We’re forever told that we ‘live in a free country’ (England), and we indeed should be grateful we can still air opinions, and discuss subjects that might see us ‘under the knife’ in the usual countries elsewhere in the world
But over the past thirty-five years, ’security’ has been winning hands-down in the UK as a whole. We were told extreme actions of the PIRA (1969-1997) and English rise-ups like inner-city riots and the miners strikes in the mid-eighties, etc would not retard the state of being ‘free’. But the Thatcher government decided to start the reverse trend, with the police and the Home Office the only people be free to do what they wanted. As the nineties swept by, we became the most watched people on earth as CCTV made the authorities more paranoid and insecure…then along came 9/11 and 7/7 - with the latter making certain people fear for their lives every day as the media decides to play the game of harum-scarum much more fearsome then terrorists ever will in the UK.
What’s that, Evita…’a penny saved is a penny earned’ (or is it the other way round?)
Nice one, Milkygate - co-existance would be good, and suspect there are parts of the UK are trying to do that. Manchester a case in point, much to the vexation and decades old jealousy of the Londoncentric press, but synergy is not summat the said organisation would rather not think about, as the influence of extreme Muslims (real and imagined), and our ’special friends’ 3,200 miles west has in effect turned some of us - who has relatives from ’suspect’ parts of the world - into mild paranoiacs…usually of a different set of people altogether. Police and media, with the latter using liberty to influence their readers into hooded-eyed existence as soon as they leave their front doors every morning.
Nice one, Milkygate - co-existance would be good, and suspect there are parts of the UK are trying to do that. Manchester a case in point, much to the vexation and decades old jealousy of the Londoncentric press, but synergy is not summat the said organisation would rather not think about, as the influence of extreme Muslims (real and imagined), and our ’special friends’ 3,200 miles west has in effect turned some of us - who has relatives from ’suspect’ parts of the world - into mild paranoiacs…usually of a different set of people altogether. Police and media, with the latter using liberty to influence their readers into hooded-eyed existence as soon as they leave their front doors every morning.
Oh dear…so knackered I pressed the button twice (well it is 4.45am 7/1/07)! Sorry.
Has security become more important than liberty…?
10 Responses for “Has security become more important than liberty…?”
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Yes, there’s this myth that security helps to ’secure’ our way of life. But in truth, what has been secured is no longer what we valued as freedom in the first place!
Certainly the increased restrictions that are now placed upon us are not compatible with my idea of liberty. But then I don’t think you have to lean towards the anarchic to feel 1984 is approaching fast if not already here!
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I doubt either has been in existence for quite some time, obviated by events.
we are not secure and we are not in a free country
A society who sacrifices liberty for safety deserves neither
I’m watching to see how many respondents copy and paste Ben Franklin’s worn out cliche.
Liberty must remain a key value for humanity - we must never trade it for "our security". We’re led to believe that it’s one or the other - but in actual fact our liberty and security can co-exist harmoniously. We must build these synergistic relationships together and refuse to place our liberty in the hands of a select few.
Liberty is bliss. A nation in a state of liberty is a nation whose people are experiencing all (or most) of their freedoms and living harmoniously.
When the harmony of the society is threatened, liberty is threatened. Let me illustrate my point very simply using the 9/11 scenario:
Imagine the events that morning before the attack: Many people were happily arriving at work with coffee and briefcase and crisp suits, etc. and all set for another great day at the office. Others were doing whatever they do in the morning in NYC - whether jogging, or walking the dog, driving a cab, shopping, etc. Most people were experiencing a state of liberty. Life was relatively harmonious for many people and t.
Then the explosions happened and suddenly, no one was free to go where ever they wanted. Guliani told people to walk North. Before the attack, people were going north, south, east and west but after the attack, people were told to walk north (at least those where Guliani were). Freedom of movement was curtailed. People’s to-do lists were interrupted.
That is what a threat to security does. It causes us to lose some freedoms in order for the authorities to make us all safer — just like they do in the airports.
Security has not become more important than liberty — and it never will — but we need to sacrifice some of our liberties in the short term in order to secure our liberty and freedom in the long term.
Having said that, the Iraq war is still another issue………
Deepest Thanks to Bush n Blair. They r actually making the world and humans evolve and evolute.
and see what it has got you.
It has become the excuse to remove liberty.