Tuesday 3 July 2007

Pull Yourselves Together and Get On With It

Apparently the whole of Britain has just had a weekend of terror. As far as I can see – and I avoid both news and newspapers, so I could be wrong – this is based on:

1 bomb – which didn’t go off – located outside a nightclub
1 bodged bomb job outside Glasgow Airport

Grand total death toll = umm, zero.

Well, I’m terrified!

I wonder how my grandparents, who went through the Blitz/WW2 would have reacted to the media’s desperate efforts to whip us all up into hysteria. I think it’s an insult to people both past and present, who have had to live through situations involving ACTUAL danger and fear, and it belittles their suffering. If I were someone living in Iraq/Israel/Palestinian territories/any other trouble hot-spot you care to pick, I would be infuriated by the pathetic bleating of the Press about ‘crises’ and ‘nightmares’ and ‘terror’ in the UK. It is also extremely insulting to the general public, suggesting that we are such snivelling cowards that we are scared to live our normal lives because of these rare incidents of terrorism.

Australian politicians are also spinning the recent events in Britain as fast as they can. Apparently, two failed bombs in Britain means that it is more likely than ever that Australia will soon be attacked, and we should be crapping ourselves. After all, why wouldn’t Australia be a terrorist’s number 1 target after Britain? I mean, you’ve got Britain – of strategic political importance both to the US and Europe, for geographical reasons and also historically, given its status as former #1 world power; and then you’ve got Australia, and its…its daytime TV export industry. I mean, does anyone outside the country even know the name of the Australian Prime Minister? Does anyone know where it even is?

And even if terrorists did want to attack Australia, and I suppose some must, I would think the weekend’s events should make us less worried, not more. I mean, they’ve shown us how pathetically incompetent they are. I’m relaxing already!

The media should be ashamed of itself for all its pathetic whinging about terror. I mean, I can understand to some extent that politicians can’t be seen to be brushing off these things. We elect them to protect us so they must be seen to be taking their jobs seriously. But the media have no excuse. They are trying to foster cowardice among the people of Britain, a nation traditionally known for its ‘stiff upper lip’ and courage (well, we like to think so, anyway!). I am ashamed at the impression of us that they are giving the world.

3 comments:

Rosanna said...

Oh ho! I think you should print this off, and send it to Mr Howard - with a loving note.

Dear Mr. Howard,

You try to pretend that is Australia is cool - buddying off with Japan and China and the USA - when it actual fact, we're not very cool at all.

And we are not a super power.

Regards, Sprite.

Sprite said...

You are right. Why mince words?

Rosanna said...

Exactly. Better to face facts and deal with it ASAP.