More people killed by wasps than terrorists
In a dystopic world of constant propaganda, it makes a
refreshing change when a member of the establishment draws attention to the
absurdity of the vastly overexaggerated threat from terrorism.
David Anderson QC, a barrister and the Independent Reviewer
of Terrorism Legislation, has done just that by pointing out as many people are
killed each year in the UK by hornets, wasps and bees, as they are by
terrorists.
The average number of deaths annually from terrorism in the
UK this century has been a miniscule five - the same number as those who die of
bee stings each year.
In a report published Wednesday Anderson said that in the
21st century terrorism had been "an insignificant cause of mortality in
the United Kingdom" - whilst in 2010 alone in England and Wales, 29 people
had drowned in the bath.
Mr Anderson further undermined the government's
fearmongering rhetoric by noting that no-one had even been injured by a
terrorist in the UK for more than two years, since pro-Iraq war MP Stephen
Timms was stabbed by Muslim radical Roshonara Choudhry, and that there hadn't
been a successful Al-Qaeda attack anywhere in Europe throughout 2011.
By March 2011 arrests for terrorism had fallen to 141, the
lowest level since 9/11, and there'd been only one serious terror conviction in
a UK court, Anderson said. He also gave voice to the obvious, which is that the
government's perpetual fearmongering about terrorism is sometimes “exaggerated
for political or commercial purposes”, and that they could relax some
anti-terror laws without endangering public safety.
Anderson's more rational assessment contrasts sharply with
the outrageously fearmongering speech given earlier in the week by MI5 head
Jonathan Evans. In the speech, Evans claimed that the 'Arab Spring' had
provided a new breeding ground for British terrorists, alluded to the
possibility of Iranian state-sponsored terror and the prospect of a dirty bomb
attack, and said that if the Eurozone collapsed we could well see more Anders
Breivik-style 'lone wolf' terrorists.
Evans' warnings were revealed to be practically useless -
beyond perpetuating fear, which can be exploited by the elite - when he
admitted that there was “no such thing as guaranteed security” for the upcoming
Olympics and that the “dog you haven't seen may turn out to be the one that
bites you".
It seems that in reality it's the wasp that stings you,
that's statistically as likely as a terrorist to kill you.
