Wednesday 3 June 2009

climate of fear

It intrigues me that we are being told, yet again, that we are frightened. This time it was on the radio 4 Today programme where David Cameron the Conservative leader was arguing that people are 'afraid' because there was a sign of a lack of leadership of the country by the government.
This is the latest example I have observed of our culture of fear - we are constantly being told to be frightened - swine flu, terrorists, the failed economy and now a political vacuum. Fear of the unknown is a pitiful argument for governance and management of the people.
I love the quote of Thomas Jefferson that says,
Our people in a body are wise because they are under the unrestrained and unperverted operation of their own understandings.
We seem to have created a system that is a long way from such a degree of trust and belief in the people.

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