In the UK, nearly 300,000 people died on our roads between 1951 and 2003 and 16 million were injured. Last year over 3,000 died and over a 100,000 were injured.
Last year, in the UK, 52 people died from muslim terrorism.
As today's female commentator in the Independent (sorry I forget her name and the Independent website charges so I can't be bothered to link), points out, lets save lives by curtailing the freedom of motorists before we affect anyone else.
Terrorism is exagerated. It makes good copy but it's importance is minimal especially in comparision to the lives lost through inequality and our destruction of the environment and quality of life with cars etc.
Also (with the honourable exception of radio 4 and maybe newsnight and channel 4 news) you could cover all the facts and insight of all the many dozens of hours coverage by the major news channels on this story into about 15 minutes of facts. Does anyone else find this repetitive mind numbing uninformative coverage really boring?
Road deaths are accidents, sad though each one doubtless is for those affected.
ReplyDeleteTerrorism is murder, committed by the scum of the earth for whom no justification is possible.
It doesn't require an awful lot of common sense to see why murder based on insane religious extremism is more newsworthy than traffic accidents.
Andy: It may be more newsworthy but road deaths could be greatly reduced (saving far more lives than terrorists kill) if we had more cyclist and pedestrian friendly laws. The truth is we choose not to do this. This makes these 'accidents' effectively murder.
ReplyDeleteYou're taking 'rationality' too far, Neil. Why does any murder dominate the news? Not just because a life was taken away, but because the actions of the murderer contravene everything we hope for in our society. We can stop driving our cars but we can't stop the evil/'evil' that underpins murder.
ReplyDeleteYou also miss the point that, without a huge amount work from security services, that 52 might be 5200. You also miss the international aspects: the same hate - orchestrated by twisted religio-political bigots - is killing by the thousand in other countries. So it doesn't surprise me that The Independent prefers to make a pedantic point instead, in order to comfort a readership that prefers denial.
Tragically, whilst most road deaths are accidents, society does accept them as the 'trade off' for moving around the country at speed. Even if speed limits of 10mph saved 3,000 lives per year, would society accept it? I doubt it.
ReplyDeleteNeil, would you prefer the media not to focus on racist murders if they 'only' happen a couple of times per year compared to the 3,000 deaths on Britain's roads!?!
Bloggers4Labour is spot on.
B4L and snafu: I'm not saying don't report terrorism but lets get it into perspective. It dominates the news agenda and scares people senseless when they should be more scared of crossing the road or cycling.
ReplyDeleteI think curtailing the motorist would be good for society. Town centres become more attractive when they are pedestrianised.
As for the 'terrorists are evil' stuff; all killing is bad, including the killings by the US and Israel. Yeah I know they don't 'target civilians' but you have to recognise that is only because they have the superior muscle and technology. We would fight a guerilla/terrorist war if that was the only option (indeed both the US and Israel have done this in the past - with successful results).
Of course the ideology of the Islamists needs to be changed, but the West does bear some responsibilty for creating this ideology with its unjust policies. Liberal democracy is great but we have abused our superior position to suppress other nations and suppress equality. This is why this monster has come to haunt us.
I think the only way to beat this monster is to stop our unjust policies. It will take time, but like the 'war on drugs' the 'war on terror' will only make things worse.
There were a lot of Iraqi civilians murdered in the past year: many by terrorists, and many by US and UK bombs, bullets and depleted uranium.
ReplyDeleteI don't think either Bush or Blair are really very religious (although both of them like to pretend they are). Likewise I am not sure that the terrorists that killed 52 people in this country are particularly religious. Al Qaeda and 'fundementalist Islam' is probably more of a flag of convenience.
If the voters in this country had shown a bit more guts, those 100 or 200 thousand Iraqi civilians could have been spared.
There were a lot of Iraqi civilians murdered in the past year: many by terrorists, and many by US and UK bombs, bullets and depleted uranium.
ReplyDeleteI don't think either Bush or Blair are really very religious (although both of them like to pretend they are). Likewise I am not sure that the terrorists that killed 52 people in this country are particularly religious. Al Qaeda and 'fundementalist Islam' is probably more of a flag of convenience.
If the voters in this country had shown a bit more guts, those 100 or 200 thousand Iraqi civilians could have been spared.
Have a word with the disgrace of a Transport Minister Stephen Ladyman who has blocked EU road safety legislation. He is opposed to speed limiters and reducing alcohol limits to EU levels ( equivalent to one pint of beer). and didn't respond to my correspondence with him on this matter. Shout at him, not us.
ReplyDeletepragueTory: I am with you in criticising Stephen Ladyman.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure how people come to conclusions. I would like to give you an example - if 50 women were raped in one year, and 1000 people were innocently killed during a terrorist attack, would that make rape the way you see terrorism. Any form of life which is stolen unjustly and not in accordance with the law, needs to be identified. And as for your silly example of RTA's, on every radio station, on every channel on television, there are advertisements urgeing the public to wear seatbelts and to take care when driving. You dont see an edvert on television stating dont blow things up!!! From MP - Law Student.
ReplyDeleteShurely shome mishtake! According to the right wing wingnuts on Labour blog Harry's Place, anyone who does not see 'islamofascism' as the primary threat to all our lives is profoundly misguided.
ReplyDeleteBloggers4labour tells is that 52 might have been 5200. The operative word being might. Or without the illegitimate attack on Iraq the 52 might have been zero. The main falsehood propagated by Bloggers4Labour is that these attacks are being 'orchestrated'. As far as we can tell, these gropups operate independently with little orchestration, nationally or internationally. Unlike the PIRA, for example. The main lesson we can learn from islamic terrorism is that it is highly opportunistic and will develop wherever the local conditions are propitious, such as the shambles in Iraq left by the criminal invasion.
All in all, I must agree with you Neil. Terrorism is a threat to life and limb but there are rather greater threats, such as getting into your car, and driving to the shops.
"the lives lost through inequality"
ReplyDeleteWhat the? We have a really stupid way of measuring poverty in this country, (relative rather than absolute), that suggests terrible poverty where there is very little. This inequality does not however, kill people.
So what do you mean by this?
Falco, inequality itself causes a rise in crime and deteriation in health and quality of life. Yes, absolute poverty is worse but we cannot ignore inequality. Even the Tories now pretend to want to do something about it and recognise it is a problem.
ReplyDeleteTerrorism is absolute crap. Those fat cats sell you that garbage so they can go to war, and make their fat cat bosses richer. The sooner you retarded neo-cons realize that, the sooner we can put an end to this terrorism garbage. YOU are paying for this war at the pump. You want higher prices? Go ahead. Attack Iran, and pay $8 a gallon. You want it? You'll get it. Starve to death dumbasses. Collapse your country because of your hate. I welcome a revolution. Christ loves you, and he loves those people too. The sooner you realize that your TV lies to you, the sooner we can get through this bullshit. But if you hate America, and hate liberty, then let Bush win. We have 2 warmongers running on both party tickets this time. You have NO CHOICE anymore. Lets rise up, and put an end to this crap.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.infowars.com/