it is preferable he doesn't), they are important to unite an otherwise uncontrollable populace.
When it comes to Al-Qaeda, for instance, there is very little fact checking.
BBC more and more like BTN in V for Vendetta.
And they're still saying Mr Tomlinson was "pushed".
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